Carrot Sambar

INGREDIENTS :

• Carrot – 2 nos
• Toor dal + Moong dal – 1 /2 cup
• Sambhar onion – 10 nos
• Sambhar powder – 1.5 tsp
• Tamarind – Small gooseberry size
• Asafetida / Hing – 2 pinches
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt & water – As needed.

To Temper :

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Tomato – 1 no
• Garlic flakes – 5 nos
• Curry leaves – A few

To  garnish :

• Coriander leaves

• Pressure cook dals , Sliced carrots  and half of the sambhar onions along with a pinch of turmeric powder and a drop of ghee.
• In a kadai temper the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
• Add the remaining sambhar onions, garlic flakes & curry leaves.Saute well.
• Then add the tomato pieces and saute till it turns mushy.
• Now add the sambhar powder and tamarind extract.Allow to boil till the onions gets cooked.
• Add the cooked & mashed dal and boil for sometime.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy with hot rice and karunai kizhangu masiyal :) !!

Spring onions Sambar

     Sambar is a lentil based dish popular in South India made of toor dal. Each state in South India prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment. Basically toor dal are cooked in pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt and water. After that vegetables, sambar powder, tamarind are cooked, lentils are added, allowed it to boil for sometime. Then cooked sambar are tempered with curry leaves, mustard and urad dal , finally garnish it with coriander leaves. Fresh curry or coriander leaves may be added at the very end to enhance the flavor. 

   This is a basic sambar recipe. You can use any vegetables to this sambar like carrot, brinjal, drumstick, radish, okra, mango or potato. Coming to this sambar recipe, addition of green onions or scallion are so flavorful and aromatic. Spring onion is a nutritious plant, and therefore it provides a host of health benefits to us. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals which aids in curing the various ailments. Try this flavorful and nutritive sambar for rice or idly or dosa.

 

Spring onions Sambar

 Ingredients

   Pressure Cook

   1/2 Cup of Toor Dal

   1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder

   1 Tsp of Oil

   1/2 Tsp of Salt

   Pinch of asafoetida

         2 Cups of Water 

   To Temper

   3 Tsp of Oil

   1 Red Chilly (Big)

   1/2 Tsp of Fenugreek

   1 Tsp of Mustard

   1 Tsp of Urad Dal

         Few Curry Leaves

         Pinch of Asafoetida 

   To Saute 

  

         1 Bunch [6]  of Green (Spring) Onion

         3 Small Onion (Shallots)

         1/4 Cup of Sliced Red Onion

         1 Large Tomato

         2 Green Chillies

         2 Tsp of Sambar Powder

   Other Ingredients

          Gooseberry size of Tamarind

          Handful of Coriander Leaves or Cilantro

          Water as needed 

   Salt to taste       

   Method

• It is used as an appetizer as it helps digestion.
• Prevents ovarian cancer.
• Allicin in this vegetable is good for the skin as it protects from skin wrinkling.
• It speeds up the level of blood circulation in the body.

• Wash and peel it, chop the small onions and spring onions tomato into small pieces, slit the green chilly lengthwise, and finely chop the coriander leaves.
• Soak the toor dal for 30 mins and wash it cold tap water.
• Soak tamarind in hot water, roughly 1 cup and squeeze out the juice. Keep this aside. 

    To Pressure Cook 

• Pressure cook the dal by adding 2 Cups of water, salt, turmeric, oil and asafoetida for 5 whistles. Turn off the stove. Keep this aside.

    Tempering and Sauteing 

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add all the ingredients under " To Temper "list, one by one. After mustard seeds crackles and urad dal changes color, add small onions, green onion both white and green part, sliced red onion and salt, saute this for 2 - 3 mins until it changes golden brown color.
• Add green chillies and tomato, fry this for 1 min.
• Add sambar powder, saute this for a min.
• Add tamarind juice and mix well. In a medium high flame, bring it to boil for 3 mins until raw smell of tamarind and sambar powder goes.
• Add the cooked dal, bring it to boil, add chopped coriander  and cover the pan with a lid and simmer it for 5 mins. 
• Finally add chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves and turn off the flame.
• Serve it with hot rice or any side dish of your choice.

   Tips

• Serve it with idly or dosa or rice.
• You can add any vegetable to this sambar to enhance the nutrition.
• Adjust the spicy taste according to your taste buds by increasing the amount of sambar powder or green chilly.
• You can add tempering either way that is before sauteing the veggies like I did or at the end.
• If you use ghee, sambar would be more flavorful and tasty.  

    Health Benefits of Sping Onion / Green Onions   

• Spring onion lowers the blood sugar level.
• Good source of vitamin A, B, C, k, minerals and flavanoid antioxidants.
• It is a support against gastrointestinal problems.
• It is often used as a medicine for common cold.

Asparagus Coconut Thoran and Beans Sambar

Asparagus Stirfry,Cauliflower Pepperfry, Potato Podimas,Beans sambar,Instant bonda

Asparagus is a vegetable with lots of nutritional and medicinal properties. As usual I started cooking with this vegetable with a thoran recipe. It turned out to be a delicious and nutritious side dish with rice.

White asparagus spears- 500 gms, cleaned

Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp or more

Green chillies- 3, slit lengthwise

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Salt- to taste

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- a sprig (optional)

Cut and discard the woody base and chop the asparagus heads into small pieces.

Crush the coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder and cumin seeds together to a coarse mix, either with your hands or with a pestle and mortar.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds. 

Add the coarse coconut mix and the curry leaves (if any) at this stage. Sauté for a few seconds on medium heat, but make sure you don't burn them.

Add the chopped asparagus heads and salt. Stir well, making sure the coconut mix and the asparagus is combined evenly.

Close the lid and cook on medium heat, stirring in between and if it sticks to the bottom, pour about a tsp water.

The thoran should be ready in about 12 to 15 minutes.

 

Beans Sambar Recipe:

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Dal (Wash and soak for about half an hour in water)
• Chopped beans.
• One lemon sized (medium) tamarind.
• 2 lemons sized (medium) jaggery.
• Turmeric powder
• Sambar powder
• Hing
• Salt (as per taste).
• Coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Method

Beans Sambar

• Cook the chopped beans and soaked dal with some water in the pressure cooker and keep aside.
• Now, to a bowl of warm water soak tamarind. After about 3-4 minutes, squeeze the tamarind and extract it. Remove all the hard non-dissolvable tamarind particles. So, now tamarind water is left.
• To a vessel, add tamarind water and jaggery and heat.
• When the tamarind water comes to boil state, add turmeric and all of the boiled beans and dal.
• Add hing and lower the flame and allow it for about 5 minutes.
• Then, add sambar powder and salt and boil some more.
• Finally add the coriander leaves and curry leaves for the added aroma.

Beans Sambar with the mixture of all possible tastes is done in the Udupi traditional way.

Potato Peas Fry(Aloo Matar) and Spring Onion Sambar

Potato Peas Fry(Aloo Matar)

Aloo Matar is a north Indian recipe. This can be prepared as stir fry and also as curry. This is my children’s favorite and I cook this very often. The liking for this started after seeing some cooking oil advertisement in TV (Aloo Matar Aur Bahut Saare Matar) some years back. Fresh green peas gives a lovely taste when cooked with potato.
Potato is known as Urulai Kizhangu in Tamil and as Aloo in Hindi. Green Peas is known as Pachai Pattani in Tamil and as Matar or Mutter in Hindi.
Cooking time: 25 minutes approximately

Ingredients

• Potato – 2 no
• Green peas – 1 cup
• Onion – 1 no
• Tomato – 1 no
• Green chilli – 1 no
• Red chilli powder – ½ tea spoon
• Coriander powder – 1 tea spoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon
• Cumin seeds – ½ tea spoon
• Curry/coriander leaves – few
• Salt – as per taste
• Oil – 2 tea spoon

  Method

  
  
• Chop potato, onion, tomato, green chilli and curry/coriander leaves.
• Heat a pan with oil; add cumin seeds and when cumin seeds splutter well, add chopped onion, curry leaves and green chilli; fry for few minutes.

• When onion is transparent, add chopped tomato and coriander leaves; fry for few seconds and then add green peas.

• Add all dry masala powders, mix well and fry for few seconds.

• When the peas are partially cooked, add chopped potato, ½ cup of water and salt; cover and cook in low flame till potato and onion are cooked soft (if needed sprinkle little water); fry for some more minutes till water evaporates to get a dry veggie.

• Serve hot with rice or chappati.

Tips

• Fresh green peas can also be replaced with frozen peas.

Mango Spring Onion Sambar,Aloo Matar with Rice and Papad

Spring Onions Sambhar:

Ingredients:

Green onion 1 large bunch
Mango 1 small size
Thuvar Dal 1 cup
Onion 1 large
Tomato 1 large
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Sambar Powder(home made) 1-2 spoons
Tamarind paste 1 spoon
Ghee or oil few spoons
Cilantro leaves to garnish.

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Ghee/ Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a pressure cooker, add thuvar dal + salt + few spoons of oil+ Mango. Pressure cook till tender. Maybe for 3-6 whistles. Set aside

In a large crock pot, heat ghee. Add onions and fry till it is translucent.

Then add tomatoes and fry till they wilt. Add salt, turmeric and chili powder to this. Fry for about 2 minutes.

Add cooked thuvar dal now. Bring this to boil. Add the chopped green onions plus tamarind paste and sambar powder and cilantro leaves. Cook briefly and remove from heat.

In a separate pan, heat oil and fry the tempering items. Tun this tempered spices over the sambar prepared.

Instant Bonda with Coconut chutney and Onion Sambar

Instant Bonda with Coconut chutney and Onion Sambar

 Ingredients:
Maida flour - 1 and 1/2 Cups
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sour Curd - 1 cup
Green chillies - 5
Soda salt - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Chopped ginger- 1/2 teaspoon

Instant Bonda with Coconut chutney and Onion Sambar

Chopped Onions - 1cup
Slited coconut pieces - 1 tablespoon
Salt - To taste
Oil - For Frying the bondas

Method:

• Mix the flours along with salt, soda salt and curd and leave it for 30 mins


• After half an hour, add chopped ginger, green chillies, cumin seeds and slit coconut pieces and mix well


• Heat the oil in the pan and test if the oil is ready for frying the bondas. Take small balls of dough and gently drop it in the oil 


• Fry the bondas till it becomes crisp in medium flame on both the sides


• Remove the fried bondas and place it in a plate having a tissue paper to drain the excess oil 


• The delicious Maida bonda is ready to serve

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Coconut chutney and Onion Sambar

This is one of the most ubiquitous side dishes, in all of south india. Idli, dosa or vada, any savoury snack is generally accompanied by coconut chutney. This popular accompaniment can also be readied in minutes.

  Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 1 servings

Ingredients

1 cup grated coconut
2 small green chillies , chopped
1 tsp grated ginger (adrak)
1 tbsp roasted chana dal (daria)
salt to taste

For The Tempering1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1 red chilli , broken into pieces
2 to 3 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tsp oil

Method

1. Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well.
3. Refrigerate and use as required.
   • Sambar onion – 15 to 20 Nos
   • Tomato – 1 No (medium size)
   • Green Chilli - 2
   • Thuvar dhal(Pigeon Peas) – 1 cup
   • Tamarind – small lemon size
   • Sambar Powder – 1 tablespoon
   • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
   • Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste
   • For seasoning:
   • 2 tablespoon oil
   • Half teaspoon mustard
   • A pinch of asafeotida powder
   • Few curry leaves
   • Fresh coriander leaves - few

Method:
Wash thuvar dhal and add two cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric powder and pressure cook till soft.
Soak tamarind in water and squeeze out the juice. It should be of 2 cups.
Peel the onion and keep it whole. Cut tomato into medium size pieces Slit the green chillies lengthwise.
In a kadai put the oil (preferably gingelly oil) and when it is hot add mustard. When it pops up add asafotida and whole onions, green chillies, curry leaves and fry till the onion looks glossy. Add tomatos pieces and fry for just one minute. Then add tamarind juice along with sambar powder, turmeric and salt. Cook on medium flame till it boils well. Then add the cooked dhal mashed. Stir and cook till all blends well and thick. Remove it and garnish wish fresh coriander leaves.

Hotel Sambar

Hotel Sambar

 Hotel Sambar is not something that I bought it from hotel ;) . I am fond of sambar that people at hotels serve for breakfast menu. My uncle worked in Saravana Bhavan for 3 years,when I was 3. I love Sambar Idli that he makes only because of the Sambar. Here is the recipe.

Preparation Time: 15min

Cooking Time: 15min  
Serves: 2    
Shelf life:-
Serving Suggestion: Serve with Idlis or Dosas.