Celebrating Neivedyam's 2nd Birthday with Andhra Avakaya

It's been 2 lovely years of blogging. It's a wonderful journey into the world of cooking with co-blogger and friends. It has been an amazing experience to Cook and share, which always gives immense joy and pleasure. The happiest part is when people email me saying, they tried the recipes and liked it. I have made some great friends who are very close to heart through blogging. This year I have also started an event "Cooking for Kids" which is going on well with all your support.
I thank all the visitors for appreciating and supporting Neivedyam with their valuable comments. I hope to share more and more recipes with you in the coming years.

Here is a very Authentic and Traditional recipe from Andhra which my Mother-in-law passed it to me as a treasure. It's Andhra Avakaya (Mango Pickle). Avakaya is the oldest and traditional pickle made in Andhra. In Andhra, during summer mangoes are bought, cleaned and cut to pieces, processed and made to pickles with spices originated in Andhra itself. The Chilli and Turmeric which are cultivated in Andhra are used for making this Avakaya.

I was not aware that avakaya was so easy to make at home until one day my mother-in-law made them in 15 minutes. Now I never buy pickles from store and the avakaya pickle I make is a real hit in my house:) I too can make them in minutes(proud).

Ingredients

3 medium sized raw mangoes (makes 3 cups diced mangoes)
1/2 cup chili powder
1/2 cup Mustard seeds
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp Turmeric

Procedure

The most important thing to remember for making avakaya is buying mangoes. They should be very hard when touched and should be of medium size.
Wash the mangoes and wipe off the water with a clean cloth or paper towel. Cut the mangoes in to pieces as shown.

Spread the mango pieces on a clean and dry paper towel. Pat dry and remove the excess moisture on the pieces. Leave it aside.

Grind Mustard seeds along with salt, chilli powder and fenugreek seeds. Some people use fenugreek seeds as it is without grinding but I prefer to powder it.

The chilli powder I use is from Andhra. This chilli powder is specifically used for making pickles which is called as "Three mango mirch powder" (made of warangal mirchi). It is pure and brings out good color to the pickle. Kashmiri chili powder can be used instead.

The ground spice mix comes to about 2 cups approximately which is called ava pindi (mustard powder)
Blend in the prepared spice powder with the mango pieces, oil and turmeric in a wide bowl. Mix well until all the mango pieces are coated with spices. Transfer the prepared pickle into a clean and dry air tight jar. Next morning the oil and juice comes out of the mango pieces.

If you taste the avakaya immediately after preparing, it will taste salty. Do not think you have added more salt or chilli powder. It take 3-4 days for the avakaya to get to its original taste.

Sunnundalu (Urad Dal Laddu)

Sunnundalu is a very traditional sweet of Andhra. It is prepared during baby showers as it has lot of health benefits during pregnancy. My Mother-in-law made this delicacy for me on my baby shower. She is a wonderful cook and has introduced me to the authentic Andhra cuisine. I also learnt how to make the famous Andhra Avakaya (Mango pickle) from her.

This is my contribution to Cooking for kids with love hosted by the very talented Pratibha & Jigyasa. Though we are still waiting for the movers to get our stuff and not yet completely settled down here in Michigan, I thought of making something from my mother-in-law's kitchen with the available ingredients in my kitchen for this event.

Ingredients:

2 cups Urad dal (Roasted into golden red color)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Melted ghee(clarified Butter)

Preparation

In a heavy bottomed pan roast the urad dal on medium low heat by stirring continuously. The dal should slowly turn to red color. Remove it from heat and let it cool for a while, grind the roasted urad dal along with sugar into a coarse powder.
The powder should have a sand like texture.
Transfer the mixture into a pan and add melted ghee. On low heat blend ghee and urad dal mixture well. Remove from heat and make small laddus. It is a healthy laddu and "is good for backbone during pregnancy" says my mother-in-law!!

Book Giveaways-Cooking for Kids-February

I am very delighted to announce that Jigyasa & Pratibha of the lovely blog Pedatha's whose food we eat... are hosting February's Cooking for Kids event. The Beautiful ingredient is "Love".

This event is hosted in lovely memory of Pedatha who passed away on Feb 20th last year. The detail of this event is here.

THE THREE BEST ENTRIES WILL WIN A PRIZE EACH…AND THE PRIZE IS - a choice between Jigyasa & Pratibha's first cookbook “Cooking at home with Pedatha” or their second cookbook “Sukham Ayu: Cooking at Home with Ayurvedic Insights”, which is being launched on Feb 11th.

So get cooking something with lots and lots of "love" and post it in your blog on the month of Feb.