A Journey Through Araku Valley: Exploring Andhra Pradesh’s Scenic Hill Paradise

                             A JOURNEY THROUGH ARAKU VALLEY    {OCT 2014}


Araku, a hill station in the eastern ghats is located 114km from Vizag ,was absolutely pristine and serene.The valley is connected both through rail  and road to the city of Visakapatanam.We choose train for our journey.The first 1 hour was normal. 

Once the train starts climbing the hills one can feel that sudden change in the ambience and a cool breeze  kissing  our cheeks lifting up our mind and soul.

We will pass through more than 10 tunnels which will surely add spice to our journey...

Once we reached we hired a  jeep and they took us around the lushious valley..

Our 1st destination was the BORRA CAVES where the Ramayana trio  SRI RAM LAXMAN AND SITA were supposed to be stayed during their 14 years of exile..The grand entrance itself was a feast to our eyes.

There were formations of stalactites and stalagmites..

As we walked through the deep caves there was a point where the sun himself lightened the caves and ofcourse a stop for clicking a photo..

From there  our guide took us to KATHIKI WATER FALLS..The journey was tiresome in true sense and not at all suggested for aged group and expected mothers.But we enjoyed the horrendous jeep ride through the bumpy roads too..The jeep would drop us in the foot of a hill .

 From there we should cross a railway line and walk all the way  to reach  the falls

once we reach the falls we will be struck by its beauty and it will relieve us from all the sweat that we have shed ..

After enjoying  lofty waterfalls we headed towards the COFFEE PLANTATIONS .The roads were scented with the aroma of the coffee....

and the spicy pepper wines added to the  beauty of ANANTAGIRI HILLS..

We too sipped the  robust ORGANIC COFFEE made  by the tribal ladies and boosted  up ourself for the rest of our day ...

 and continued our journey enjoying the rustic beauty of the hills and stopped by GALIKONDA VIEW POINT (highest point the hill offers)for some snaps.. 

At this spot  we  got a chance to taste this  delicious  BAMBOO CHICKEN              

                which was spicy as well as juicy..

".A must TRY delicacy for the meat lovers"...

Our final destination of the day was  the PADMAPURAM GARDENS.

       where we enjoyed a toy train journey  after  which we headed back to vizag..............

with Grand Hills Gushing Waterfalls &  Alluring Plantations ARAKU will always be a sweet memory which we will cherish for our  entire life time...

Instant Spinach idly

Instant Palak idly   

Makes 16 idly

Ingredients

Idly ponni rice-1 1/2 cup

Desiccated coconut-1/4 cup

                                                   

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Chopped spinach leaves-3/4 cup

Asafoetida as needed

Water as needed

Dry red chilly- 1

Note:You can use raw rice or basmati rice as well .If you are using either of these instead of            1/4 cup you will have to use 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup desiccated coconut to make soft idly. 

       :You can increase or decrease the number of red chilly  according to your spice tolerance

       :You can increase or decrease the quantity of spinach as well.

Method

1.Wash well and soak rice for a minimum of 4 hours.

2.Now in a blender jar add the soaked rice ,little water,and start grinding.Once it is almost done,add in coconut scrapings,dry red chilly and make a smooth batter.

3.Into it add turmeric powder,Asafoetida,chopped spinach leaves ,salt and mix well.

4.Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings. This batter requires no fermenting .

5.Now you can start making this idly in a idly steamer.

6.It tastes best with coconut oil.Its a perfect breakfast and a snack.You can also make pancakes or dosa using the same batter.

Vegetarian okkonomiyaki

Vegetarian okkonomiyaki

                         

A Japanese savoury pancake ..
Okonomi means how you like
Yaki means cooked
ie, cook how you like it 😊

Makes 2

1)For making the batter
3 tbsp of plain flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp veg stock powder
A pinch of baking powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp crushed chilly powder and make a thick batter by adding little water at a time.

2)Into it add 1 cup shredded cabbage, about 2 tbsp of shredded sweet potato and carrot ,1 tbsp of chopped onion 1 tbsp of finely chopped leek and mix well..( can use veggies of your choice ,like mushroom,spring onions etc or even meat like bacon )

3)Heat a pan or pancake griddle ,add 1 tsp of oil . Pour the batter and shape it into a pancake
Cover and cook until done

4)to garnish
Top it with BBQ sauce, mayonnaise,sesame seeds and spring onions ..
Enjoy🍴

Guacamole

                                                            Guacamole

Cuisine-Mexican

Ingredients    

Avocados- 4

Onion-1/2 cup

Tomato-1/2 cup

Coriander leaves-1/3 cup

Lemon juice from 1 lemon or more if needed

Salt to taste

Method

1.Scoop the flesh out of the avocados into a mixing bowl and mash it well using a masher. 

2.Add in finely chopped onions,tomatoes,coriander leaves,lemon juice and salt.Mix them well.

3.Do a taste test and add salt and lemon juice if necessary.

4.Enjoy it with corn chips,on a bread toast or with nachos..

5.Transfer the left overs into an airtight container in order to avoid brown color formation when it comes in contact with air.

Butternut Pumpkin soup

                              Vegan Butternut soup

                                   
Serves 4

Ingredients

Oil-1/2 tbsp

Garlic-2 cloves

Onion-1/2 medium size onion

Butternut pumpkin- 1/2 size

Veg stock cubes-2

 Dried Parsley-1 tsp

Pepper powder as per the spice tolerance level

Water as needed

Coconut milk 1/2 can (keep 4 few spoons to garnish)

Almond slivered to garnish

(i used carrot leaves for a change)

Method: 

1.Heat oil ,add in 2 clove of minced garlic and half  onion finely chopped.

2.Saute well, add butternut pumpkin roughly chopped, 2 cubes of veg stock , a tsp of dried parsley and needed amount of water.

3.Add salt ,pepper powder and cook till all veggies are done. Once every piece is cooked, add needed amount of coconut milk to make it smooth and creamy.Give it a good mix. (can add cream or milk too)and switch off the flame.

4.Once it cools down blend well using a  stick blender.Our soup is ready.You can garnish it with few spoons of coconut milk/almonds and enjoy.                                                    

Breakfast smoothie 2

                                    Quick &Vegan Smoothie 2

Serves 1

Ingredients

Weet bix-2

Rice milk-1/2 cup

Water -1/2 cup

Banana-1

Cocoa powder- 1/2  tsp

100 s & 1000 s and banana slices to garnish

Note: If you want to skip water ,its perfectly fine .Instead add 1 cup of milk of your choice.Also rice milk is naturally sweet ,so in my opinion you do not need  to add extra sugar or honey to make it sweet.

Method

1.Take all ingredients in a blender and blend it till smooth and creamy.

2.Garnish  &  Enjoy.

Breakfast smoothie 1

                                                   Quick &Vegan Smoothie 1

                                                                           

Serves 1

Ingredients

Weet bix-2

Cashew milk-1/2 cup

Water -1/2 cup

Brown sugar as per your preference

Banana-1

Chopped nuts and banana slices to garnish

Note: If you want to skip water ,its perfectly fine .Instead add 1 cup of milk of your choice.

Method

1.Take all ingredients in a blender and blend it till smooth and creamy.

2.Garnish it with some chopped nuts and banana slices.Enjoy.

Beans Stir fry

                                          Beans Thalsini

Recipe credits: Konkani Khann Anik Jevan

Serves-2

Ingredients

Beans -1/2 kg 

Garlic -1/4 cup heaped

Salt to taste

Chilly powder-1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder-1/2 tsp

Oil-1 tbsp

Method

1.Wash ,clean and chop the beans as per your wish and make garlic julienne.

2.Heat a pan,once it is hot add in the garlic along with salt and both the chilly powders.Mix them up and roast for a minute.

3.Now add in the beans and cook them till  they are done.(You can also add 1/3 cup of water to cook fast and to make sure it wont get burned)Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings.Enjoy it with rice or chapathy..

Butter corn

                                  Easy & Quick corn chaat

                                                   

                                         

Serves-4

Ingredients

Butter-2 tsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Frozen or fresh corn Kernels-3 cups

Spice Powders Used

Cumin powder-1 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder-1/4 tsp

Chaat Masala-1 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala- 1 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

To Garnish

Lemon juice

Finely chopped red onions

Method

1.Heat butter and oil in a pan.Once it is  hot add in the corn kernels.Mix well,cover and cook till the corn kernels are almost done.

2.Then add in all the spice powders,give it a good mix.Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings.

3.Serve it in cups or serving glass of your choice.Squeeze some lemon juice,garnish with some finely chopped red onions .Serve while its hot as it tastes the best.Enjoy.

Spicy potato mash

                                                                Aloo bhortha
                                                         

Thanking my friend Nazia for introducing this recipe..

Ingredients

Potato

Onion

Coriander leaves

Deep fried dry red chilly

Salt

Left over Oil after deep frying chilly- 1 tbsp

Method

1.Mash , pressure cooked and peeled potatoes.

2.Finely chop onions and coriander leaves

3.Deep fry a dry red chilly and dip it in the salt ,mash it along with potatoes ,onions and coriander leaves.

4.Add a tablespoon of oil in which chilly was fried.

5.Mix everything and adjust the he seasonings .Enjoy as a side dish for rice/chapathy

Note: you can use it as a stuffing for sandwiches as well ..!
         : You can replace potato with egg,pumpkin or fish ( boneless) of your choice.

                                           

No fermentation Cabbage idly

                                     Instant Cabbage idly

   

Makes 16 idly

Ingredients

Idly ponni rice-1 1/2 cup

Desiccated coconut-1/4 cup

                                                   

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Shredded cabbage-3/4 cup

Asafoetida as needed

Water as needed

Dry red chilly- 1

Note:You can use raw rice or basmati rice as well .If you are using either of these instead of            1/4 cup you will have to use 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup desiccated coconut .to make soft idly. 

       :You can increase or decrease the number of red chilly  according to your spice tolerance

       :You can increase or decrease the quantity of cabbage as well.

Method

1.Wash well and soak rice for a minimum of 4 hours.

2.Now in a blender jar add the soaked rice ,little water,and start grinding.Once it is almost done,add in coconut scrapings,dry red chilly and make a smooth batter.

3.Into it add turmeric powder,Asafoetida,shredded cabbage ,salt and mix well.

4.Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings. This batter requires no fermenting .

5.Now you can start making this idly in a idly steamer.

6.It tastes best with coconut oil.Its a perfect breakfast and a snack.You can also make pancakes or dosa using the same batter

                                            

Ridge gourd curry with coconut milk

                                                     Pechinga pal curry

                                                                                 

Ingredients

Ridge gourd - 2 medium sized 

Zucchini-1

Potato-1

Green chilly-1 according to the spice level

Salt to taste

Water as needed

Thick coconut milk- 1 can

For Tempering

Oil-1 tbsp

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Curry leaves a handful

Method

1.Wash ,clean and chop ridge gourd,zucchini and potato length wise and keep them aside

2.Now place a pan on stove top,add in all the chopped veggies along with salt,green chilly and water needed to cook them.

3.Once they are cooked ,add in thick coconut milk and mix well.Once it is about to start bubbling ,switch of the flame.

4.Now for the seasoning,heat a small pan and add in oil.Once it is hot ,add in mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.

5.Once they pop up add in a handful curry leaves ,mix well and it into the above made curry.Our curry is ready..

Quick cabbage stir fry

                            Cabbage stir fry Haryana style

  

Cabbage stir fry 

INGREDIENTS

Oil-1 tbsp

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Onion-1 

Tomato-1

Salt to taste

Cabbage -3 cups chopped

Water as needed

METHOD

1.Clean,wash and chop cabbage,tomato,and onions.Keep them aside.

2.Heat oil in a pan,once it is hot add in cumin seeds and allow them to pop up.

3.Now add in chopped onion,tomato along with spice powders and salt.Saute till they are soft.

 4.It is time to add in the chopped cabbage  and water as needed to cook them.Give it a good mix and close the pan with a lid and allow them to cook.Mix them after every few minutes so that they wont stick to the bottom and get burned.

5.Do a taste test and adjust the spices to suit our palate.Our dish is ready to serve alongside some pipping hot rice or roti. Enjoy