Appalu (Sweet)

Ingredients

• Rice flour - 1 1/2 cups (freshly ground at home-refer tips below)
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 2-3 tbsps (melted)
• Cardamom powder - pinch (optional)
• Oil for deep frying

Melt ghee and allow to come to room temperature. In a bowl, mix rice flour, sugar and ghee till it forms a smooth dough. (Initially add only 1 tbsp ghee and mix. If it appears like bread crumb mixture, add another 1-2 tsps ghee and mix. Only add more ghee if the dough needs to shaped to a lightly soft on touch dough)

If necessary, wet you hand with milk, to form a smooth yet slightly stiff dough. It should hold shape. If its not holding shape, add a few drops of milk, a little at a time.

Deep fry oil in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame. While the oil is heating up, grease your hand and make small lemon sized balls of the dough. Lightly flatten on top and place carefully into the hot oil.

Deep fry on medium flame till they attain a light brown color. Do not touch the appalu till they attain a light brown shade. Use the ladle to move them or flip them over to cook the other side only after they attain a light brown shade. Continue to deep fry till they reach a deep brown shade on a medium high flame but not high flame.

Remove onto absorbent paper and cool. Serve as neivedhyam/prasadam.

Kakarkaya (bitter gourd) tamarind jaggery kura:

Ingredients :

1/4kg Kakarakayalu
2 Green Chillies chopped Lengthwise
1 pinch Turmeric Powder
1 sp Red Chilli Powder
2 sp Tamarind Pulp
2 sp Grated Jaggery
Salt to taste

For Popu :

1/2 sp Mustard Seeds
1/2 sp Chana Dal
1/2 sp Urad Dal
1 Red Chilli Crocked
1 pinch Hing
Curry Leaves
3 sp Oil

Method :

• Wash and cut kakarakayalu into thin round pieces.
• Cook with salt and turmeric powder & strain them.
• Heat oil in a pan add popu ingredients and fry for 2mins.
• Then add curry leaves, green chillies & fry for 30 sec.
• Next add tamarind pulp, jaggery and cook, until the raw smell goes.
• Add cooked bitter gourd pieces, red chilli powder and stir well.
• Cook for additional 3 to 4 minutes & remove from flame.
• Kakarakaya pulusu bellam koora is ready to serve.
• Serve with hot white rice.