Ambode

Besan Laddu

Ingredients:

400 gms Besan
225 gms Ghee
450 gms Sugar - powder
50 gms Cashew - bits
50 gms Raisins - optional
5 gms Cardamom powder
75 ml Milk - boiled and cooled

Method:

In a thick pan, heat ghee, and fry besan on a medium flame. Keep stirring continuously.

After about 20 minutes (besan becomes little fluffy) add cashew bits. Continue to mix till besan changes colour and cashew has turned golden.

Switch off and add 75 ml of milk and mix very well. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes. Let it cool till lukewarm - add powdered sugar, raisins and cardamom. Mix and make laddus.

Makes about 30 laddus.

Fried Gram Laddu

Ingredients:

300 gms Fried gram
100 gms Dry grated coconut
300 gms Jaggery
100 gms Ghee
5 gms Cardamom powder

Method:

Powder fried gram in a mixer, and sieve it.

Powder coarsely, dry grated coconut in a mixer.

Grate jaggery ball, and mix with the above ingredients.

Take one handful at a time, of the above mixture in a mixer and run for a few seconds, so that the ingredients mix well.

Add cardamom powder and mix. Heat ghee and pour the melted ghee and mix. Make balls immediately.

Makes about 28-30 balls.

Til Laddu

Ingredients:

300 gms Nylon til
350 gms Jaggery
200 gms Dry grated coconut

Method:

Fry til 1 tbsp at a time, in a pan, till they puff, on a low-medium flame. When cool, powder coarsely in a mixer. Grate the jaggery ball. Take grated coconut in a mixer one handful at a time and powder coarsely.

Mix all the 3 ingredients with the hand, take one handful at a time in a mixer, run for a few seconds, just to mix everything, and make balls immediately. Can be stored for 2 weeks.

Makes about 30-35 balls.

Gooseberry Pickle

Ingredients:

1 kg Gooseberry
250 gms Tamarind - soak
60 gms Guntur chilli
65 gms Byadigi chilli
230 gms Salt
250 gms refined oil
40 gms Daniya
35 gms Jeera
20 gms Methi
5 gms Hing
10 gms Mustard
20 gms Haldi

30 gms tamarind
30 gms salt

Method:

Extract the pulp from the soaked tamarind.

Fry (without oil) chillies and all the masala ingredients and powder it.

Boil gooseberrys in water with 30 gms of tamarind and 30 gms of salt, till the segments can be separated. Cool and deseed them. Discard the tamarind.

Heat oil, add mustard, then add gooseberry and fry for some time (5 minutes). Add tamarind pulp, salt, turmeric, prepared masala and cook till oil separates. Upto 30 minutes. Cool and bottle it.

Store in a refrigerator.

Sankranthi Ellu / Nuvvulu

Ingredients:

Step 1:

1 kg. Rajgira

1/2 kg Nylon Til
1.2 kg Sugar

Fry rajgira, 1 tsp at a time in a hot pan till they pop, keep aside. Clean and separate the popped rajgira and discard the rest.

Fry til 1 tbsp at a time, till they puff. Mix rajgira and til.

In a big vessel take sugar, add 3 cups of water and boil. When it starts boiling add 3 tbsp of milk. After boiling for 2-3 minutes, a layer forms on top. Strain in a muslin cloth. Keep the strained syrup on the stove and boil till it becomes thick and bubbles will form. When the right consistency is reached, remove from stove, add rajgira, til and mix thoroughly. When cool break the lumps into small bits.

Step 2:
450 gms Sugar


Melt sugar in about one and half cups of water and strain in a muslin cloth. Divide into 4 portions. Keep one portion on the stove and keep stirring till the syrup becomes thick. Add any desired food colour and when the right consistency is reached pour on a wet wooden board. When it sets, and is still hot, move it to a side. When cool slowly move and place in a plate, upside down. When dry, break into small squares. Repeat with different colours.

Step 3:
2 Dry coconut


Grate the dark skin of the dry coconut and cut it into small pieces.

Step 4:
1 Kg Groundnuts
1/2 kg Fried Gram
1/2 kg Walnuts
1/2 kg Almonds
1/2 kg whole Cashew
200 gms Chilgoza
200 gms Melon seeds
200 gms Gourd seed
200 gms Charoli
200 gms Jeera sweet / kusurellu





Groundnuts - microwave for 2+2 minutes, when cool, remove skin. Retain rounds.

Fried gram - clean and add.

Walnuts - Clean, break into small pieces and microwave for 2 minutes.

Almonds - cut into desired shape.

Cashew - cut into desired shape and fry in 2 tsp ghee.

Chilgoza - Deskin and clean.

Melon seeds - clean and fry in a pan on a low flame, till they puff.

Gourd seeds - clean and fry in a pan on a low flame, till they puff.

Charoli - Clean and microwave for 2 minutes.

Kusurellu / Jeera sweet - add.

Step 5:
1/2 kg Raisins
1/2 kg Apricot
250 gms Dry Figs
200 gms Black currents
200 gms Cherry (in sugar syrup)




Raisins - clean and add.
Apricot - Remove the seed, cut lengthwise.
Figs - cut into desired shape.
Black currents - clean and add.
Cherry - cut lengthwise.

Step 6:
Mix everything together.
Distribute to Family & Friends, along with sugarcane and fruits.

Pulusu Atukulu

Ingredients:

250 gms thick Rice flakes (poha)
150 gms onion - cut

4 gms red chilli
2 gms methi
4 gms jeera
3 gms while til
10 gms dry coconut

20 gms tamarind
18 gms jaggery
18 gms salt

60 gms oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp channa dal
1/2 tsp urad dal
20 gms groundnuts
3 strands curry leaves

2 pinch turmeric powder
10 gms fresh grated coconut

Method:

Soak together tamarind, jaggery and salt.

Coarsely powder rice flakes in a mixer, sieve to remove the fine powder. Weigh 250 gms. Wash this twice and use a strainer to remove excess water. Squeeze tamarind pulp to this along with salt and jaggery. Mix well and keep aside.

Fry without oil red chilli, jeera, methi and lastly add til and switch off. Powder all these along with dry coconut.

Heat oil, add one by one mustard, jeera, channa dal, urad dal, ground nuts and curry leaves. Add onion and fry till done.

When the onion is tender, add the prepared powder, fresh coconut, little turmeric powder, mix well and add the rice flakes and heat it. Serve hot.