Many of you would have already noticed the plight of politics in the name of dividing the state of Andhra Pradesh. There is total chaos in all parts of the state. Schools, colleges, universities, businesses are closed. Transportation stalled, vehicles burned and damaged.

The real reason is not the question of justice or injustice to any selected area. The real reason is a selected few control the voice and needs of the majority. And, these selected few voice that their wants are the majority people’s needs.

Even today, even though we are in this so-called digital world, the majority people’s needs are education, health care, safe drinking water, and nutritional food.

Have you ever seen any present political leader fighting this hard and this violently for the real needs of the majority of people? There is a clear line between the needs of people and the wants of people. Majority of the people who have real needs do not raise their voice.

Politicians are fighting for their wants in the disguise of people’s needs. Is this for development or destruction?

If they are truly for the development of the state, why haven’t they ever fought this vigorously before for any development causes?

Would the change and development being promised in the name of dividing the state really benefit the majority of the people? Or would it benefit the selected few as it has always happened?

There is a clear distinction. Everyone has to raise the voice about the needs of the majority and not about the wants of the few.

Snow Day in Houston

We never thought snow would follow us to Houston. We really thought we left snow back in Pittsburgh and in Seattle. But we were wrong. Like a dear dream of deep sleep, though it took some time, it found us here in Houston. We had beautiful snow scenery last Friday and early Saturday mornings. Thick white snow covered homes, lawns and neighborhood roads on Friday, cold crisp sunny morning on Saturday. It seemed like the weather followed us to bring all the beautiful memories from yester-years.

That rare occasion called for a culinary celebration. A cold quiet weekend needed something that would warm and spice up the time. That is why we made Nippattu: a popular snack of Andhra and south India that is crunchy and moderately hot.

Nippattu (Pappu Chekka)
(makes about 20 to 25 palm-sized Nippattu)

2 cups, rice flour (Biyyam Pindi)
1/4 cup, besan flour (Sanaga Pindi)
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh curry leaves
2 tablespoons each- rehydrated chana dal & roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon, coarsely ground green chilli
1 tablespoon, ghee
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon each- cumin, ajwan and sesame seeds

Take the flours into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Work the softened ghee into the mix and add just enough water to make a firm dough.

Tear out small portion of dough and place it on a wax paper. Flatten it a bit and using your fingers, spread out the nippattu in a circle until it is about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Nippattu come in all sizes and shapes, so don’t worry about the perfect shape.

Heat oil in a pan, suitable to deep-frying. Add the nippattu gently into hot oil and deep fry to pale gold. Remove to paper-covered tray. Make all the Nippattu this way.

Cool and store. Nippattu stay fresh upto a month or more when stored in a airtight container. They make best tea, coffee and movie time snack.

Nippattu with Tea ~ A Savory Snack on a Snow Day

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (and a wonderful weekend to those non-US readers too). We spent the day with friends and of course eating too much food. It was a classic Indian celebration: curries and koftas, conversation about movies, cacophonic games, more food and then to home to sweet slumber.

For sweet slumber, some good pillows with pretty covers are required. So, I have hand embroidered two pillowcases last week. The design is store bought, printed on the fabric and it is a cross stitch and embroidery combination. The stitches are not perfect but I love how pristine and peaceful the pillows look with the new covers.

From The Garden ~ Angel Face Rose

This beautiful lavender rose plant is a gift from Vijay to moi. No reason, just because I still live and breathe, I guess.:) I adore it for the gorgeous, grand blooms and the strong, sweet fragrance.

I enjoy cross stitch very much. It’s relaxing to perform, enriching to learn and produces such varied and attractive end results. If you have been wondering about the lack of updates on the website lately, this is the reason. The art form is absorbing and I have been working on a Mandala cross stitch design for sofa pillow covers.

The beautiful Mandala design is courtesy of a wonderful website called The Floss Box. I downloaded the pattern, printed it on a paper and traced the design on to a pillow cover and started stitching it. It is a simple design, requires only few color threads and will be done in two to three days. I have planned this design for four pillow covers. Three are done, one more to go.

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston

Being closer to God has several privileges and advantages. We live at about ten minute driving distance from Swami Narayan Mandir – Houston. The temple is one of the great structures in the USA. The structure and sculpture bring the divinity and belongingness with God. The temple is also one of the deciding factors for us while buying our new home last year. During our parents’ six-month stay here, we visited the temple every Sunday to attend the evening arathi.

It is never a better time to visit the temple than during the celebrations of Deepavali and Annakut. This is the time when bhakthi and bhukthi come together and reach to its best during the year. Families celebrate one of the most sacred and important festivals, Deepavali. Traditionally this time of the year also coincides with the completion of the harvest. As an offering of gratitude to God for his bountiful blessings, the new harvest is first used to cook exquisite foods for the Bhagavan.

In BAPS Swaminarayan Mandirs ‘Annakut‘, literally a mountain of food is offered to God on this day. A vast array of vegetarian foods is traditionally arranged in tiers or steps, in front of the Bhagavan. The sweets are placed nearest to the Bhagavan. As the tiers descend, other foods such as fruits, grains, dals, vegetables, and various fried savory foods are arranged. A mound of cooked rice, symbolic of Mt. Govardhan, is placed in the center.

In all Swaminarayan mandirs, sadhus and devotees then sing ‘Thaal’ – kirtans composed by the poet paramhansas of Shri Swaminarayan. These kirtans list and glorify the food items in an aesthetic, rhyming and pleasant manner, praying to the Bhagavan to accept them.

Annakut arrangement starts early in the morning until 11AM. From 11 to 1 PM, melodious Thaal kirthan singing, followed by a grand arati goes on. Bhagavan and Annakut darshan are open till evening. Around 4 PM, the now sanctified Annakut prasad – sweets, fruits and nuts are distributed to the visitors and devotees, followed again by evening arati.

We went and had Annakut darshan for the first time today at Swami Narayan Mandir. It was really an impressive, pleasing display of food art. A dedicated devotee or food connoisseur for a feast, we can’t help but praise “Jai Swami Narayan Bhagavan” for blessing us with such wide variety of fetching food. I recommend Annakut darshan ~ A celebration of food.

Swami Narayan Bhagavan ki Jai.

Deepavali Celebrations at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston

Annakut Neivedyam at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston

Swami Narayan Mandir website: BAPS, Houston
Photos 2 & 3, and Annakut description: courtesy of BAPS, Houston

Beatific Butterfly from Backyard
(Of all the transplanted, showy flowers in the backyard, the butterflies are drawn to the wild ones which are known in this part of the world as weeds. Butterflies are precious! So now weeds have become part of the landscape.)

Today is Vara Lakshmi Vratham, an auspicious day on which Goddess Lakshmi Devi is celebrated with fasting, Pooja and neivedyam. It’s customary to share the Lakshmi Devi amma blessings with family and friends, and I am glad to share this day with you Net friends.

Neivedyam for the Pooja:

Semiya-Saggubiyyam Payasam
Atrasalu
Alasanda Vada
Chintapandu Pulihora (Tamarind Rice)
Sona Masuri Annam
Gongura Pappu
Chayote Kura
Brinjal-Jaggery Pacchadi
Coriander Rasam
Dadhojanam
Biyyam and saggubiyyam vadiyaalu

My Meal Menu:

Fasting in the morning.

Has ended the day with an early meal -small helping of each item from the Pooja neivedyam.

Workout:
Cooking. Pooja and meditation

In retrospect:
Great day! Calming cooking, peaceful Pooja in the morning hours.
Met good friends and had pleasant time in the evening.

Gongura From Backyard

Gongura Pappu from Amma

The gongura seeds I had planted in March are now thriving healthy plants. The generous gongura didn’t mind when I plucked some mature leaves for the Pooja neivedyam menu today. There are several ways to prepare gongura pappu, and the following recipe is from my amma. I thought it’s a great way to pay homage to her on this auspicious day through this favorite vantakam.

Ingredients and Preparation:

Preparation happens in two steps.

Step 1:

Toor dal: 3/4 cup
Fresh gongura leaves – 6 cups, tightly packed
Indian or Thai variety green chilli – 8, chopped to tiny pieces
Red onion or shallots – chopped to chunks, 1 cup
Turmeric – 1/4 teaspoon

Take the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Add two cups of water.
In a mortar, add a garlic clove and 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds. Pound to coarse paste. Add this paste to the ingredients in pressure cooker. Mix. Close the lid and cook until everything has become soft, particularly the toor dal.

Step 2:

Salt – 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Peanut oil or ghee – 1 tablespoon
From masala dabba: Following ingredients for inguva(asafetida) Tadka:
a sprig of curry leaves
4 pieces of one-inch, majjiga mirapa(dahi mirchi)
1/4 teaspoon of urad dal
a pinch each – cumin, mustard seeds and hing (asafetida)

Add salt to the cooked dal in pressure cooker. With a pappu gutti (wooden whisk), mash the cooked ingredients to fairly coarse paste like. Remove the dal to a bowl or vessel.

In a small pan, heat the peanut oil or ghee. Add the tadka ingredients in this order, from big to small: curry leaves, dahi mirchi pieces, urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. Continuously stirring, toast the ingredients to golden. When mustard seeds make pop sounds, sprinkle the hing. Stir for couple of seconds. Immediately add this fragrant tadka to the cooked dal. Mix well and cover with a lid so that the flavors and aroma of hing tadka are thoroughly absorbed by the pappu (dal).

Serve the gongura pappu with rice or roti. The blissful combination is the old classic: gongura pappu and freshly cooked, hot Sona Masuri rice with some ghee and vadiyaalu on the side. Heaven!

Gongura Pappu in Vadiyam Vadi on Muruku Peetam ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Tella Mandaram (White Hibiscus) from Front Yard

Morning:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpeas combined with generous amounts of ginger, green chilli, cumin and salt, ground into smooth batter. The batter is then made into dosa. I had one dosa for breakfast with tomato chutney.
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A cup of palak chole
A small cup of cucumber and carrot slices

Evening:
A glass of ginger buttermilk

Night:
1 sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A small cup of palak chole
A glass of tomato soopa (rasam)
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Workout:
Made another batch of biyyam vadiyalu for Sun-drying in the morning
Pillow covers are done and now on to curtains sewing project – evening

In Retrospect:
Busy but beautiful day. No carbo cravings and reduced appetite.

Palak Chole:

2 cups – cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Chole)
6 cups – chopped fresh spinach (Palak)
1 onion and 1 tomato- finely chopped
1×1 inch piece – fresh ginger, skin peeled
2 tablespoons – chana masala powder
1/2 teaspoon – salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon each – turmeric and red chilli powder
1/4 cup each – fresh cilantro and lemon juice to garnish
From masala dabba: tadka ingredients

Step 1: Take quarter cup of cooked or canned chickpeas in a mixer. Add ginger and blend to fine paste. Remove the paste to a cup and keep aside. (This is added to thicken the chole gravy.)

Step 2: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a deep pan. Add and toast a teaspoon each – cumin, black cumin and kasuri methi to fragrance. Add onion and tomato. Saute to soft. Next goes the spinach. Saute spinach until it has collapsed. Add chickpeas, chickpea-ginger paste, chana masala powder, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add about two cups of water. Mix well. Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring in-between for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice, and serve warm with rice or roti. Good on it’s own too.

Palak Chole for Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Chamanthi

Morning:
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener
A cup of cucumber slices with some lemon juice and pepper

Noon:
A big bowl of veggie-rich sambar soopa
Quarter cup of bendi curry with yogurt (Dahi bendi)
1 boiled egg, yellow removed

Evening:
A glass of ginger buttermilk

Night:
1 moong dal + chana dal dosa (Adai) with a cup of sambar soopa
(I couldn’t eat much. I was tired by night and food lost the appeal.)

Workout:
Made murukulu and atrasalu (adhirasam) for the Vara Laxmi Pooja on Friday.

In retrospect:
Good day with lots of tempting food. Because I made them standing in front of stove for hours inhaling the oil smoke, it was easy to resist the temptation.

Carrot, Mullangi, Yellow Squash, Okra~ Vegetables for Sambar Soopa

Sambar Soopa

A combination of four types of seasonal vegetables
Onion/shallots, tomatoes and cilantro
Toor dal and sambar powder
Asafetida Tadka
Very thick consistency

That is my definition of Sambar Soopa. Four kinds of vegetables and the aromatic spices convert an ordinary sambar into a rich, healthy and comforting sambar soopa worthy of Workout Vratham.

A Comforting Cup of Sambar Soopa with Seasonal Vegetables ~ Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Gorintaaku Puvvulu (Henna Flowers) from Backyard

Henna plant is in bloom since July. I don’t remember ever noticing henna flowers at Nandyala, and I am surprised at the beauty and fragrance of henna’s pretty petite flowers.

*************
WV Log for Day 11:

Morning:
2 pesarattu with coconut chutney
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry (vankaya-anapaginjala kura)
A bowl of masoor dal rasam with cherry tomatoes
A small cup of homemade yogurt

Evening:
A cup of ginger tea without sweetener

Night:
A small cup of chickpea guggullu (Mangala Gouri Vratha Vayanam from a friend)
A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry
A cup of masoor dal rasam with key lime pickle on the side
For dessert: A cup of apple with yogurt

Workout:
Decided to take a break from gym this week. Prepared saggubiyyam vadiyalu for sun-drying – morning
Pillow covers sewing project still going on – evening

In Retrospect:
Pleasant day. No carbo cravings.

Gundu Malli (Jasmine) from Backyard

Weekend (day 8 and day 9) went by so fast with sightseeing, shopping trips and the festival (Nagula Chavati). Foodwise, I stuck to the Workout Vratham and filled the belly with an assortment of beans, greens, vegetables and fruits. I had two sesame laddus that we traditionally prepare for Nagula Chavati festival. The sesame laddus were made in a mortar with pestle power.

On day 10, that is today, here it went my sucky routine:)

Morning:
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A cup of Chard pappu (Chard with Toor dal)
Half cup of Turai curry (beerakaya kura)
A big bowl of hot tomato rasam
Half apple

Evening:
A cup of ginger tea without sweetener
Handful of roasted peanuts

Night:
2 pesarattu with generous helping of spicy peanut butter
Half cup chard pappu
A glass of buttermilk

Workout:
An hour of 4 miles walk, an hour of step plus abs class at the gym – morning
Sewing pillow covers – evening

In Retrospect:
Glad to return to week day routine.

Spicy Peanut Butter ~ India Inspired

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled, good quality peanuts
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon
6 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp
1-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Preparation:

Heat an iron skillet. Add and roast peanuts, continuously stirring with a spatula on medium heat to uniform pale brown color . It would take about 10 to 15 minutes of roasting time. Transfer the peanuts from skillet to a plate and wait until they are cool to touch. Rub and remove the skin coverings.

In the same skillet, add dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Toast to fragrance. Cool.

Take roasted peanuts and toasted spices in a blender or food processor. Add salt, tamarind pulp and ginger. Grind until fairly smooth. Add few tablespoons of water if necessary for easy mixing. You could also add a tablespoon of sugar or jaggery for subtle sweet touch. Remove and store in a jar. Stays fresh upto a week when refrigerated.

Spicy peanut butter tastes great with breakfast items. It also makes a fine dip and spectacular Indian-inspired sauce for vegetables like bell peppers, broad beans (Chikkudu), brinjals and potatoes.

Spicy Peanut Butter for Jihva:Peanuts at Pavani’s Cook’s Hideout

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.