Memories and Meals

End of March. Children feverishly grip their text books and class notes and run back home from their half-day schools to prepare for exams. Power-cuts! When the sun is high over the head, there is not even a purr sound.. Most of the roads are empty, except for an odd vendor of tender coconuts or sugar-cane juice. Everyone forgets what it is like to feel a cool breeze. Wells dry up pretty fast, and Manjeera water becomes a scant and precious resource, showing up only once in a few days. Desperate to get away from the heat a limited amount of water is used to damp the floors to have a cool lie-down. The dampness or the coolness vanishes in a second and one is back to the old manual fans and sighs… This is a familiar scene in our part of Andhra Pradesh especially in small towns and rural areas where power is cut down erratically. With temperatures intensifying day by day it is hard to be focused or be productive. In spite of all these, people find their simple joys; take pleasure in something which is available and keep up their tempos and hydration levels..

This is my another entry for RCI Andhra Cuisine.

Before I sign-off just a few words about Andhra cuisine. The famous and traditional recipes, right from the lovely pickles to the pesarattu, from the Hyderabadi Biriyani to Bagara Baingan, are what we Andhrites not only love and cherish from ages, but also share and feed everyone.
The variation is immense; each household has a set of traditions, having certain commonalities with respect to the region. Restaurants esp. Andhra messes serve full-meals with upto 15-20 dishes. Andhra cuisine is embraced by millions and is now being beautifully crafted as a testimonial by all the lovely food bloggers. Kudos to lovely Latha who is doing a wonderful job at organizing this event and . In spite of her busy schedule she has worked up a lot of Andhra recipes and gave the bloggers immense motivation and inspiration to blog more. Last but not least my hearty congratulations to Laskhmi who is the originator of this brilliant idea called Regional Cuisine.

Variety in the world of food is always exciting to foodies like us. However, we are not excepted from craving for our favorite dishes. For me, sometimes the craving is for a special dish such as - Biriyani, a rich spicy curry, desserts or cakes. And, then, there are times when a different kind of craving hits me from nowhere - a craving to have a simple dish . Recently, this craving is for simple dishes which are made of things that were ignored or rather taken-for-granted while back in Andhra. Chikkudu kaayalu or Indian Broad beans are one such vegetable. These days, when I see these beans in the local Indian shop I jump up and stuff my grocery bag. Now, when I see the announcement of the RCI event for Andhra Cuisine, I feel this post would be an apt entry for it. Thanks Latha and Lakshmi for organising this wonderful event!

Chikkudu kaaya is a seasonal but, widely available vegetable in our part of Andhra Pradesh. The simple recipes made out of these beans are both tasty and nutritous and go well with rice or roti (esp Jonna rotti).Chikkudu kaayalu/ Indian broad beans - are very juicy.. When freshly cooked the aroma is very refreshing and appetising. A bunch of these beans lightly sauteed in minimal oil - with a pinch of chilli powder and a table spoon of salt, is enough to work wonders to your palate. I have added potatoes to increase the quantity of the curry. Also seems like DH loves the texture and taste imparted by these beans on the potatoes.Another thing I love about these beans is that they do not require to be chopped. They can be destringed and broken into pieces with bare hands, very less attention required during the process. I usually enjoy doing this in front of the TV and DH cannot resist helping in :) Try it yourselves and see ..

1/2 kg Chikkudu kaayalu
1 Onion (optional)
3 medium potatoes
1/2 tsp red chill powder
Salt to taste
Oil as required
For popu/tadka: mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves

Wash the Chikkudu kaayalu, destring each of them by pulling out the tips and then breaking them into half to check for any remaining strings and remove. Break each bean into roughly 4 pieces.
Take a pan (non-stick if you have one), heat for 2 minutes, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves one-by-one for the popu.
If you are using the onion, add now, fry until it turns brownish and crispy
Add the cubed potatoes and saute until tender.
Stir in the chikkudu kaaya now, saute for 2 minutes, close with a lid and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Chikkudu kaaya vepudu is now ready to eat :)

Ingredients:
Toor Dal – 1 cup

Vegetables:
Drumstick - 1
Cucumber/Bottle gourd – ½ medium
Carrot - 1
Potato -1
Brinjal - 1
Tomato – 1 big or 2 medium
Pearl Onions – 10-15
Big Onion - 1

Other:
Asoeftida (whole – not powder) – ½ inch square piece
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Chilli Powder – 3 tsp
Coriander Powder –2 tsp
Sambhar Powder - 2tsp
Tamarind – 1 lemon size
Curry Leaves
Salt – to taste

To season:

Fenugreek seeds
Cumin seeds
Mustard
Red chilli
Curry leaves

To garnish:

A generous amount of coriander leaves