Andhra Snack and Sweet Platter ~ Fried Cashews

Some 'platters' are going to be posted here this week, as part of the 'Indian Thaalis and Platters' themed month long marathon. I could not decide what to present under this theme among the jumble of ideas I had. Initially I wanted to do a colorful poori platter, a thought I have been nurturing for years now. I however discarded the idea when I cooked three pooris under breakfast theme. Some of the ideas I kept contemplating included a millet platter, steamed dishes one, a platter with variety of pohas, pakoda platter, vrat ka khana, a breakfast platter with Karnataka style 'bhaaths', 'rice' platter, parathas, dosas, guilt free snacks, sandwiches, fusion food and so on. I kept on listing the dishes that could go under each category but ended up altogether with something else when it was time to implement the ideas.

The first one in the series is a traditional platter that would have served as snack time food for kids, up until a generation ago in the state of Andhra Pradesh besides some of them being festive food. This is what my mother and her siblings would have as an after school treat, all freshly homemade and stored in big tins to snack on for a week or two. It was a time when people moved around a lot instead of being couch potatoes and no machines to substitute for their work. It was a time when kids played around instead of being glued in front of televisions and computers. Also a time when low-cal food wasn't a fad yet and hence no guilt attached to eat these high calorie foods. In fact, traditionally sunnundalu is considered to be one of the highly nutritious foods to consume.

I am not into frying that much and it would be a big fat lie if I say that I make these traditional goodies as regularly as my grand mothers used to make. Thanks to a wedding I attended in Los Angeles this February, this platter happened. The bride's parents who happen to be my cousin and his wife had brought all those sweets and chegodi from India and I happened to get a big batch of those. The rest of the savory snacks are store bought. The idea of this traditional platter occurred when I remembered that these were the snacks my mother grew up on. The only exception being jeedipappu burfi / cashew burfis that I included in this platter because I had them though my grandmother never made them. The cashews would be a special treat for guests.

I have ariselu, ladlu and cashew burfi under the sweets category.

Ariselu / Athirasalu - This is a traditional sweet prepared using freshly ground rice flour and jaggery syrup. Freshly ground flour is the key here. Store bought rice flour doesn't work in this recipe. Small portions of the dough is patted and deep fried. This stays fresh at least for two weeks or more. This sweet is commonly prepared in south India, Maharashtra and even in some eastern parts of India and go by different regional names. 

Boondi laddu - These laddus are one of the traditional sweets of India and popular through out the country. These laddus are made with fried, tiny chickpea flour balls added to sugar syrup and shaped into balls. 

Cashew burfi / Jeedipappu burfi - Burfis made with a cooked mixture of ground cashews and sugar.

Sunnundalu - A highly nutritious laddu from Andhra Pradesh which is prepared using black garm / urad dal, both with husked and skinned variety. It can also be made with moong dal. The recipe can be found here.

I have chekkalu, chakli, chegodilu, mixture, spicy cashews under the savory snacks. Chekkalu are fried rice flour crisps that are also made in other parts of south India. Both chakli and chegodi are rice flour based snacks that are deep fried. Chakli are spiral shaped where as chegodilu are tiny rings. Where as mixture is literally a mixture of boondi and spicy sevs with a tempering of curry leaves and peanuts.

The fried, spicy cashews are homemade which are quick and easy to make. They are a savory treat though high in calories. Any spice powders according to preference may be added but I added only salt and chili powder here as my grandmother used to make. Also remember not to fry the cashews in big batches. Cashews turn golden brown quick and by that time all the cashews are flipped / tossed, some may get burnt.

Ingredients:

Cashew nuts

Oil / ghee as needed for shallow frying

Salt to taste

Chili powder to taste

Directions:

* Heat ghee / oil in a pan and don't bring it to a smoking point. Add a handful of cashews.

* Fry them on low heat until golden brown on both sides, flipping them in between. Transfer them onto a plate lined with paper towel and fry the remaining cashews.

* Turn off the stove and transfer any remaining ghee / oil that was used to fry to another cup. Add the fried cashews back to the pan and add salt and chili powder. 

* Toss the pan well so that the cashews are coated well. Serve them immediately or store them in an airtight container.

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Aakukoora Pappu Chekkalu

 We have entered the final week of mega marathon where all the participants are going to try the same regional snack recipes, adding any twists if they wish, for the next eight days. The first one selected in this series was Andhra's pappu chekkalu which have similar dishes in the other southern states - the nippattu of Karnataka and Tamil nadu's thattai. There are minor variations in each preparation and all are basically fried crisps made with rice flour. I grew up in Karnataka and my husband is from Rayalaseema of Andhra region and so we end up calling these nippattu at home. Some of the variations I posted before are below.

Pepper flavored Miriyala Chekkalu 
Karnataka style Nippattu 
Andhra style Pappu Chekkalu 

Andhra and Karnataka versions mostly use rice flour alone whereas in case of thattai, a small quantity of other flours also go in. Karnataka versions usually has coarsely crushed hurigadale / chutney dal and peanuts to add some crunch while Andhra version usually has soaked senaga pappu / Bengal gram. The word 'pappu' refers to the legume (Bengal gram) used in the recipe. Mostly dry chili powder goes into nippattu and thattai recipes where as green chillie paste goes into chekkalu recipe. Some add sesame seeds for flavor. They are just the basic guide lines and nowadays the tidbits are added to one's liking. 

This is the most commonly prepared snack in our home like any other south Indian's but I ended up preparing them twice for this marathon. I wanted to try a variation with moong dal which I had earlier bookmarked and they ended up being rock hard. I forgot about another version that I wanted to try with peanut flour and prepared this version adding aakukoora / greens. Any chopped seasonal greens may be added. Don't make them with methi / fenugreek greens alone which would turn them bitter. Add some chopped cilantro and curry leaves as well. There are also new version chekkalu with various millet flours which I haven't tried yet. 

'Chekka' literally means wood though the term here means crispy one and chekkalu is the plural word for chekka. Properly made chekkalu would be crispy and crunchy. Under fried ones would turn softer and over fried versions would turn harder. Heating oil to the correct temperature is essential. To know whether the oil is hot enough, drop a pinch of the dough into the hot oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, the oil is hot enough to fry. If the dough sinks to the bottom, the oil needs some more heating. Don't bring the oil to a smoking point. Once the oil is hot enough, drop the dough circles into the hot oil and lower the heat. The heat should be somewhere between low and medium setting while frying. If the chekkalu are frying faster then it usually means that frying temperature needs to be a little lower since they quickly brown and won't turn crispy. Before adding a new batch of dough discs, make sure that oil is hot enough (as at the beginning) but lower the flame during the frying part.

Store bought rice flour works fine for chekkalu / nippattu and that's what I use to prepare them. The edges of chekkalu may break since it is made with rice flour. One can fix it by joining the cracks with fingers while patting them but I don't do it usually. The chekkalu are not as thick as they seem to be in the closeup shots I have taken. If the chekkalu are made with chili powder they look brownish and when green chili paste is used, they would be lighter in color.

Ingredients: (Yield 16- 18)
1.5 cups rice flour
Salt to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 cup chopped mixed greens*
2 green chillies, finely chopped or ground to paste
A handful of soaked chana dal / Bengal gram
2 tbsp. hot oil
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. warm water
Oil for deep frying (I used canola oil.)
* Add any chopped greens along with a sprig of finely chopped curry leaves. Avoid adding bitter greens like methi / fenugreek greens. I made one batch with methi which turned bitter.

Method:

* Rinse and soak Bengal gram for an hour or two. Drain the water and keep them aside.

* Heat oil in a deep frying pan / kadai on medium flame, when ready to make chekkalu.

* Combine flour, salt, cumin seeds in a mixing bowl. Add chopped greens, chillies and soaked Bengal gram in a mixing bowl. Pour about 2 tbsp. hot oil and mix it. Be careful since the oil is hot. Add water gradually to make a dough of thick consistency. (Most of the times I add water at room temperature and that's fine too.)

* Drop a pinch of the dough into the hot oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, the oil is hot enough to fry. If the dough sinks to the bottom, the oil needs some more heating. Don't bring the oil to a smoking point.  

* Take a small lemon sized portion of dough and place it on a thick, greased plastic sheet (such as a ziploc bag) or a wax paper. Flatten the ball with your fingers and press it to a thin disc of about 3 inches in diameter. 

* Take the plastic sheet with the disc on in your left hand palm, with the disc being on the top side. Open your right hand palm with no gaps between your fingers and gently reverse the disc on to your right hand. (To be precise, onto your fingers and not on the palm.) Gently peel away the sheet from the disc so that the disc is in your right hand now. 

* Gently drop the flattened dough disc into the hot oil. Without overcrowding the pan, fit as many discs as you can to fry. Deep fry the discs until they turn light golden in color both sides. Keep the flame somewhere between low and medium flame while frying. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto absorbent towels. 
* Repeat the procedure until all the dough is finished. Before adding a new batch of dough discs, make sure that oil is hot enough (as at the beginning) but lower the flame during the frying part. Also remember to grease the plastic sheet every time with 1- 2 drops of oil, before making a disc.
* Cool and store the fried chekkalu in an airtight container. They stay fresh for weeks and are good accompaniment for coffee / tea.

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A - Z Andhra Recipes ~ T for Theepi Dibba Rotte / Theepi Minapa Rotte

I have a traditional Andhra snack for today's recipe. For those who are joining me late, I have been posting Andhra recipes this month, in an alphabetical order and today is the turn for the alphabet 'T'.  

I am posting a sweet version of dibba rotte. Dibba rottes are Andhra version dense pancakes made with rice and black gram / urad dal batter. Either the fresh or fermented batter can be used to make dibba rottes. The commonly known version of dibba rotte is the savory one while there is a sweet version too which is not that popular. Jaggery and coconut are also ground into the batter in this version and it makes a great evening snack for kids. It is not overtly sweet and I enjoy this sweet rotte with chutney like the savory one. 
 
There are plenty of recipes online, referring to dibba rotte as dibba rotti or dibba roti. The correct name would be the first one since 'rotti' / 'roti' are not Telugu words. They are Kannada and Hindi words respectively. Theepi dibba rotte literally means sweet, dense pancakes / flat-breads in Telugu. 'Theepi' means sweet whereas the word 'dibba' is used in reference to the thickness of these pancakes and literally means dense. The first part 'di' in the word 'dibba' is pronounced as 'thi' in the word 'this'. And coming to the part 'rotte', 'ro' is pronounced as in the word 'rose' and 'tte' as in 'tay' with a stress on 't'. Dibba rotte are also called minapa rotte, a reference to the black gram used in the recipe. And this sweet version is also called bellam minapa rotte, because of the bellam / jaggery used in the recipe. The color of these sweet rotte depend upon the color of the jaggery used.
 
Freshly ground batter can be used to make these rotte and there is no need to ferment it, making this recipe a convenient one for it to be an evening snack. These pancakes are so dense that people, especially kids would be full eating just one or two slices. The flip side is dibba rottes are time taking even though you don't need to hover around the stove until it is time to flip the pancakes, which happens around 15 minutes mark. They are meant to be cooked leisurely on slow flame to ensure that they are cooked thoroughly through out. Because of the thickness, each rotte takes anywhere between 20 to 25 minutes to cook. Hurrying and trying shortcuts like cooking it on high flame or in shorter times only ruins the rotte. The inside would be under cooked though it appears well browned on outside. If in a hurry, the batter may be used to make thick dosas instead of the denser ones.

 

Traditionally, a banali / kadai, a round bottomed pan is used to prepare dibba rotte. Usually I go that route but I used a small sized non stick pan this time. When cooked leisurely, the rotte making wouldn't be difficult even when a iron kadai is used. Novice cooks can use a non-stick pan to ensure mess-free rottte making.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice / biyyam
1/2 cup black gram / minapappu / urad dal
1/2 cup jaggery powder / bellam
2 handfuls of shredded fresh coconut / pachi kobbari
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. water
Oil to make rottes

Preparation:

* Rinse and soak urad dal and rice together in water, for at least 3 hours.

* Drain the water. Grind urad dal, rice, jaggery and coconut together into a smooth, thick batter, adding water only as much as needed to facilitate the grinding. (I had to add a little over 1/2 cup as mentioned in the list above.) Don't make the batter runny. The batter should be very thick like idli batter. Transfer the batter to a container.

* Heat a round bottomed pan / kadai and pour about 2 tbsp oil into the middle of the pan. Next add about 2 cups of batter into it. 

 

* Cover and cook on low flame until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Lift the pancake at one end with a spatula to see if it has turned golden brown on the bottom side. If it has, flip it carefully using a spatula. 

 

* Cook for a few minutes more until the other side cooks too. Remove and transfer the rotte onto a plate.

 

* Repeat the process with the remaining batter. 

* Slice into wedges and serve with your choice of sweet or savory condiment.

  
'T' Ingredients' list

From Pantry:
Telagapindi - Residue left while preparing the sesame seed oil
Thati bellam - Palm jaggery  

Produce:
Taati munjelu - Toddy palm fruit
Taati pandu -  Ripened toddy palm fruit
Tenkaaya - Coconut
Tella gaddalu - Vellulli / Garlic
Thamba kaaya - A broad and lengthy green bean variety vegetable 
Thegalu - Tender Palm shoots
Thotakoora - Amaranth greens

Some recipes that start with 'T':
Thentharlu & Thapala chekkalu - snacks
Thaati pandu kudumu - Sweet 
Thokkudu laddu / Bandaru laddu - Sweet 
Thotakoora pappu - Amaranath greens dal
Telagapindi koora - Curries using telagapindi
Theeya pulusu - Sweet and tangy vegetable stew
Theeya kooralu - Sweetened curries
Taddinam vanta - Dishes cooked on death anniversaries
Tomato charu - Tomato rasam
Tomato pachadi - Tomato chutney
Tomato pappu - Tomato dal

So far on my 'A - Z' Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya
E for Endu Kobbari Podi
F for Fine Biscuits 
G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu
H for Halwa Holigalu
I for Idli Karam Podi
J for Janthikalu
K for Kobbari Koora

L for Lauzu
M for Matikkaaya Kaaram Koora
N for Nimmakaaya Kaaram
O for Ottotti
P for Perugu Vadalu  
Q for Qubani ka Meetha 
R for Ragi Sangati
S for Satyanarayana Vrata Prasadam

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Perugu Vadalu / Perugu Garelu / Aavadalu

I am doing 'A - Z' recipes based on Andhra cuisine this month, presenting dishes with regional names in an alphabetical order and it's time for the letter 'P' today.

This 'aavadalu' was supposed to be my first post of this marathon but my husband's favorite alasanda vadalu aka black-eyed pea fritters came in between and this was pushed to today's 'P' post. I prepare these perugu vadalu at least once a year, especially on my husband's birthday since these are one of his favorite fritters. His birthday is next month but these got made two months in advance this time. Perugu is Telugu word for yogurt / dahi and these perugu vadalu also called as perugu garelu or aavadalu are the spicy, Andhra version of the north Indian dahi vadas. While 'Perugu vadalu' is the most common term used in the state, 'Aavadalu' is a term used mostly in the upper coastal regions. I had noticed during our vacation in the Godavari districts that these aavadalu are served as a breakfast even in the small food joints there. It may be a form of recycling leftover vadas, I guess.

What are perugu vadalu? Urad dal / Black gram fritters are freshly made and then allowed to soak in a spicy, yogurt sauce for few hours. No sweeteners go into the recipe as I had noticed some non regional bloggers were mentioning. Instead, one uses fresh yogurt which naturally is subtly sweet, at least in our circles. These are served alone and no condiments go with them usually since the ginger - chillies in the yogurt sauce lends the spice factor to the dish. Where as the north Indian versions of dahi vadas / dahi bhallas go with load of embellishments like chutneys and as such.  The yogurt sauce here is yellow in color, thanks to the turmeric used in the recipe.

The perugu vadalu are prepared only spicy enough that one can handle. It is not like they are overtly hot and you need a glass of cold water besides you to enjoy them. The spice level of the yogurt sauce can be customized according to one's preferences. And one more difference between the north Indian and this version is the vadas are allowed to slightly cool after the frying and are directly dunked into the yogurt sauce. In north India, they are dunked in water before dropping them into yogurt so that they soak the flavors well and quickly. Perugu vadalu are instead allowed to sit for few hours for the flavors to mingle, before savoring them.

Traditionally, perugu vadalu were prepared on festival days. It can be a part of party meal too since it can be prepared in advance and actually tastes better after sitting for a while. It is a great savory treat and can be enjoyed any time. And if you have left over vadas, they can be recycled too by just preparing the yogurt sauce.

Some 'P' culinary terms: 
Palahaaram - Breakfast / Snack
Paalu - Milk
Pachadi - Chutney / Pickle 
Pachi - Raw
Pakam - Syrup of sugar / jaggery
Pandu - Fruit
Perina neyi - Unmelted ghee
Perugu - Yogurt
Podi - Powder / Spicy powder condiments
Pindi - Any flour / batter
Pulupu - Sourness

Pantry / Produce:
Pachi Senagapappu - Split chickpeas / chana dal
Pallilu - Peanuts
Pappulu - Roasted split chickpeas
Panchadaara - Sugar
Pelalu - Popped rice grains with husk (Popped Vadlu)
Pesalu - Green Moong 
Pesarapappu - Moong dal

Paalakoora - Spinach
Pachi Mirapakaaya - Green chillies
Panasa Pandu - Jack fruit  
Pandu mirapakaya - Fresh red chillies
Paayalaaku - Purslane leaves
Pampara Panasa - Grape fruit variety
Perugu Thotakoora & Ponnagantaku - Variety of Greens
Potlakaaya - Snake gourd
Puchakaaya - Watermelon
Pudina - Mint

Everyday kind dishes:
Pesarattu, Pullatlu & Pullatakulu - Breakfast dishes
Pappu / Pappu Pulusu - Lentil based dishes
Patoli - Vegetable and Lentil preparation
Perugu Pachadi / Perugu Pulusu - Stews based on sour yogurt
Panasapottu Koora - Raw jack fruit curry
Pindi Miriyam - A spicy stew made with lentils 
Pulusu - Sweet and tangy stew, made with or without lentils
Pulusu Koora - A sour and spicy preparation using greens

Sweet dishes:
Paala thalikalu, Paanakam, Pakam garelu, Panasa thonalu, Panchadaara Chilukalu, Panchamrutham, Payasam, Pheni, Poli, Pootharekulu

Savory dishes:
Pakodi & Punukulu - Deep fried snacks 
Paalakaayalu - savory snack
Pelala vadiyalu - Popped husked rice grains wadi
Pannaram - Soaked moong dal with basic seasoning of salt
Pulihora - Rice preparation

Ingredients: (yield 20 - 22)
1 cup urad dal / split black gram / minapappu
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 - 4 green chillies (depending upon the spiciness of the chillies)
1 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. mustard seeds
20 curry leaves
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
5 cups fresh and thick yogurt 
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Making Vadas:
* Wash and soak urad dal in enough water to cover it, for about two hours. Drain the water after the soaking period. Grind urad dal adding salt and a little water, to a soft and thick batter.  
* Heat oil in a deep frying pan until a pea sized batter dropped into it comes to surface immediately. 
* Keep a bowl of water beside the stove. Wet both hands, take a lime sized portion of the batter and flatten it on a greased banana leaf / plastic sheet or your palm. Make a hole in the center and carefully slide the vada into the hot oil. Repeat the steps, make vadas and drop as many as the frying pan can fit.

* Fry the vadas in batches on low flame, until they are cooked golden brown through out. Transfer them onto absorbent paper towels and let them cool a bit.

Preparing the yogurt sauce:
* Add the yogurt and salt to a mixing bowl and gently whisk the yogurt.
(* Traditionally ginger and green chillies are ground and mixed into the yogurt at this point. That is how my mother and aunts prepare it too. However I would like to saute ginger and chillies in hot oil so that people who don't like to eat chillies can discard them while eating.)
* Heat oil, add grated ginger and saute. When it starts to turn golden brown, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and finely chopped green chilles. Saute for few seconds, add turmeric powder and turn off the stove. Let it cool. Add this tempering to the yogurt and mix well. (If you haven't added the ginger and chillies to the tempering and preferred to add the ginger - green chillie paste, add that as well to the yogurt and mix well.) 

* Taste the yogurt mixture and adjust the salt quantity if needed. If it is spicy, fix it adding some more fresh yogurt. Add the fried vadas (not hot ones) to the yogurt mixture and  stir them properly with a spoon so that they get soaked well properly in the yogurt sauce.
* Cover and let it sit for at least a couple of hours for the vadas to soak up the flavors. 
* Any leftovers can be refrigerated and consumed with in two days. any period further, the yogurt gets sour and vadas do not taste good.

So far on my 'A - Z' Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya
E for Endu Kobbari Podi
F for Fine Biscuits 
G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu
H for Halwa Holigalu
I for Idli Karam Podi
J for Janthikalu
K for Kobbari Koora

L for Lauzu
M for Matikkaaya Kaaram Koora
N for Nimmakaaya Kaaram
O for Ottotti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63.
 
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