Pindi Miriyam (Andhra Style Vegetable Stew with Peppercorns)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter P
Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: P for Pindi Miriyam

Letter P stands for veggies like Potlakaya (snake gourd), Palakoora (spinach). P also stands for Perugu (yogurt), Pachadi (chutney) etc.

Today's recipe Pindimiriyam is a very traditional dish made in Andhra Pradesh. It is basically a spicy, tangy pulusu or stew made with miriyam or peppercorns. It is a very filling and tasty dish that goes well with steamed rice. Recipe is from 'Cooking with Pedatha' cookbook.

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Ven Pongal & Gosthu

For Day 5 of BM# 10 under Winter Special theme, I have a very comforting and hearty combo, Ven Pongal & Gosthu. I'm sure these dishes are made all year round, but a hot bowl of pongal with the hearty vegetable & lentil curry just warms you up from within, making it a very special winter dish in my opinion. 

Recipe for Ven Pongal is adapted from Chandra Padmanabhan's Dakshin cookbook and I made Suganya's gosthu to go along with it. A perfect way to end a looong day of shopping. 

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Miriyala Charu/ Rasam (Pepper Soup)

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe and is very effective in clearing up your nose and throat during the “cold” season. Hot pepper with pungent garlic is a great combination for this spicy rasam.

Ingredients:
Peppercorns – 12-15
Garlic cloves – 4-5
Cumin seeds – 1tbsp
Red chilies – 3
Tamarind pulp – 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 4
Salt –to taste

Method:

• Grind peppercorns, cumin seeds and garlic cloves into a coarse paste (doesn’t have to be completely smooth).
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a saucepan, add red chilies and fry till they darken in color. Add the curry leaves and ground pepper paste. Fry on low flame for 2-3 minutes or until it gives out nice garlic smell.
  
• Add the tamarind pulp, salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand till ready to serve.

You can refrigerate the unused pepper+garlic masala for days in the refrigerator and use it when needed.