Bonalu is a traditional Hindu festival celebrated predominantly in Telangana, India, honoring Goddess Mahankali. Held annually in various parts of Hyderabad and other Telangana regions, Bonalu typically falls during the Ashada Masam (July-August). The festival begins with rituals and offerings to Goddess Mahankali, seeking her blessings for prosperity and protection against diseases and evils. Women carry decorated pots (Bonalu) containing rice, curd, and turmeric water on their heads to offer at temples. Below are dishes made during the Bonalu Festival.
1.Pesarattu
First soak the moong dal for 4-6 hours. After draining the water, grind the dal to a paste with green chilis, ginger, and cumin seeds. Add salt and chopped onions to the paste and mix well. Heat a tawa and drop a ladleful of batter. Lay it out evenly to form a thin pancake. Put oil around the border and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until brown and crisp. Serve hot with coconut chutney or almond powder.
2.Gongura Pachadi
Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger, garlic, green chilis, and tamarind. Fry until ginger is golden brown. Then, add gongura leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes. Let it cool and then transfer to a blender. Add salt and blend into a fine consistency. In a separate pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, and red chilies for tempering. Pour this over the blended chutney. Mix nicely and serve with hot rice or rotis.
3.Qubani Ka Meetha
Wash dried apricots and soak them overnight. In a pot, add water and boil apricots. Mash them slightly to a form a paste. Add sugar and cook until it dissolves. In a pan, warm up some ghee and fry cashew nuts and almonds till golden. Add it to the apricot mixture and cook for another 10 minutes. Add saffron soaked in milk and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes more. Serve hot or cold, garnish with pistachios and serve with ice cream or custard.
4.
Sakinalu
Mix rice flour and sattu. Add ajwain, jeera, chili powder, and hing. Heat oil in a pan. Take a flat, round molder and put some dough in it. Press the dough carefully into hot oil to make circular shapes. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oil and repeat with remaining dough.
5.Atukula Upma
First, heat up oil in a pan. Heat two tablespoons of oil. Drop garlic and onions and fry until golden brown. Add kadipi leaves and green chillis, and fry for one minute. Then, add washed atukula and fried peanuts. Stir and cook for five to seven minutes until atukula is soft. Garnish with coriander leaves, lemon juice and serve hot.
6.Ragi Sangati
First, wash the ragi grains and soak them for a few hours. Drain the water and grind the ragi to a fine paste. Heat some water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the ground ragi and stir well to avoid lumps. Cook it on low flame. Cover for around 20 to 25 minutes till the ragi is cooked and the consistency is thick. When it’s done, remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes.
7.Jonna Rotte
First, mix barley flour with water to form a dough. Heat a tava or grill and place a small dough ball on it. Spread the dough with your fingers to make a thin circle. Cook until brown marks appear on both the sides of the rotte. Serve hot with chutney or curry.
8.Ariselu
It is made by soaking raw rice in water for a few hours. The soaked rice is grinded into a fine powder and made into a thick batter. This batter is flattened into thin round shapes and fried in hot ghee until golden brown and crispy. Finally, they are drizzled with sugar or jaggery syrup to add sweetness.
9.Pulihora
First, warm up oil and add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chili, and hing. Fry till dal turns golden and chili crisp. Add turmeric powder and curry leaves, stir well. Add cooked rice, tamarind paste, salt, and mix gently. Stir on low flame for 5-7 minutes till flavors combine. Garnish with fried peanuts and coriander leaves.
10.Pootharekulu
First, heat a non-stick pan on low flame. Then, take a rice paper and place it on the pan. When the paper gets warm, apply a thin layer of ghee to it. Sprinkle powdered sugar and fold the paper in half. Press gently so that the sugar melts and sticks to the rice paper. Repeat this process with multiple layers of rice paper, ghee, and powdered sugar until you get a stack of 4-5 layers. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Finally, cut the stack into rectangular pieces and serve.
11.Ulavacharu
First, soak the horse gram overnight. In the morning, pressure cook it with water and tomato until soft. Meanwhile, fry onions, tomatoes, green chilis and curry leaves in oil and keep it aside. After the horse gram is cooked, mash it well. Add tamarind extract, salt, and sambar powder and bring it to a boil. Then, add the fried onion and tomato mixture to the cooked horse gram. Simmer for some time and then garnish with coriander leaves.
12.Bachali Kura
First, take Bachali Kura and wash it with cold water. Chop it into small pieces. Heat a pan and add oil. Put mustard seeds and cumin seeds, and let them splutter. Mix chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute. Drop in tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Now, add the chopped Bachali Kura and stir fry for a few minutes. Cover with lid once you add some water. Cook on low flame until the kura is tender.
13.Kodi Kura
First, heat oil on a pan. Add chopped onions and fry till golden. Then, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes till spices are smelly. Drop the chicken pieces and saute till they turn white. Then, add tomatoes and cook till soft and mushy. Add water and cover the pan. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes till the chicken is tender. Finally, top with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.
14.Bagara Baingan
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Drop mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds. Sauté till they splutter. Drop in chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Drop ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Add brinjals and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cover with a lid. Simmer till brinjals are tender. Add tamarind juice and jaggery, stir, and cook for two more minutes. Top up with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita and chapatis.
15.Royyala Iguru
Heat oil in a pan. Add diced onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and fry till mushy. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Stir well. Add clean prawns and mix well with the spices. Cook till prawns are done. Drop curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice or chapatis.
16.Tomato Pappu
First, heat some oil in a pan, then splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and red chilis. Add Kashmiri dal and water, then cook till the dal is soft. Add tomato, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook till tomatoes are mushy. Add ten green chillis, curry leaves, and coriander leaves. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
17.Gummadi Koora
Boil pumpkin until soft. Heat pan and add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and a pinch of hing. Add chopped pumpkin, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and stir fry for 5 minutes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes till the pumpkin is tender. Top with fresh coriander and serve hot with rice or roti.
18.Saggubiyyam Payasam
Soak the sago for about 30 minutes. Then, heat milk in a pan and add the soaked sago. Cook it until the sago turns transparent. In a separate pan, melt ghee and fry cashews and raisins until golden brown. Add this to the sago and milk mixture. Stir in sugar and cardamom powder. Let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Garnish with more fried cashews and raisins if desired.
19.Dondakaya Fry
Heat oil in a pan. Add dondakaya pieces and fry till they become crispy and golden. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and cumin seeds. Fry for another 5 minutes till the spices are coated well on the dondakaya. Squeeze some lemon juice and top with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or dal rice.
20.Kobbari Annam
Wash and boil baby potatoes. Heat oil and blend the peeled potatoes, turmeric powder, and a pinch of salt. Fry until golden brown. Blend three tablespoons of and blend cumin seeds to let them splutter. Blend chopped onions and sauté until golden brown. Blend ginger garlic paste, slit green chilies and diced tomatoes. Sauté until the tomatoes are soft. Blend coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Cook for a few minutes. Blend cashew paste and cook. Lower the heat and blend whisked yogurt. Blend the fried baby potatoes to the gravy and mix well. Crush Kasuri methi and blend it into the gravy.
