The gastronomic delights of Andhra's regional culinary repertoire are quite legend amongst foodies; from its fiery mutton curries to the bland offerings in the form of idlis, dosas and vadas it has plenty of takers. This region is known for its spicy food and numerous chutneys made of almost anything! Also, tamarind, green chillis, red chillis, asafoetida (hing), sesame seeds, coconut, spring onions, gongura (sorrel leaves) …even peanuts and cashews… all find a place in the kitchen to enhance vegetables and meat dishes, depending on the ambitious hand of the chef or the home cook. And slow cooking…dum pukht is very much one of the techniques used to bring out the best in some of those dishes.
We will take a walk around a typical Indian vegetable market and get an understanding of the evolution of this region's cuisine. Be advised, the main course dishes here tend to be ruled by fiery spices, be it a veg or a meat dish. Curries come in two forms…koora and vepudu…the latter being more intensely flavoured. While rice may be a staple companion to a curry, bread or chapatti made, not from wheat as up north, but from millet is most common. So menus will carry versions of the popular sajja rotte, makka rotte and jonna rotte.
While meat and chicken are common fare, a certain amount of seafood is also consumed. But vegetables are very big on the menu. Vankaya Pulusu is a dish made with brinjals and is marked for its use of just green chillies and tamarind; chapala pulusu’s signature spice is fenugreek (methi) married to the tamarind juice. You can calm your palate with a healthy dose of parda pheni, a multi-layered deep-fried sweet.
We will visit a local family and share an Andhra meal with them. The meal will consist of tamarind rice, vegetables, lentils with greens and a variety of pickles and chutneys and the spices that are used widely.