CHINESE FRIED RICE

 Fried rice is one of the very popular vegetarian Chinese dishes. If you are a ovo-vegetarian, you may want to add egg to the dish to make it more authentic. I do not eat eggs. I make it without eggs.Soy sauce sometimes has oyster sauce, if you are particular like me, please read the label before purchase.

Nutrition:          

Shorter the grain of rice higher the glycemic index. Long grain rice is better for sugar levels than short grain rice. basmati rice has the lowest glycemic index. So, you may want to substitute the medium grain rice with basmati.

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked medium grain rice
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup corn or baby corn chopped
1/2 cup Bean sprouts
1 egg (optional)
4tbsp soy sauce
4 scallions or spring onions chopped
1 tsp seseame oil
1tbsp ginger chopped finely
1tbsp garlic chopped finely
2 tbsp oil

Procedure:

1. Beat egg along with 1tsp soy sauce and 1tsp seseame oil
2. Heat a wok on mediem flame. Add 1tbsp oil and pour the egg mixture. When it fluffs flip it and remove after a minute into a plate. Cut into pieces
3. Add a tbsp of oil to the wok and add chopped ginger, garlic and onions, heat on medium flame until the onions brown.
4.Add carrots, bean sprouts and corn or baby corn, let them cook for a couple of minutes while stirring occasionally. Add scallions/spring onions and egg pieces(optional), mix and cook for a minute.
5. Add rice, remaining soy sauce and salt. Keep on low flame. Mix well and serve hot

KADI - MJJIGA PULUSU

మజ్జిగ పులుసు  was one of my favorite childhood dishes. This is a great way of adding vegetables to the traditional butter milk dish. Tastes yum and has the goodness of both vegetables(Vitamins and minerals) and dairy (Protein and calcium). It is a nice combination of tanginess and spiciness.

Ingredients:

2 Yellow cucumber(దోసకాయ) peeled and cut into inch long pieces
2 Taro root (చేమ దుంప )peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick circles
1 Potato peeled and cut into medium sized pieces
6 Bhendi cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 Long Brinjal cut into 1 inch long pieces
1/2 Raw banana (అరటి కాయ) peeled and cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 cup spinach or బచ్చలి కూర  cut into pieces
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger
3 green chillies
50 gms coriander seeds
2tbsp Besan (సెనగ  పిండి)
3 cups of thick curds
2 cups water
6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek/menthi seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch of Hing
2 red chillies
1/4 cup of coriander cut into pieces
Salt
1tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds, when they start to spurt, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red      
    chillies, hing and curry leaves
2. Add all the cut vegetables, add enough salt for vegetables and let them cook on medium flame until they
    are almost cooked, add spinach.
3. Grind  ginger, green chillies, and coriander seeds with a 1/4 cup of curds, add this to the vessel.
4. blend rest of the curds with besan and 2 cups of water, salt and add to the vessel
5. Cook further on slow flame untill all vegetables are cooked well. Stir continously.
6. Add coriander and serve hot with hot rice or chapatis

LONG BRINJAL FRY WITH SESEAME SEEDS AND COCONUT POWDER (NUVVULU & KOBBARI PODI)

This vegetable fry comes best when long brinjals (పొడుగు వంకాయలు) are used but you can use other types of brinjal too. In andhra kitchen, seseame seeds (నువ్వులు), mixed dals and coconut powder is usually ground and stored for easy use. it adds good taste and nutrition to any simple, quick and easy vegetable fry.

Nutrition:

Sesame seeds are high in calcium, iron and protein. Mixed dals including peanuts are also a good source of pretein. Peanuts are good for reducing bad cholesterol(LDL) and increasing good cholesterol (HDL), high in Vitamin E and Niacin. they are also high in anti-oxidants. 

Ingredients:

3 Long brinjal cut into 1 inch pieces                                      
curry leaves
mustard seeds                                          
Cumin seeds
3 Red Chillies
Hing
1/4 cup of coriander cut into pieces
Salt
1tbsp oil

Ingredients for Podi:

1/4th cup Channa dal
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup shelled peanuts
1/4 cup roatsed channa dal(పుట్నాల  పప్పు)
1 1/2 cup seseame seeds
3tbsp jeera
1tsp menthi seeds
5 red chillies
1/4 cup curry leaves
3/4 cup dry or fresh grated coconut
Salt

1. First roast the four dals. When they start to brown and smell good, transfer them to a plate
2. Roast peanuts, putnalu, then seseame seeds and grated coconut
3. Roast jeera, menthi seeds, red chillies and curry leaves
3. Grind them all together

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds, when they start to spurt, add cumin seeds, red chillies, hing and curry leaves
2. Add brinjal pieces and salt, mix and cover. Let it cook until the pieces are cooked but firm.
3. Add the powder of mixed dals, let it cook for about a couple of minutes while stirring often, so that it doesn't burn
4. Add Coriander and serve hot with hot rice or chapatis

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH ONION AND POTATOES

Brussels sprouts are mini-cabbages, nutritional value is best preserved when stir fried, steamed or microwaving. They taste just wonderful even if you just sprinkle a little salt and microwave.

Nutrition:

Boiling makes them lose an anti-cancer chemical, sulforaphane. They are rich in Iron, Vitamin B2, potassium and fiber. They go well with roots like potatoes.

Ingredients:

15 Brussels sprouts- Cut lengthwise. Make about 6 long pieces out of each one
1 Potato cut into medium size cubes
1/2 onion cut into long thin pieces
red chilly powder
curry leaves
mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Hing
1/4 cup of coriander cut into pieces
Salt
1tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds, when they start to spurt, add cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves
2. Add potato pieces to the pan, after about a minute add onions, brussels sprouts and salt. Cover and let it
    cook for about 6 min on medium flame
3. Remove cover, add red chilly powder and coriander. Cover and let it cook on low flame for a minute
4. Serve hot with rice or chapati or you can even eat it just by itself.

SNAKE GOURD AND CURD CHUTNEY - POTLAKAYA PERUGU PACHADI

Perugu patchadi (పెరుగు పచ్చడి) is a typical South Indian dish, where a vegetable is seasoned and cooked and, then when cool is mixed with curds.This is a very quick, easy and a very healthy dish.

Nutrition:

It has good protein and calcium from curds, and the vitamins and fibre from vegetables. It is not a very spicy dish and is usually liked by kids and adults equally. Snake gourd is a good laxative and an antibiotic. It is a low fat and low carbohydrate dish. good for people with diabetes and/or high choleseterol.

Ingredients:

2 long padawal/snake gourd/పొట్లకాయ Cut into thin semi-circles or circles
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger

3 green chillies                                                              
3 cups of thick curds/yogurt
6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek/menthi seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch of Hing
2 red chillies
1/4 cup of coriander cut into pieces
Salt
1tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds, when they start to spurt, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red
    chillies, hing and curry leaves
2. Add snake gourd, mix salt. cover and cook till the pieces become very soft.
3. Grind  ginger, green chillies with a 1/4 cup of curds (you can also add fresh coconut), add this to the
    vessel when the snake gourd cools down.
4. Add coriander and keep it refrigerated
5. serve with rice or chapati.