Sarva Pindi
A Telangana kitchen staple, and one of the few breads made by pressing the dough directly into the pan rather than rolling it. The holes are not decorative — they let the oil reach the middle so it cooks evenly.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1/4 cup chana dal, soaked 30 minutes and drained
- 1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely crushed
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2–3 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ajwain (vaamu)
- A sprig of curry leaves, torn
- 3–4 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
- Water, as needed
Method
- Combine the rice flour, drained chana dal, peanuts, sesame, chillies, onion, ginger, ajwain, curry leaves, salt and 1 tbsp of the oil in a bowl.
- Add water a little at a time and bring it together into a stiff, non-sticky dough. Do not make it soft — it will not hold its shape in the pan.
- Grease a heavy flat pan generously. With wet hands, press the dough directly into the cold pan, working outward until it is an even 1 cm thick round.
- Make five or six holes through the dough with your finger, one in the centre. Drizzle the remaining oil into the holes and around the edge.
- Cover and cook on a low flame for 15–20 minutes, until the base is golden and lifts away cleanly.
- Flip it, cook uncovered for another 5–8 minutes until crisp, and cut into wedges. Serve hot with chutney or curd.
Sakinalu
Made in big batches in the weeks before Sankranti, often by several women working together — one rolling, one coiling, one frying. The sesame is not optional; it is what gives sakinalu its flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice flour
- 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp ajwain (vaamu), optional
- Salt to taste
- About 1.5 cups water
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Bring the water to a boil with the salt, sesame seeds and ajwain, then take it off the heat.
- Pour the hot water over the rice flour a little at a time, mixing with a spoon. Once cool enough to handle, knead into a smooth, pliable dough.
- Grease a small square of plastic sheet lightly. Take a lime-sized piece of dough and roll it into a thin rope about the thickness of a pencil.
- Coil the rope into a flat spiral on the sheet, pressing the end gently to seal. Keep them covered so they do not dry out.
- Heat the oil to a medium temperature — too hot and they brown before they crisp.
- Slide the spirals in a few at a time and fry, turning once, until pale gold and no longer bubbling. Drain on paper and cool completely before storing; they crisp further as they cool.
Garijelu
Made for weddings and festivals, and the sweet most associated with celebration in a Telangana household. The crimped edge is both a seal and a signature.
Ingredients
- 2 cups maida or fine wheat flour
- 2 tbsp ghee, plus more for the dough
- A pinch of salt
- Water, as needed
- 1 cup dry coconut, grated
- 3/4 cup jaggery, grated
- 2 tbsp semolina, dry-roasted
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- A few cashews and raisins, chopped
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Rub the ghee into the flour with the salt until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add water gradually to make a stiff dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- For the filling, dry-roast the coconut until fragrant but not brown. Take it off the heat, add the jaggery, roasted semolina, cardamom, cashews and raisins, and mix well. Let it cool.
- Divide the dough into small balls and roll each into a thin round about 10 cm across.
- Place a spoon of filling on one half, fold over into a crescent, and press the edges firmly. Crimp the sealed edge with your fingers or a fork.
- Heat the oil to medium. Fry a few at a time, turning, until evenly pale golden — high heat will colour the shell before it cooks through.
- Drain well and cool completely before storing.
Pachi Pulusu
Nothing here is cooked. It is assembled cold, which is exactly the point: it is made in the hottest months and eaten with hot rice as a cooling counterweight.
Ingredients
- A lime-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in warm water
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 green chillies
- 1 tbsp jaggery, grated
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted and crushed
- A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups water
- For tempering (optional): 1 tsp oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves
Method
- Squeeze the soaked tamarind and strain the pulp into a bowl. Discard the fibres.
- Roast the green chillies over a flame until blistered, then crush them roughly with a little salt.
- Add the crushed chillies, onion, jaggery, roasted cumin and salt to the tamarind extract.
- Pour in the water and stir until the jaggery dissolves. Taste and balance — it should be sour first, then sweet, then hot.
- Stir in the coriander. If you want a tempering, heat the oil, crackle the mustard seeds with the curry leaves, and pour it over.
- Rest for 10 minutes so the onion softens slightly, and serve with hot rice.
These are home recipes as cooked in Telangana kitchens, written from the traditional method rather than a restaurant one — quantities are a starting point and every household adjusts them. Rice flour behaves differently by brand and by weather, so add water gradually. See also Telangana food & cuisine and festival dates. Last reviewed .