Telugu New Year: Off to a tasty start

From snacks to the main course, we’ve got you covered for the big day. Here are some recipes from the top chefs in the city. Cook away to glory!
Ugadi Pachadi and Sweet Pongal.
Ugadi Pachadi and Sweet Pongal.

The Telugu New Year is here and its traditional delicacies are some of the best Telangana has to offer. From snacks to the main course, we’ve got you covered for the big day. Here are some recipes from the top chefs in the city. Cook away to glory!

Ugadi Pachadi

ingredients:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 lemon-sized tamarind
  • 1 tbsp chopped raw mango
  • 1 tbsp neem flower
  • 1 tbsp powdered jaggery
  • 1/4 tsp pepper powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:
● Rinse the mango, trim the edges, peel off the skin and chop into small cubes and set aside.
● Take tamarind in a bowl, add 1/2 cup water to it. Squeeze and extract juice from it. Discard the fiber.
● Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water to it. Then add powdered jaggery to it.
● Mix well with a spoon. Now, add chopped raw mango pieces.
● Add neem flower to it and some salt, according to taste
● Finally, add pepper powder and give a quick stir

(By Kailash Gundupalli, culinary director, NHCC & HICC)

Mamidikaya Pulihora

Ingredients:

  • 300 gm grated raw mango
  • 500 gm rice
  • 50 gm peanuts
  • 10 gm curry leaves
  • 20 green chilli
  • 20 gm mustard seeds
  • 30 gm chana dal
  • 30 gm urad dal
  • 10 dry red chillis
  • 15 gm turmeric
  • 10 gm asafoetida
  • Salt to taste
  • 100 ml refined oil

Method:
● First, cook the rice and spread it on a large vessel or plate to cool down completely. Each grain of rice should be separate.
● Heat oil in a vessel and add the mustard seeds. Once they start crackling, add chana dal, urad dal, peanuts, red chilli and saute them until they turn red.
● Now, add green chilli, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric. Sauté them for a few seconds.
● Add grated raw mango and stir fry it. Add salt according to taste.
● Spread the cooked rice on a wide plate, add the tempered grated mango and mix it well.
● Serve hot!

(By Chef Varun MB, executive chef, Novotel Hyderabad Airport)

Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

  • 200 gm rice
  • 100 gm split moong lentil
  • 150 gm jaggery
  • 100 ml water
  • 3 gm cardamom powder
  • 30 gm whole nuts
  • 300 ml ghee
  • 300 ml method

Method:

● Roast the lentil and rice in clarified butter until golden brown
● Add water to it and cook until lentil and rice are mashed
● Cut the black jaggery into small pieces. On a slow flame, add the chopped black jaggery and water . Cook until jaggery melts completely and strain the thick syrup
● Heat ghee and add nuts to it. Fry until golden brown. Now add the crushed cardamom powder, jaggery syrup, roasted nuts in mashed rice and lentil. Cook till you get thick consistency
● Once done, add roasted nuts to the sweet pongal.
● Serve hot and garnish with desiccated coconut and roasted nuts

(By Vijay Bhandari, executive chef, Pepper & Tarragon)

Poornam Boorelu

For stuffing:

  • 1 cup chana dal
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • 2 cup water
  • 1 cup jaggery
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder
  • For batter:
  • ¾ cup urad dal
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Oil for frying

Method: Dal stuffing

● In a large bowl, rinse chana dal well and soak for 2 hours.
● Drain the water, and transfer it to the cooker. Now, add ghee and 2 cups of water.
● Pressure cook for two whistles or until the dal is cooked well.
● Mash the dal to a smooth paste. Transfer to a large kadai, add jaggery and cook on medium flame
● Continue to cook until the mixture starts to hold the shape
● Add one tsp ghee and cook for a minute until the mixture starts to separate. Now let the mixture cool
● Add cardamom powder to it and mix well.
● Grease hands with ghee and make ball-sized stuffing.
Boorelu:
● In a bowl, soak the urad dal and rice for 5 hours. Now, grind dals together in a mixer
● Ensure it reaches idli consistency, otherwise, it would become difficult to coat
● Add sugar and salt to the batter
● Now, dip the poornam into the batter and drop it into the hot oil
● Deep fry on medium flame and cook uniformly. Let them turn golden brown and crisp ● Serve hot

(By chef Balvinder Pal Singh Lubana, executive chef, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Center)

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