Onion masala dosa| Ulli karam dosa |Yerra karam dosa

The region of rayalseema in Andhra pradesh is known for its spicy food.As you move towards the cities of guntur, nellore the food becomes spicier beyond imagination.Seriously it isn't for faint hearted.One such speciality is yerra karam dosa or in lay-mans terms onion masala dosa .It is also referred to as ulli karam dosa .A simple raw onion and spices paste when smeared with ghee on dosa elevates the taste of a humble dosa  to several notches higher.

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. 

Keema matar| Mutton mince and green peas

Hello, after a month long hiatus finally I am here to break the silence prevailing over the blog.A brief illness+lethargy+chill in the weather all conspired for my absence.Being on a two week long antibiotics the body refused to come back to normal and I have decided to do it at my own pace.Hence blogging was on a toss.Alhamdulillah I am feeling better now and hope to keep up this space buzzing with posts.

Idli |Soft and spongy idli's made from idli rava

South Indian breakfast is incomplete without Idli and dosa.Idli is the healthiest breakfast option.What is idli? Steamed rice and lentil cakes are known as idli.Traditionally Idli is made with dosa batter.Soft,spongy idlis can be made with idli rava/cream of rice too. Idli rava looks similar to our regular rava and is easily available in Indian stores.Compared to regular idli's the idli's made from rava require less soaking and labour .All you have to do is grind the urad dal only.I have used standard cup for measuringYou can use any cup just remember to measure both the rava and urad dal with same cup.The ratio is 2;1 ,for 2 parts rava one part urad dal.

Until my grand mother was alive only regular idli's were made .But when my mother took over the kitchen she found the idli's made with idli rava more convenient and happily accepted by the folks at home.Since then these idlis became part of breakfast menu.My kids don't prefer idli in their lunch box,so I reserve it for weekends.Usually Friday is the idli day at home.Steaming hot idlis with piping hot sambar.....Life can't be better than this!!!  

Batheeth- No bake dates cookie

Another month with another challenge .Its time for a challenge in the MFB group .If you remember last month I had joined a fb group where the members would be assigned a challenge every month.Last month it was a blog and the participating recipe was this Hijazi almond coffee .This month it was an ingredient for the challenge.Dates were assigned for this months challenge .There are endless possibilities with dates and dates is one of my favourite dry fruits .

According to a hadith "The people in a house with out dates are in a state of hunger".

Date(s) is a super natural food.You can read the health benefits of dates here .The recipe I chose for today was on my to do list since famidha had posted on her blog .While I was googling for authentic Qatari food batheeth was mentioned as one of them .No wonder that the gulf states have some common dishes .Though Qatar is a gastronomic heaven and you are spoilt with choices  there are very few outlets that serve authentic Qatari cuisine .Souk waqif is one such destination where you can find a few options.So this recipe is a token of gratitude for the country(Qatar) which has been a home away from home and my nest for half of my life.

Arbi roast | Taro root roast| Colocasia roast|Chamagadda roast

Arbi/colocasia root/Chamagadda are a few names of the taro root .Basically it is a root vegetable commonly used in Indian cooking .In Northern India it is called as arbi where as in Andhra it is known as chamagadda. After cooking it looks like potato but actually isn't.Taro root is slimy in nature like okra .The leaves of this plant are also used in cooking .Check out the health benefits of taro root here .Arbi roast/taro root roast can be served as vegetarian side with rice or any flat bread.This is and extremely easy recipe and you don't need to horn any cooking skill to execute it.Taro root can be steamed/boiled/pressure cooked.Just make sure it doesn't become wobbly /over cooked.Use the spices to your discretion.Add or minus any ingredient except salt 😉.

Mung sprouts/Green mung sprouts

Hello 2017!!! Starting this year on a healthier note with Moong bean sprouts.What are sprouts? The germinating seed is called a sprout .Any whole gram can be converted to sprout and the time varies depending on the climatic conditions and the nature of the gram.Sprouts are a power house of nutrients.The nutritive value of the gram increases to 10 folds in the form of sprouts.Sprouts can be eaten as it is raw or can be cooked.

Bidding Adieu 2016 |retrospect 2016

We are in the last day of the year 2016 and just a few hours away from 2017.Alhamdulillah 2016 has been a marvellous year and the Almighty has showered his blessings as always .Join me in  the journey as I take you along the aisles of The food factory.It has been 2 years of food blogging but definitely 2016 has been a turning point in the journey .with this post it is a total of 58 posts this year. Sharing one of my favourite click from each month .

Readers choice recipes of the year 2016 |Most viewed recipes on the blog

We are just a few days far from 2017 .Alhamdulillah 2016 has been a year of learning (as always) .Here I present you the most viewed recipes of the blog .The recipes can be reached by clicking the link .

The first place was bagged by this years awesome bake and probably the first bread recipe on the blog

1.Leopard bread 

 Total views:7784

Sooji kheer|Semolina kheer

Kheer is one traditional Indian sweet that symbolizes emotions.Right from the child is born to his naming ceremony,his first feed of solid foods,school admission ,result day ,college admission ,graduation .....etc kheer is an eternal part of Indian celebrations.kheer is a form of expressing love to your beloved.During the 90's there were'nt much take away options and it was considered unhealthy to have the store bought sweets all the time.Hence kheer was the easiest option available, made and served.Generally kheer is made with rice but it can easily substituted with semolina or sooji for a quick version .Compared to rice kheer ,sooji/semolina kheer is much easier and quick to cook.except the cooling part every thing comes together in 20 minutes .So next time you are having impromptu guest don't worry this kheer will come to rescue and I guarantee you clean licked bowls.

Kairi ka dopyaza| Kairi gosht |Green mango and mutton curry

Kairi ka dopyaza/Kairi gosht /Green mango and mutton curry  is a traditional recipe from the states of Andhra and Telengana.As the name suggests dopyaza means loaded with onions.If you love the tang in your curries or you are a green mango lover then this curry is for you .Mutton is cooked with onions,spices and green mango(kairi) .Apart from the onions there are no supporting actors for this curry like coconut or cashew nut paste that give thickness to curries.So you cant expect thick makhni or a coconut  style gravy.You can always adjust the quantity of green mango based on how tangy you want this curry to be.It can be served with plain rice or any flat bread but I would highly recommend it with the former .Kairi dopyaza is literally "dump everything " style curry.The only part that is laborious is chopping the onion but a food processor makes the work easier.Try to cut onion as thinly as possible to reduce the cooking time. If you are looking for a vegetarian option with green mango then this Kari dal would perfectly fit in the menu.