Telugu cuisine

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Telugu cuisine, also called Andhra cuisine, refers to the cuisine consumed by the people of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Food of Andhra Pradesh is known for its heavy use of spices and chillies. Rice is the staple food in the Telugu cuisine and is usually consumed with a variety of curries and lentil soups or broths.

Foods

Pesarattu served with Pachadi

Grains and Breads

Rice is the staple food of Telugu cuisine. Popular ways of serving it are tamarind rice (pulihara) .

Idli is a steamed cake commonly eaten for breakfast with sambar or chutney. Chili powder (kaarampodi) and ground nut chutney are also common additions.

Dosa (minapattu) is another popular snack. Andhra-style dosas are spicier and crispier than those found in other regions of South India. Pesarattu is a flatbread similar to a dosa, but thin and crispy. It is eaten with a ginger chutney. MLA Pesarattu is a popular variation of pesarattu filled with spiced semolina.

Vada and uttapam are two dishes that are also made with rice.

Typically rice is self-mixed (hands) with the various items served and neyi, or ghee is also added. Neyi is not added to Majjiga or Perugu, but salt is as per taste. Meals are eaten in an orderly fashion; for example: Sweet,pachadi plus rice,curry plus rice, pappu or rasam plus rice and then perugu plus rice followed by dessert.

Curry

Koora - The region produces a wide variety of Kooralu (curries); variants are listed below

• Vepudu : crispy fried vegetables, typically including okra (bendakaya), ivy gourd (dondakaya), potato (bangaladumpa), and colocasia.
• Kaaram Petti Koora / Koora Podi Koora: sautéed vegetables cooked with curry powder or paste, served as a solid mass. The vegetables can be stuffed with curry powder or paste and are usually cooked whole.
• Pulusu Koora / Aava petti Koora: boiled vegetables cooked in tamarind sauce and mustard paste.
• Pappu Koora: boiled vegetables stir-fried with a small amount of half-cooked lentils (dal).
• Other gravy based curries are chiefly made with vegetables cooked in tomato sauce and onion with coriander and cumin powder.

Daal

Pappu - Toor Daal (Kandi Pappu) or Moong Daal (Pesara pappu) cooked with a vegetable or green. No masala is added to the dal. Some regions include garlic and onion in the seasoning while some regions prefer asafetida (hing/Inguva). Some times the cooked version of the dal is replaced with a roast and ground version of the dal like Kandi pachadi (roasted toor daal ground with red chiles) and pesara pachadi (soaked moong daal ground with red chillies or green chillies).

A very popular Andhra combo is mudda pappu (plain toor dal cooked with salt) with Avakaya.

Pickles

Pachadi / Ooragaya - There are two broad varieties - Pachadi (chutney) and Ooragaya. Pachadi is typically made of vegetables/greens and roasted green/ red chillies. It is prepared fresh and is consumed within a day or two. Ooragaya is prepared in massive amounts seasonally and uses liberal amounts of chilli powder, methi (fenugreek) powder, mustard powder and oil. For a typical Andhrite, no meal is complete without this very essential item. It is consumed on its own mixed with rice or is also eaten as a side dish with pappu / koora.

Pulusu

Pulusu (sour) is a curry-like stew that is typically sour and cooked with tamarind paste. Other common bases are tomatoes or mangoes. The mixture can be flavored with mustard, chilies, curry leaves, jaggery, onions, or fenugreek. Fish, chicken, and eggs are typical meat additions. Pachi Pulusu is an unheated version of pulusu typically made of mangoes or tamarind consumed during warm months.

• Challa Pulusu / Majjiga pulusu - Sour buttermilk boiled with channa dal and coconut paste
• Menthi Challa / Menthi Majjiga - Sour buttermilk seasoned with ginger / green chili paste and menthi seeds fried in oil.

Sambar (Pappuchaaru) is another type of common stew.

Perugu - The last item of the meal. Perugu (curd) is normally consumed with an accompaniment like pachadi or ooragaya.

Evening snacks

At home, many savoury snacks make appearance during evening time. These are

• Kaarappoosa - కారప్పూస
• Chekkalu - చెక్కలు
• Jantikalu - జంతికలు
• Sakinalu or Chakkiralu - చక్కిరాలు
• Chuppulu - చుప్పులు
• Chegodilu - చేగోడీలు
• Guggillu - గుగ్గిళ్ళు
• Pakodi - పకోడీ
• Boondi - బూంది
• Mixture' (Boondi mixed with chopped onions and lemon juice) -
• Ponganalu - పొంగనాలు
• Punukulu - పునుకులు
• Upma - ఉప్మా
• Bondaalu or Punukulu' with spicy dips (allam pachadi) - బొండాలు
• Mirapakaya Bajji - a local variety of extra-hot chillies stuffed with spices and dipped in chick pea batter and fried
• Ullipakodi - fritters made with sliced onion and spices in chickpea batter
• Gaare - గారే (similar to Vada). Gaares are a deep fried and spiced dough.
• Perugu gaare / Aavadalu - ఆవడలు Gaare are marinated in a yogurt sauce.

Sweets

Sakinalu

• Laddu
• poornalu or Boorelu
• Rava Laddu
• Bhakshalu or Bobbatlu or Polelu
• Pootharekulu
• Ariselu
• Khaja
• Payasam
• Gavvalu
• Telangana Garjalu
• Chakkera pongali (sugar pongal)
• Laskora Undalu (coconut laddu) or Raskora Undalu (coconut laddu)
• Boondi
• Palathalikalu
• Ravva Kesari
• Pappuchekka
• Jeedilu
• Kobbari Lavuju
• Telangana sakinalu
• Vennappalu

Meals

Regular Meal

Meal served after Puja ceremony

A typical meal in Telugu cuisine consists of a combination of cooked rice, dal (pappu), curry, pickles (Pachadi), yogurt (perugu) or buttermilk (majjiga), and papadum (appadam). Chewing paan, a mixture of betel leaves and areca nut is also a common practice after meals.

Lunch

Lunch is an elaborate affair in many households.

In traditional households, the meal is served on arati aaku, a single plantain leaf, or vistari, a larger plate made of several leaves sewn together. Recently, more people have begun using broad steel plates called kancham. However, arati aaku and vistari are still widely used for festivals and special events.

Lunch items are served on a single plate in a specific arrangement. Curries and pappu are placed to the right of the diner, while pickles and podi are placed on the left. Special items such as pulihora and garelu are placed at the top right. A large scoop of rice is placed in the middle. Small amounts of pulusu, ghee and buttermilk are typically sprinkled onto the leaf. The ghee is mixed with every item except perugu/majjiga.

Modati Mudda - Rice with some certain types of pickles and ghee is eaten as the modati mudda, or first bite of meals. Typically, only about four or five balls of rice are consumed. Roasted chillies are also an addition and can be served with either coriander seeds, curry tree leaves, sesame seeds, or ginger, which are all believed to have medicinal value. Pickled foods that are commonly used include pickled Indian gooseberry, pickled lime or pickled grapefruit. These items tend to taste sour or hot and have strong aromas, and are usually intended to stimulate appetite and aid digestion.

Main Course

There is a great regional variation in what is eaten after the modati mudda. In coastal andhra districts like Godavari, Krishna and Guntur, koora (curry) is the most common choice along with daal (pappu), pulusu and majjiga.

Regional Variations

There are regional variations in Telugu cuisine. Telangana, the western region of Andhra Pradesh has some unique dishes in its cuisine, such as Jonna Rotte (Sorghum), Sajja Rotte (Penisetum), or Uppudi Pindi (broken rice). Telangana cuisine is influenced by Persian and Afghan cuisine as Telangana was under the control of Muslim kings for a long time. In northern Telangana districts, the cuisine has dishes similar to those found in Maharashtra such as Kadi.

There are different foods and snacks made in Rayalaseema regions.

• Attirasaalu (Arese)
• Baadusha
• Jaangri
• Jilebi
• Pakam Undalu, a mixture of steamed rice flour, ground nuts, jaggery)
• Borugu Undalu (a sweet variety made corn of jowar and jaggery)
• Masala Borugulu (like snacks)
• Raagi Ball
• Saddi Annam, made of night cooked rice soaked in butter milk)

Jonna, Raagi rotte, a combination of ghee)

• Ponganaalu wet rice flour, fry with oil, carrot, onions, chillis

Bonda,

• Mirchibajji Roast

Ravva laddu

See also

• Indian cuisine
• Tamil cuisine
• Cuisine of Karnataka