Dosakaya Pachadi (Cuke Lemon Chutney)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter D
Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: D for Dosakaya Pachadi 

Letter D stands for veggies like Dondakaya (ivy gourd), Dosakaya (cuke lemon). D also stands for dishes like Dappalam which is a spicy, tangy stew made with toor dal and an assortment of veggies. Daddojam, spiced curd rice or Dalcha, a Hyderabadi lentil dish and so on.

I decided to make a traditional chutney recipe using dosakaya (cuke lemon). This is a very quick and simple chutney to make. Dosakaya is not cooked, it is finely chopped and mixed into ground tempering. A spicy, tangy and very tasty pachadi.

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Chimmiri Undalu (Sesame-Jaggery Balls)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter C
Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: C for Chimmiri

C stands for a number of veggies like Chamadumpa (arvi), Chilagadadumpa (sweet potato) and so on. C is also for some very traditional dishes like Chalimidi and today's Chimmiri. Chimmiri is a very simple preparation with just 2 main ingredients.

I was talking to my mom about this series and was asking her about what to make for letter 'C'. She mentioned 'Chimmiri undalu'. These are made for Nagula chavithi, I remember eating them, but never made them myself. So my mom gave me the recipe. I wasn't sure if these sesame-jaggery balls where any different from nuvvulundalu or ellai urundai, so googled and found that most of the other sesame balls where made with roasted sesame seeds, but this one is made with raw sesame seeds.

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Bagara Baingan (Hyderabadi Baby Eggplants in Peanut-Coconut Gravy)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter B

Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: B for Bagara Baingan (Baghare Baingan)

Letter B stands for veggies like Beerakaya (ridgegourd), Bendakaya (lady's finger/ okra) and one of my favorite greens Bachalikura. B is also for Bellam or jaggery, a unrefined sweetener that is used widely in both savory and sweet dishes in A.P. 

With so many B's to choose from, I ended up choosing a dish that is very close to my heart (and tummy) and the city I'm from, Hyderabad. Hyderabadi cuisine is very famous for its Biryanis and other rich and delicious Mughal & Nizam influenced dishes. So being an eggplant lover, I couldn't think of anything else other than Bagara Baingan for the letter B. 

This dish used to be a part of almost all of the wedding menus and other functions. But there seems to be a change of trend these days and my beloved bagara baingan is hardly ever made. Which means it is time to make it right at home. I already posted my mom's recipe here. Today's recipe is adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer.

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Aava pettina Aratikaya Kura (Mustard Flavored Raw Banana Curry)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter A
Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: A for Aava pettina Aratikaya Kura (Mustard Flavored Raw Banana Curry)

We are starting our Month long Mega Blogging Marathon today and we are doing 'A-Z' theme this month, which means all the members will be posting recipes with the same letter every day. I chose to do 'A-Z dishes from Andhra Pradesh'. I wanted to do it for quite some time now and with the inspiration of all my fellow marathoners and especially Valli, I'm finally doing it this month.

To start off, a little information about Andhra Pradesh (A.P.). A.P. is situated in the southeast of India. It is 4th largest by area and 5th largest by population. It has the longest coastline among all the states of India. Capital of A.P. is Hyderabad.

Photo Courtesy from MapsofIndia.com

The state comprises of 4 regions: Telangana, Kostha Andhra (Coastal Andhra), Rayalaseema & Uttarandhra. Food varies based on the geographical region, caste and traditions. Andhra food is probably one of the spiciest in India. Rice is our staple and A.P happens to be one of the largest producer of rice along with chilies.

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