Top 5 Dishes You Must Order in an Andhra Restaurant

Andhra cuisine is famous all over the world as one of the finest Indian cuisines. Andhra cuisine typically refers to food served across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, both situated in South India. Andhra cuisine is very diverse, but is generally known for being spicy and tangy, thanks to Andhra Pradesh being one of the leading producers of red chilies.

If you plan to visit Andhra restaurants soon in the United States, you must try the following dishes.

Upma

Commonly served as a breakfast dish, upma is a porridge-like dish prepared from coarse rice flour or roasted semolina. Upma is popular as a common man’s dish because of its reasonable prices, and it is very filling as well.

Upma has a lot of varieties. Vegetables can be added as per an individual’s choice, along with cashews and peanuts. If you want a spicier variation of the traditional upma, order a Masala Upma, which is prepared with the use of garam masala and red chili powder.

RavaDosa

RavaDosa is another Andhra dish that is a popular choice for breakfast. Resembling thin crepes, the main difference between Rava Dosas and conventional Dosas is the time taken to make them. Rava Dosas can be prepared much quicker, and are known for their sumptuous taste.

Rava Dosas are primarily served along with coconut chutney and sambar.

UlavaCharu

If you like soups, you would definitely enjoy the UlavaCharu, one of the most prominent soup preparations in Andhra cuisine. This horse gram soup originated in the Andhra villages, and has now become extremely popular, even in lavish settings.

Its popularity has resulted in many companies selling packaged versions of it in many food stores in India.

Hyderabadi Biryani

You probably know what Biryani is and might have tasted a particular variation, but once you taste the Hyderabadi Biryani, it’s unlikely you would want any other variation. Made from basmati rice, chicken or goat meat, coriander leaves, lemon, onions, saffron, spices and yogurt, Hyderabadi Biryani is served in two styles: Kacchi Biriyani and Pakki Biriyani.

To prepare Kacchi Biryani, the meat is marinated with a variety of spices overnight. Before cooking, it is soaked in yogurt. The biryani is cooked on dum after sandwiching the meat between layers of basmati rice, and this variation is known to be quite tough.

Pakki Biryani requires shorter marinating time for the meat, which is also cooked prior to being placed within layers of rice.

Pootharekulu

Having originated in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, Pootharekulu is now one of the prime Andhra desserts. Pootharekulu resembles a folded paper, and is made from jayabiyyam, a rice batter. Ghee and powdered sugar are added as well. Jaggery can also be used in place of powdered sugar. Preparing Pootharekulu is known to be very hard.

Try the aforementioned dishes in an Andhra restaurant, and you are sure to become a fan of Andhra food for life!