Shanti's Home Cooking

  Andhra Special - Pesarattu Upma  Who doesn't love the classic Andhra breakfast - Pesarattu Upma? This is a classic combination that can be eaten for breakfast or as an anytime snack. It goes best with coconut chutney. It also tastes great with ginger chutney. The crisp Pesarattu is made out of spilt green gram dal. It can be made with whole moong too or with yellow gram dal , but the traditional way is with split green gram dal. Removing the skin while washing the dal is a bit laborious, but the end result makes up for all the hard work put in.  The Upma is made with simple ingredients so as not to take away the attention from the Star - the Pesarattu. While each dish can be eaten separately, they complement each other if eaten together.  This is a very nutritious breakfast dish . Green gram aids weight loss, enhances heart and digestive health, prevents diabetes and is rich in nutrients. It is also said to boost blood circulation.  There is an interesting com...

 Hyacinth Bean Curry ( Pithiki Pappu/Avarekai/ Mochakai) Anyone living in Bangalore will be very familiar with the avarekai festival. When in season, this peeled Hyacinth bean is used in almost every dish possible, be it savoury or sweet. It is used in curries, dosas, sweets and snacks.  The hyacinth beans are known as Avarekai in Kannada, Pithiki pappu or Anapa Ginjalu in Telugu and Mochakai in Tamil. The beans are shelled and then the beans are soaked in water for a couple of hours and then the outer covering of the beans removed, revealing a pale green bean. This is a very delicate and nutritious bean that can be cooked in a variety of ways.  In Bangalore, these are available peeled and have to be used on the same day. I have used this Bangalore special vegetable in a typical Andhra style curry. This is a hot favourite in our house and during the season, we make it as frequently as we can source it. Ingredients: 1/2 Kg peeled Avarekai  1 1/2 cups diced Onions 2 La...