Pesara Garelu

Ingredients:
Pesalu (Green moong dal) – 1 cup
Minapappu (Urad dal) – ½ cup
Green chilies – 8
Ginger – 2” piece
Cumin seeds – 1tbsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Soak moong and urad dal, separately, overnight. In the morning, grind them into smooth batter with green chilies, cumin, ginger and salt.
• Heat about 1½ to 2 cups of oil (I used canola oil) on medium-high flame. When the oil is hot enough, flatten a lemon size batter either on your palm or on a plastic Ziploc bag, make a small hole in the middle, slowly slide the batter into the hot oil. Fry the vadas on medium flame on both sides, till slightly golden brown.
• Serve hot with any chutney (tomato, coriander, ginger, mint or good old coconut).

Upma

Ingredients:

2 cups rice ravva

1 finely sliced onion

3-4 slit green chillis

1″ ginger finely chopped

1 cup chopped vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower and potatoes)

1 1/2 tbsp ghee

8-10 cashewnuts or roasted peanuts(optional)

5 cups water

salt

1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

For seasoning:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp bengal gram

1 tbsp black gram dal

2 dry red chillies (optional)

1 sprig curry leaves

1 Heat oil or ghee in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the cumin, bengal gram, black gram, cashewnuts and curry leaves and saute them till the dals turn slightly brown and a nice aroma emanates the kitchen.
2 Add the sliced onions, green chillis and ginger and saute for 2 mts.
3 Add the chopped vegetables and saute on medium heat for 2-3 mts. Add salt and water and bring to a boil and let the vegetables cook in the water for 3-4 mts before adding the rice ravva.
4 Now, reduce heat and slowly add the rice ravva to the water and mix it continuously so that lumps don’t form and it combines well with the water.
5 Combine well till it forms a gooey paste.
6 Reduce heat and cover with lid and let it cook for 10-12 mts. Turn off heat and mix in the lemon juice.
7 Serve hot with chutney or pickle