Andhra cuisine

Andhra cuisine is the traditional culinary style of the Telugu people, who are native to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is generally known for its tangy, hot, and spicy taste.

Andhra cuisine relies on a diverse varieties of agricultural produce, but rice is central staple food of the region, forming the base around which daily meals are structured. Rather than being eaten as standalone dishes, most preparations are designed to be mixed into or served alongside steamed rice.

Pappu (dal/lentils) dishes include toor daal (kandi pappu) and moong daal (pesara pappu), which are usually cooked with a vegetable or other green. No masala is added to the dal. In some areas, garlic and onion are included in the seasoning, while in others asafetida (hing/inguva) is used. Kandi pappu is often cooked with leafy vegetables such as palakura (spinach), gongura, malabar spinach, and other fruits and vegetables such as tomato, mango, or bottle gourd. Sometimes the cooked version of the dal is replaced with a roasted and ground version, like kandi pachadi (roasted toor daal ground with red chilis), or pesara pachadi (soaked moong daal ground with red or green chilis).

Pulusu (meaning sour) is a curry-like stew that is typically sour and cooked with tamarind paste. Other common bases include tomatoes or mangoes. The mixture can be flavored with mustard, chilis, curry leaves, jaggery, onions, or fenugreek. Fish, chicken, and eggs are typical meat additions. Pachi pulusu is an unheated version of pulusu, typically made of mangoes or tamarind, and eaten during the warmer months.