TELANGANA RECIPES: 2008

A FAMOUS FESTIVAL IN TELANGANA

In Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh “Bathakamma” is the most popular festival to the female community in Hindus. It is done after “Boddemma” which is done in nine days Bhadrapada month by young and teenage girls. All women in the community play the festival “Bathakamma” which means Live (not to die).

LEGEND FOR THIS FESTIVAL :

There is a legend for this festival in Telangana region i.e. In olden days a king was very prominent for his generosity and kindness. He did not have any children for a got a baby girl after along time for his age offering Rajas for the goddess ‘Parvathi’ But the girl was active she was with severe disease.

The women in the kingdom performed Pujas for nine day with different kinds and colours of flowers for the goddess ‘Durga’ (Parvathi) to bless the girl saying “Bathakamma.” Bathakamma means O girl live ‘not die’ it is one of the Hindu’s culture.

FOLK TUNES

Women mostly gather at the different types of temples in Telangana region and some of them look for spacious street corners in their respective localities.

In nine days the women play in every evening in a particular place or in a temple with offring special pujas and songs, & nine different sweets in every day. They make the Bathakamma with different flowers in a plate all bring and set them a place and do They form a circle & place their flowers in the middle. They go round clapping and dancing rhythmically. All songs carry the essence - `long live mother' - urging the goddess to take birth. These moments last for nine days during the Durga Navaratri celebrations preceding Dasara. In the last (night) day the bathakamma is done as sending off singing the songs come again in the next year.

Actually in Hindu religion this festival is done to kill the demon ‘Ravana’ in the tenth day of “Aswayuja month” first nine days offering special pujas and kaming Durga be confident to kill the demon in the tenth day the goddess Durga kills the demon it is named as “Dasera.”

ALU METHI FOR CHAPATHI

Ingredients:

1 bunch methi leaves
1 big size alu
3 green chillies
1 tbspoon oil
2 cloves of garlic
curry leaves
a pinch of popu
salt to taste

Process:

Finely chop the methi leaves.
cut potatoes into small cubes.
chop the garlic cloves.
Slit the green chillies.
Heat a fry pan and put the oil in. Add popu, curry leaves, green chillies and the garlic pieces. fry for 1 min and then add the chopped methi.
mean while semi-cook the alu pieces in the microwave (in a bowl put alu pieces and put water to just cover the pieces) for 3 minutess
keep stirring the methi leaves to evenly fry and cook it until the bitterness is gone.
Now add the alu and some salt cover it and cook until alu are done.
serve hot with chaapthi.

ALU CURRY FOR POORI

Required Ingredients:

Potatoes: 1/2 Kg
Onions : 3 small onions
Chilles: 4
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder,
A pinch of turmeric
Besan(Sanagapindi): 3 tea spoons
water: as required

Process:

1. First boil potatoes in cooker.
2. Then take those potatoes and peel it off and break it into pieces with hand.
3. Pour oil and do popu, then fry onions in that oil. Once it gets light brown colour put potatoes squeezed and pour water till everything gets dipped.
4. Put salt, red chillie powder, turmeric and stir it once.
5. Once everything gets boiled properly, mix sanagapindi in cold water and put it into our curry so that it becomes thick. If we put sanagapindi directly into curry, then undalu will be formed. That is why we are mixing it with cold water.
6. Keep it for 2 min. Then take off the curry into a bowl.
Potato curry is ready now.

ALUGOBI CURRY

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 small green chilies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes
fresh ginger, peeled and grated
fresh garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garam masala

Process:

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
Add chopped chillis (according to taste) Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan).
Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.

ALU CORIANDER CURRY

Ingredients:
potatoes - 500 gms
coriander - 1 bunch
green chillies - 12-15
salt to taste
oil
turmeric powder - a pinch
Ginger - small piece(good if u add)

Process:
peel and cut potatoes dice shaped, take a kadai and pour oil in it and place potato pieces in it add turmeric powder and salt in it and let them fry. In the mean while wash and grind coriander leaves, green chillies with or without ginger and add this paste to the kadai. let it cook nicely reddish then serve with hot white rice with tomato dal or tomato rasam.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF POTATO

The nutritional value of potato along with its taste and ease of cooking has made it the most popular vegetable in the entire world. Think of the day when you didn't eat even a single dish containing potatoes. It is said that on an average, an American consumes 62 kg of potatoes each year. We consume almost one spud of potato every day. No doubt, people consume so many potatoes because they are a good source of nutrition.
Natural potato is a good source of calaries
Given below are some nutrient facts, information and nutritional value of potatoes:

 Mineral content: If you eat potatoes regularly, you ensure a good supply of water and ions in your body. This is because, potato is rich in potassium. The concentration being higher in the skin and just beneath it. So, eating the potato with its skin is always beneficial. Potato also contains calcium, iron and phosphorus.
 Vitamin content: Natural potatoes are known for the large amount of vitamin C present in them. Typically, 100 gm of potato will contain about 17 mg of Vitamin C. In addition to this, natural potato also contains Vitamin A, B and P.
 Water content: Potato looks very big in size, but water accounts for about 70-80 percent of the weight of a potato. So the belief that you become fat by eating potatoes is a misconception. Of course if your potato servings contain large quantities of butter, or if you can't keep away from those high-in-fat-and-cholesterol French fries, you are bound to become overweight.
 Starch content: Potato contains about 17% starch and it is one of the best natural sources of starch. Potato sprouting leads to conversion of starch into sugar and hence you should avoid eating sprouted potatoes.

TELANGANA RECIPES

Monday, September 15, 2008