Chutney podi |Andhra style putnala podi|Roasted gram spiced powder

Andhra is famous for its chutney's and podi's.What is a podi?Podi is a ground mixture(powder) of lentils and spices.It is usually referred to as gunpowder.It can be a mixture of 2 to 3 lentils/Dal's or simply coconut or peanut.Hence the podi's are named appropriately after that.If you have ever visited a typical south Indian restaurant for lunch then you may have seen an array of pickles and podis adorning the table along with ghee.India is a country of diverse culture and food.food changes for every few kilo meters as you travel.If you travel southern India every house has a unique podi recipe. 

Burmese Kyauk Kyaw | Vegan coconut jelly

Being a south Indian coconut has been an integral part of my growth.From relishing  the sweet coconut water and flesh straight from the tree to indulging into fresh coconut used in curries and desserts made from coconut milk life revolved round the coconut .Like a typical Andhra family the day at my maternal grandparents house would start with coconut chutney and would continue with the coconut saga .Three coconut trees surrounding the palatial house would fuel the family needs all round the year.

Thank fully one of the coconut trees have survived the encroachment by the expanding family till date.My grandmother (Nani) was an exceptionally good cook.Agar agar or china grass was in swing during 90 's in India.And when ever we kids pester her for any thing sweet she would come up with this coconut jelly made from agar agar .If coconut wasn't available then a simple jelly with milk and cardamom would suffice.Unlike the kids of this generation we enjoyed life in little things.While I was casually surfing pinterest I came to know that this jelly is also known as   Kyawk Kyaw/Chhow chhow in Burma.

Mandia pitha|Ragi-rice coconut pancakes

Ragi(finger millet) is called as Mandia in oriya .Pancakes made from ragi ,rice and coconut serve as excellent source of nutrition. Mandiya pitha are soft fluffy pancakes that can be had at any time of the day.These pancakes are hassle free as all pancakes are but with a tag of 'healthy' .Mandiya pitha is a completely vegan recipe if made with oil.Ragi is traditionally believed to be a body coolant and finds its way in most of the  food from the southern states. Off late the kids have started to accept ragi in their meals apart from the ragi porridge.

Nadia bara jhol /Coconut and lentil dumplings in a thick gravy

Hi everyone .After coming back from vacation I am lagging behind to blog.Its not that I am not cooking or not clicking ,cooking started from the very next day itself.I have oodles of drafts in laptop some dating back to as long as 3 months.Please stop !!!now before you start judging me on any parameters let me submit my explanation ,for example this Mango cake was the latest one but needed immediate publish as this was the mango season.Like this I can give you so many examples but I don't want to waste your time...):p

You can call me lazy or to be more sophisticated I am a looser when it comes to time management. If I am cooking I am spending hours in the kitchen or if I am browsing the Internet then stay glued to I pad for hours behind a recipe or a photography tutorial.Later on I lament that I don't get enough time to blog.Seriously??? When I retrospect my schedule for the day gone by I feel tremendously guilty that I had wasted my time .And question to my self was it necessary?Was that the need of the hour ?I should have spent my time more creatively. But calm down by saying to myself that "I had learnt so many things today".I was "happy" I enjoyed the "Me time".What else does any one want at the end of the day?-One happy soul.I must admit that If it wasn't for blogging I wouldn't have dared to explore so much whether in terms of cooking, photography or social media.Every day I get to learn new things and some hard truths.

Hyderabadi baghare baingan |Aubergines in a thick creamy sauce | How to make baghare baingan from scratch

The inevitable part of an authentic Hyderabadi biryani platter is Baghare baingan ,aubergines cooked in a creamy nutty sauce of coconut and peanuts.Baghare means tempering and baingan refers to aubergines.The tangy nutty ,silky gravy is served as an accompaniment to the biryani .But I personally like it with simple tempered rice or a chapati .