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  Life   Food  14 Feb 2022  Flavours of South India

Flavours of South India

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Feb 14, 2022, 3:57 pm IST
Updated : Feb 14, 2022, 3:57 pm IST

Looking for authentic, home-made pickles and sprinkles, like our grandmothers would make at home in the village?

Manduva lemon pickle.  (Image by Arrangement.)
 Manduva lemon pickle. (Image by Arrangement.)

Looking for authentic, home-made pickles and sprinkles, like our grandmothers would make at home in the village? Try the Manduva brand. They’re fresh, have no preservatives and are made just like what our aunts and grannies made

The Manduva Project, started by an aunt and niece duo — Ms Usha Sarvarayalu and her niece Neha Alluri — in 2021, is a vision to build a cottage industry through which home bound women can earn additional income. Situated in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, TMP represents the origins of handmade, artisanal family heirloom recipes with a contemporary twist to bridge urban audiences with rural palettes.

Manduva’s products are free of preservatives, and they involve local women, often the wives of farmers, in sourcing the produce to create these recipes. TMP believes that women in these villages are the experts at this – they’ve done this for generations, and this is an opportunity for them to showcase their skills and earn a livelihood.
The majority of the ingredients are sourced directly from farms.

Manduva currently has four product lines which comprise of pickles, sprinkles (podis), crisps (vadiyalu) and spices.

“We invite you to join us on this culinary journey – every spoonful has a story to tell,” says Neha.

Given below are few lip-smacking recipes using the Manduva produce. One can also make their own variations with the podis, sprinkles...
Enjoy.

The Manduva project is started by Usha Sarvyaralulu and Neha Alluri

Carrot Kosambari with Manduva lemon pickle

Ingredients

- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1-2 sliced green chilly
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1-2 tsp Manduva lemon pickle
- A few curry leaves, fried
- Salt

Recipe

- Mix the grated carrot in a bowl, add green chilli, start with a teaspoon of pickle and add more if needed.
- Add in the coriander and the curry leaves.
- Eat it as is or use it as an accompaniment to rice.

Tofu with Manduva Bird’s Eye chili paste

Ingredients

- 50 gms Manduva bird’s eye chilli
- 1 diced onion
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 10 cloves of garlic
- Ginger
- 100 ml coconut milk
- Half cup Tofu
- Ginger
- Lime
- Salt

Recipe

- Soak about 50 gms of chilli in hot water for 30mins.
- Add 1 diced onion, 1 tablespoon peppercorns, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds,10 cloves of Garlic, an inch of ginger, a good squeeze of lime, salt. Blend to a paste, add water if needed.
- For the tofu, simply heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add 2 tablespoons of the paste and sautee it, till it darkens a little, add half a cup of tofu and about 100ml of coconut milk
- Reduce a little and garnish with scallions!

Piquant Sourdough toast with Manduva Avakaya Hot & Spicy

Ingredients

- 1 cup torn lettuce
- 1 small-sliced onion
- 1-2 tsp Manduva Avakaya pickle
- ¼ cup of feta cheese, cream cheese
- Two slices of sourdough bread (since we’re already using pickle which is sour, one can use regular bread but the texture is just not the same!)
- A tablespoon of butter

Recipe

l Toast your bread.
l Melt some butter in a pan, add a slice of bread and toast on both sides till golden. Do not make it too crispy.
l Secondly, combine pickle and onion and toss till evenly coated.
l Taste and add salt if needed.
l Arrange lettuce on the toast, add the pickled onions and top it with blobs of cheese!

Manduva Sun-dried Moong Crisp Soup
Ingredients

l A head of broccoli
l 6 cloves of garlic
l 1 stalk of chopped celery (not the leaves)
l 1 large, chopped onion
l 2-3 tablespoons butter
l 1 cup milk or cream (for a creamier version)
l 2 cups water (can use vegetable or chicken stock too for more flavour)
l Salt and Pepper
l Manduva fried sun-dried moong crisps

Recipe

l Cut the broccoli florets, coat them in oil and roast them at 180C for roughly 20 minutes or till they are tender.
l Fry the onion in butter till soft, add garlic, salt, celery.
l You can alternatively fry the broccoli if an oven is not handy.
l Boil the water /stock and add in the fried mix.
l Boil for about 20 minutes and blend everything using an immersion blender.
l Add the milk and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency.
l Add in crushed black pepper.
We’re looking for it to be thick and creamy.
l Top it with fried crisps for a wonderful texture!

Yogurt dip with Manduva Nalla karam sprinkle
Ingredients

l 1 cup greek yogurt
l Manduva Nalla Karam Sprinkle, about 2 teaspoons
l Salt
Recipe

l Whisk the yogurt so that it’s smooth and combine the other ingredients (strain the curd, as you do not want the dip to be watery).
l Taste and add more sprinkle if needed.
l Enjoy with chips!
l Alternative: Chop vegetables like carrot, beetroot, potato, broccoli — into sticks and cubes. Drizzle oil, add black pepper and salt and roast them at 180 C till done.
l Use them as dippers.

Crusted Chicken with Manduva sesame sprinkle
Ingredients

l 1 chicken breast
l ¼ cup of Manduva sesame sprinkle
Oil
l A few tbsp of cream/yogurt

Recipe

l Make a marinade with the sprinkle and the yogurt/cream and salt if needed.
l Heat oil in a pan, generously rub the marinade all over and fry the chicken on both the sides till tender.
l Eat with greens, a wedge of lime and some sliced onion.

Tip: Use your best non-stick pan and do not cook the chicken on high heat, it might burn the marinade and well, your chicken might overcook.

Tags: manduva project