Beans Patoli

Patoli is a Traditional Andhra dish and is very tasty and healthy. This dish is made with only lentils (moong dal and chana dal) My mom frequently made this dish and is a  favorite of our  family.I have made a variation by adding french beans and one of the lentil.  

This post is specially for my friend Archana!!!!!

Ingredients
1. Beans - 250g
2. Moong Dal - 1 cup
3. Ginger - 1" piece
4. Green Chillies - 2-3
5. Salt- to taste
6. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Seasoning Ingredients
1. Chana Dal - 1 tsp
2. Urd Dal - 1 tsp
3. Mustard - 1 tsp
4. Curry leaves - a sprig
5. Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Preparation Method
1. Soak Moong Dal in hot water for 30 mins. 
2. Drain Water and grind to a coarse paste along with ginger and green chillies. 
3. Now cook this paste in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.
4. Wash, Chop and boil the beans with little salt and keep aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan.Add mustard, chana dal, urd dal and curry leaves
6. Add the cooked beans and dal salt and turmeric and cook covered for 5 mins.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes

• When cooking the moong dal in the cooker make sure you add only a little water(2-3 tbsps)
• Once the moon dal is cooked.. it will be hard.. Mash it with your hand..
• If the Dal becomes watery then heat oil in a pan and fry this dal till all the water evaporates.
• The cooked dal must be dry when adding to the curry.
• Onions also can be added..After the seasoning and before adding the beans and dal

Bellam Appalu (Rice flour crunchy Sweet)

      Bellam Appalu is an authentic dish of andhra,also made for festivals. This sweet dish is the favorite of lord hanuman. 
     
      This sweet prasadam with a crunchy outer layer and smooth inside  tastes really great and i bet you cannot resist eating them... I remember, during my childhood, making garlands of this sweet and offering at the Hanuman temple. 
     
       As usual, i tried making this only after marriage and messed up the water and flour proportions this time.. We have to make sure that water is taken exactly the same as the flour i.e. 1:1.. may be 4-5 tbsp of water more may be added for dissolving the jaggery...

The recipe follows!!! All the best...

Ingredients
1. Rice Flour - 100g
2. Water - 100ml
3. Jaggery - 50g 
4. Salt - a pinch


Preparation Method
1. In a vessel mix water, salt and jaggery.Bring it to boil till the jaggery is completely dissolved.
2. Add the flour slowly stirring continuously without forming any lumps.
3. Once the mixture starts to thicken, turnoff the flame.

4. Cool the mixture and knead to form a soft dough5. Make small ball out of the dough and press into a disc.

6. Deep fry in oil and drain excess oil on a paper towel

Enjoy!!!!!

Poornam Boorelu

     Boorelu is one of the most popular sweet prepared in the homes of andhras often offered as naivedyam during many festivals like the Navratri,Ugadi(Telugu new year) etc. 

     This sweet my mom and grand mom used to make on festivals which then i did not want to eat (I wonder why myself now) but was forced to as it was a prasadam..

     

 I first made this sweet after marriage with my mom constantly on phone during the preparation but still the inner filling (poornam)  was bursting out of the cover.. i did not know what went wrong as i followed the instructions word to word..Then my mom asked if i made the dosa batter as thin as i use for dosa... and YES!!! i had done that..i corrected it by added a little of rice flour but this time my outershell became hard as the proportion of rice was more.. 

     So friends, please ensure that the rice dal (Dosa) batter[recipe for Dosa batter below] is thick enough to coat the poornam balls evenly so that there is no leaking of the filling in the oil.. The proportion of the Dal:Rice is 1:11/2... Here goes the recipe..Try and enjoy!!

Ingredients

1. Dosa batter - 1 cup
2. Chana dal - 1/2 cup
3. Sugar  - 1/2 cup
4. Eilachi powder - 1 tsp
5. Oil - deep fry 

Preparation Method
1. Soak Chana dal over night. Drain water and grind to a coarse paste. 

2. Make small patties of this paste and steam them in a idli maker for 15 mins

3. Cool and smash these steamed patties,Mix sugar and Eilachi powder.

4. Make balls of this mixture and keep aside.

5. Now dip these balls in the dosa batter and deep fry..

Ready to serve!!!!



Tips
1. While deep frying always keep the flame low.
2. Recipe for Dosa Batter:
    Soak 1 cup Urd Dal and 11/2 cups of rice over night. Grind with little water the next morning.