Andhra Coastal
The coastal districts comprise what is ‘Costa Andhra’ on the east. The cooking here is mainly vegetarian but with easy access to seafood, non-vegetarian dishes too are prepared with aplomb. While Hyderabadi cuisine relies on spice, coastal Andhra cooking’s forte is its chillies. The chillies grown in the hottest in the country, with Krishna and Guntur districts in the lead.
The pickles in which a lot of red chilli powder is used are much sought after, especially the ‘avakaya’ of sour raw mangoes, mustard powder and chilli powder. While the mangoes are extremely sour, the mustard and chilli give the pickle the tear-jerking tang. ‘Ambada’ or ‘gongura’ is a sour tasting leaf and a chutney made of this with green chillies or ground red chillies is very in which this pickle or chutney is mixed and every or both these items throughout the year. Other pickles and chutneys are made of red chilli, ‘amla’ (gooseberry) and lime.
The typical Andhra meal would consist of rice, dal, pickle or freshly-ground ‘chutney’, ‘pulusu’ akin to sambar and rounded off with curd. On special occasions, sweets are prepared and the more popular are ‘payasam’ with milk and vermicelli or with milk and rice, ‘ariselu’-sweet ‘puris’ with jaggery filling; ‘bobbatly’ and ‘poornam burelu’ that are eaten with generous helpings of ghee.
The pickles in which a lot of red chilli powder is used are much sought after, especially the ‘avakaya’ of sour raw mangoes, mustard powder and chilli powder. While the mangoes are extremely sour, the mustard and chilli give the pickle the tear-jerking tang. ‘Ambada’ or ‘gongura’ is a sour tasting leaf and a chutney made of this with green chillies or ground red chillies is very in which this pickle or chutney is mixed and every or both these items throughout the year. Other pickles and chutneys are made of red chilli, ‘amla’ (gooseberry) and lime.
The typical Andhra meal would consist of rice, dal, pickle or freshly-ground ‘chutney’, ‘pulusu’ akin to sambar and rounded off with curd. On special occasions, sweets are prepared and the more popular are ‘payasam’ with milk and vermicelli or with milk and rice, ‘ariselu’-sweet ‘puris’ with jaggery filling; ‘bobbatly’ and ‘poornam burelu’ that are eaten with generous helpings of ghee.
