Bathukamma 2015

Happy Sankranthi / Pongal

Happy Diwali 2014

 

Diwali also known as Deepavali and the "festival of lights".This festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil.

 

Floral rangoli is an art of decorating the floor with flowers, petals in beautiful patterns. This year i made beautiful floral rangoli designs inside the house. I used different colors of

mums and lights to create this floral rangoli. All the flowers used are from our home garden.

Bathukamma 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is on the first day of bathukamma and here is our bathukamma ,all the flowers used to make bathukamma are from our home garden.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi (2014)

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!!!

This year Ganesh chaturthi is very special for us because for the first time we are celebrating a festival with our little princess, we are very happpy to start with Ganesh chaturthi because Ganesh is Lord of the beginnings who removes obstacles.

 Here is our sweetest Ganesha ever because it is made of Fondant, everything is made of fondant which is edible.

I wanted to do better fondant Ganesha than previous one so the special thing i added here is crown with colors.The crown is made of yellow fondant and painted with edible gold color,i used colored sprinkles as gem stones on the crown.

Our Ganesh Chaturthi decorations at home.I made the mandir using side table few boxes and potpourri decorative piece,decorated with few beads and traditional bells.

Our Fondant Ganesha decorated with our garden flowers and diyas.

This year we celebrated Ganesh chaturthi with our friends and had lot of fun.

We made 5 varites of Naivedyam for Lord Ganesha  Channa ,steamed dumplings made of rice flour(Kudumulu) , Tamarind rice(Pulihora), Semiya (Payasam/Kheer) and Pala pagidi.

Pala pagidi is the dish prepared by using roasted rice flour, milk, jaggery and some dry fruits.Dumplings(Kudumulu) are dipped in the pala pagidi and are served hot.

Final day has arrived so with heavy heart we do ganesh Nimajjanam/visarjan. Experiencing the greatest truth of the life that good times don't last forever, but we never say good bye we say "we will wait with faith to welcome you next year with same love & affection ". Our Ganesha is ready for Nimajjanam/Visarjan.

As we don't have  a pond or lake nearby we did nimajjanam /visarjan in a tub of water.Felt very sad during Ganesh visarjan eagerly waiting for next years Ganesh chaturthi.

Happy Ugadi 2014

Happy Jaya Nama Samvatsara Ugadi.

Wishing you a very happy ugadi ,May this day brings lots of joys and happiness in your life.

Raw Mango Rice (Mamidikaya Pulihora)

Raw Mango Rice is one of the traditional dishes prepared on Ugadi,it is also called as "Mamidikaya Pulihora" in Telugu.

Ingredients :

Rice ( 2 cup)

Raw Mango (1)

Cumin seeds (1/4 tsp)

Mustard seeds (1/4 tsp)

Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp)

Channa dal ( 1/4 cup )

Peanuts (1/4 cup)

Curry leaves (1/4 cup)

Red chillies (2-3 )

Green chillies (2-3)

Salt to taste

Cooking oil.

Preparation :

• Cook the rice in the rice cooker with 1: 2 ratio of water.
• Peal the mango and grate it using grater
• Split the green chillies in to half , soak  Channa dal in water for 10 mins.
• When the rice is cooked take the rice in a big mixing bowl and let it cook down.
• Take a pan add 2tbsp of oil ,cumin seeds, mustard seeds , red chillies , green chillies ,turmeric ,Channa dal , peanuts , salt to taste , curry leaves and fry it for 2-3 mins.
• When the dal and peanuts are fried well add the grated mango and fry for 2 mins and switch off the stove.
• Mix this cooked mixture with the rice, add salt to taste.
• Mango rice is ready to serve.

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas to everyone!!! 

Here is our Christmas cake this year, the cake is covered with fondant and decorated with Christmas tree some presents and a fondant snowman.

Christmas tree is made of ice cream cone and marshmallows covered with green colored sugar crystals, it was fun making Christmas tree. The snowman is made of fondant and the presents are candies covered with fondant.

Happy Diwali (2013)

This year we celebrated Diwali with our cousins @ their place, we made this flower rangoli with the help of my cousins 3 year old daughter,

she enjoyed making it.

All the flowers used to make the rangoli are from our home garden

Bathukamma 2013

Star Murukulu

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 4 cups
Roasted chickpeas powder - 1 cup (dalia / Putnalu)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 3 tbsp, melted
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

• Heat 2 cups water and a tsp of salt in a stainless steel vessel. Bring to a boil and reduce flame. Slowly add the rice flour and mix to form a gooey paste,keep aside to cool.
• Once the rice flour paste cools, add roasted chickpeas powder, cumin seeds, red chilly powder and melted butter. Mix well to make a smooth dough.
• If required add a little more rice flour to form a smooth dough. Alternately, if you feel that the dough needs some water to form a  smooth dough.
• Ensure that the dough is not too soft or hard, It should come through the press easily to form murukulu.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. While the oil is heating prepare the murukulu for deep frying.
• Place a single star shaped disc in the muruku press, grease the insides of the mold, fill the mold with some of the prepared dough and make concentric shaped murukulu on a  greased plastic sheet.
• Reduce flame to medium and place 5 to 6 of the prepared murukulu and deep fry to a golden brown shade. Do not deep fry on high flame.
• If you want to skip this step you can press murukulu directly into the oil when its hot .
• Remove them onto absorbent paper. Once cool, store in air tight container.

Happy Sankranthi/Pongal (2013)

Sankranthi is the  first festival of the year, which signifies the celebration of the first harvest (especially rice from the paddy fields),

wishing good luck for the new year and bestow happiness in life.

Sankranthi Muggulu/Rangoli is traditionally drawn in front of the house to stop new season germs from entering the home,these rangolis add color to your life. I have made an attempt to draw few rangolis in front of our home.

Sankranthi flower Ratham Muggu

This is a free hand muggu/rangoli design.

Merry Christmas (2012)

Wish you all a Very Happy Christmas !!!

The Christmas tree is one of the most familiar symbols of every Christmas season.  A decorated tree adds beauty to the holiday and brings hope of great treasures beneath its branches for the little ones on Christmas Day. 

Here is our Christmas tree ,the centerpiece of our home with lots of gifts for  family and friends.

HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Here is our Santa Cake,i made this cake for our Christmas dinner party.Its a chocolate cake covered with butter cream icing and fondant, decorated with fondant Santa ,chocolate gift boxes, Christmas trees and candy canes.

Happy Diwali 2012

Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. This festival marks the victory of good over evil.It's the festival of lights.

Floral rangoli is an art of decorating the floor with flowers, petals in beautiful patterns.This year i made beautiful floral rangoli designs inside the house.I used mums and lights to create this floral rangoli.

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali !!!

Bombay Halwa

Diwali is festival of lights and sweets,for this Diwali i tried new sweet  Bombay Halwa.

Ingredients:
Cornflour/ Cornstarch--1 cup 
Sugar -- 2 cups
Water -- 3 cups 
Cardamom powder -- 1/2 tsp 
Ghee -- 3 tbsp
Pinch  of yellow food color
Cashew nuts -- 10-15

Procedure:

• Boil water and sugar together in a pan, until sugar dissolves and it becomes bubbly. Turn heat down to keep it bubbling gently.
• When the sugar syrup becomes sticky add 3-4 drops of lemon juice and keep it aside.
• Break the cashew nuts into small pieces and fry them in 1 tablespoon ghee. 
• In a bowl mix cornflour and water with out lumps.
• In a heavy bottomed pan,add  1 tbsp ghee and cornflour water mixture and switch on the stove.On very low flame cook the mixture keep stirring.
• To this mixture add sugar syrup spoon by spoon and mix properly. Ensure that there are no lumps. 
• On low flame keep on stirring the mixture continuously. After 5 minutes add the yellow food colour and cardamom powder and continue stirring.
• Now you will notice that the mixture has started thickening and looks transparent. At this point, lower the gas flame.
• Now add 1 tbsp ghee and keep stirring. Add the nuts and continue stirring till the mixture thickens and starts separating from the edges of the pan. 
• Grease a deep plate with ghee and pour the halwa on it. 
• Let it cool down completely for an hour and then cut into cubes .
• Serve and enjoy Bombay halwa .

Jangri

Ingredients:

Urad dal – 1 cup

Corn flour or rice flour – 3 tbsp

Sugar – 3 cups

Rose essence – 1/2 tsp 

Cardamom  powder– 1/2 tsp

Orange food color – 1/4 tsp
lemon juice - 1/2 tsp

Oil for frying

Preparation:

• Soak urad dal for 3-4 hours.
• Drain excess water and grind urad dal to a fine thick batter. Add  few drops of water slowly while grinding. 
• Dissolve the food color in 2 tbsp of water.
• Transfer the ground urad dal batter in to a bowl add corn flour or rice flour and mix them well to a smooth batter.Now add food color and mix well.

Sugar Syrup:

• In a wide pan boil 1/2 cup water and sugar , until sugar dissolves and it becomes bubbly. Turn heat down to keep it bubbling gently.
• When the sugar syrup becomes one string consistency sugar syrup add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and keep it aside.

Piping:

• Piping jangri is an important part.
• You can use ziplock bag or pastry bag,I used a pastry bag with long thin tip.
• Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. 
• Fill the pastry bag with batter and start piping. 
• Always try piping on a plastic sheet before piping in hot oil.
• Oil should not be too hot ,always maintain temperature .
• When oil is hot, pipe the jangri by starting off with a circle and pipe small rings around the circle.
• Turn both the sides and cook for a min.
• Sugar syrup must be ready and hot. Add powdered cardamom and rose essence and give it a stir.
• Remove the cooked jangri from oil and drain the oil completely and add it to the  sugar syrup immediately.
• Let the jangri stay in the sugar syrup for 1 or 2 minutes and then remove from syrup and keep it on a plate.
• Continue the same procedure with the rest of the batter and enjoy hot or cool jangris.

Note : 

• I used cupcake filling tip ( Wilton 240) to pipe jangri.
• If you are using a ziplock bag, make a small hole in the middle of the bag.
• If the pan is wide enough you can pipe more jangris in a batch.
• Do not rest the batter for long time since it will become sour.
• Syrup for janris should be little thicker.

Chekka Garelu ( Telangana Special Appalu )

Chekka Garelu /Appaalu is a traditional Telangana snack usually made during festival season. It is also called  as Chekkalu' .Its a simple and savory version of rice crackers. 

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 4 cups

Channa dal - 1/4 cup

Crushed peanuts - 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 3 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Spring onion - 1 bunch

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water -- to make the dough 

Oil -- for deep frying

Preparation:

• Soak the raw Channa dal in water for 10-15 mins,chop the spring onion.
• In a large bowl, take the rice flour, add the red chilly powder, salt, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, chopped curry leaves, soaked Channa dal and the crushed peanuts,spring onion. Mix them well crushing with your fingers till all the peanuts and the Channa dal is coated with the dry flour.
• Now heat 3 tbsp oil till its warm  enough. Add this oil to the  flour mixture. Carefully mix all the ingredients well. 
• Now add lukewarm water to the above mixture slowly as you keep mixing it with a spoon. When mixed well the dough should be of a chapati dough consistency.
• Cover it with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 25-30 minutes.
• In a kadhai, heat the oil to deep fry the appaalu.
• Take a small golf-ball size dough, while pressing between your palms, make it into round disc. 
• In a small bowl take some oil, apply oil on this disc. 
• To make the pooris you need a Poori-press or Tortilla Press.
• Place a plastic sheet inside the poori-press  and apply some oil to the sheet to avoid the dough from sticking to the poori press. 
• Place the dough disc inside the poori-press and press it till its thin like poori . 
• If the poori tears, press it with your fingers to cover any imperfections. 
• Deep fry it in the oil on a low flame till golden brown and crispy.
• Appaalu goes excellent with a hot cup of Indian tea. One crunchy bite of appaalu and a sip of hot tea is a tea lovers delight.

Note:

• Poori press is sold as Tortilla Press in US. I got mine from bed bath & beyond for $19.99.

Contributed by 

Prathima Juvvadi

Bathukamma (Telangana Festival) 2012

 Bathukamma is the arrangement of colourful flowers in a conical mound,this festival is one of the most unique festivals of Andhra Pradesh especially of Telangana region.This festival is celebrated mainly by the women,this 9-day festival will conclude two days before Dussera.

This is on the last day of bathukamma (Saddula bathukamma)

As it is 9 days festival we prepare different varieties of prasadam on each day and 9 varieties on last day of bathukamma.

Here are few items which i prepared for Saddulu Bathukamma

Pulihora (Tamarind rice),Karapu annam (Red Chilly Rice),Perugu annam(Curd Rice),Nuvvu annam(Sesame seeds Rice),Pindi Muddalu (Rice flour ladoo),Nuvvu undalu(Sesame seeds ladoo),Palli undalu (Peanuts ladoo),Suniundalu (Urad dal ladoo),Minapa undalu(Moong dal ladoo).

In the evening we went to a nearby park and sang few bathukamma songs then immersed bathukamma into the water.

 This is on the first day of bathukamma and here is our bathukamma ,all the flowers used to make bathukamma are from our home garden.

Note : For recipes please check festival spls.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi (2012)

 Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayaka Chavithi) is a festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha,This festival is celebrated by hindus around the world as the birthday of Lord Ganesh.

This year we decided to celebrate Ganesh chaturthi (Vinayaka Chavithi) splendidly , that happens with a good gathering of friends and family and celebrating the festival classically. So we decided to have a get-together.

We created a mandap for lord Ganesha  and placed him in his throne and decorated with fruits flowers and diyas.

This year i thought of making something special for Ganesh chaturthi so i made Ganesha with fondant and painted with food coloring.

In the morning we did puja to lord Ganesha and offered Lemon Rice , Kudumulu and Vermicelli Kheer as naivedyam.

In the evening we had get-together we performed aarthi to lord Ganesha. This time we planned for potluck and the menu was traditional Ganesh chaturthi items like Lemon rice,Kudumulu, Undrallu, Purnalu, Daddojanam , Chana usal, vada and kheer. 

We were very happy to celebrate Ganesh chaturthi with friends & family felt like we were in India .
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi !!!

Final day has arrived so with heavy heart we do ganesh Nimajjanam/visarjan. Experiencing the greatest truth of the life that good times don't last forever, but we never say good bye we say "we will wait with faith to welcome you next year with same love & affection ".
Our Ganesha is ready for Nimajjanam/Visarjan.

As we don't have  a pond or lake nearby we did nimajjanam /visarjan in a tub of water.Felt very sad during Ganesh visarjan eagerly waiting for next years Ganesh chaturthi.