Dal with Tomatoes - Spicy

This dish is perhaps the most cherished in vegetarian Indian cooking. Its simple to make and tastes great.

Ingredients:

Toor dal/kandi pappu -- 1 cup
Tomatoes -- 2
Onion -- 1
Small Green Chilies -- 6-7
Turmeric Powder -- 1 pinch
Salt to taste
Tamarind -- cherry size / 1inch piece soaked in 1/4th cup hot water
Cilantro for garnishing

For Seasoning:

Oil -- 1 table spoon
Garlic -- 2 pods crushed
Dry red chili -- 2 no.
Curry leaves -- 5 no.
asafotida/inguva -- 1 pinch
black gram -- 1/2 tea spoon
Chana gram -- 1/4 tea spoon
mustard seeds/aavaalu -- 1/4 tea spoon
cumin seeds/jeera -- 1/2 tea spoon

Method of Preparation:

1. Wash the Toor dal/kandi pappu and add 2 cups water and keep it a side in a pressure cooker.
2. Chop the onion, tomatoes and cut the chilies into length wise and add them to the toor dal in the cooker with a pinch of turmeric and pressure cook until 3 wistles.
4. When it is cooled off, take the lid out and add the tamarind extract to it with required salt and cook for 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
5. In another little pan do the seasoning by adding little oil. When the oil is hot add all the ingredients under seasoning and turn off the stove.
6. Add this seasoning mixture to the cooked dal in the pressure cooker and garnish with cilantro.

Shrimp Curry – Spicy Andhra Style

Fresh shrimp will be best for making this dish.

Ingredients

Raw shrimp -- 2lbs
Onions -- 2
Green Chilies---3-4
Tomato------ ½ a slice
Curry Leaves -- 6 leaves
Turmeric Powder -- a pinch
Red Chili Powder -- 2 and 1/2 tea spoons
Salt to tasteOil -- 2 table spoon
Masala Paste -- 2 table spoons

Ingredients for cleaning the shrimp

Yogurt -- 2 tea spoon
Turmeric Powder -- 1 tea spoon
Salt -- 1 tea spoon

Method of preparation

1. First take the shells out of the raw shrimp. Easy process is to put the shrimp in hot water, so the shells come out easily. You can also use cooked shrimp instead.
2. Clean the shrimp with curd, turmeric powder, salt and wash until the raw smell goes away and put it a side.
3. Take a cooking pot and heat oil on medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, green chilies, tomatoes, curry leaves and cover with lid.
4. Stir occasionally so that the onions do not burn. When the mixture turns soft, add the shrimp to it with a pinch of turmeric and allow it to cook till the water is completely gone.
5. Then add salt as required and red chili powder and stir it for a couple of minutes and add 2 cups of water and let it boil for 10 minutes.
6. When you think the shrimp is almost cooked then add the masala paste to it and cook covered till the gravy becomes thick.
7. Immediately following this, empty into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice or rotis.