Murungakkai Sambhar (Drumstick Sambhar)

Ingredients:

Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas): 1 cup
Cooking oil: 3 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 1 (optional)
Tomato (chopped): 1
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Drumsticks according to taste
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Tamarind: 2 tsp.
Sambhar powder: 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds: 1 tsp.
Curry leaves: a few
Dried red chilli: 1
Coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

1. Wash and boil the toor dal with salt for 5-6 whistles or until the dal is soft. Let the pressure release by itself and then open the pressure cooker and mash the dal.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry until they are transparent. I learnt this recipe from a friend who told me no onions are added in this sambhar but I added it for flavor. So this step is optional.
3. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and the chopped drumsticks. Add the salt and fry for few minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
   
4. Add the red chilli powder, tamarind and sambhar powder and mix well. Let cook for another minute. The drumsticks will take more time to get tender so we will cook them more together with the dal.
5. So add this mixture to the boiled and mashed dal and add a cup of water. Let cook on medium flame for about 10-15 minutes so that the masala is incorporated and the drumsticks are also tender. Turn off the flame.
6. Prepare the tempering: Heat a tsp. oil and crackle the mustard and fenugreek seeds. Add curry leaves and red chilli and mix and fry for a bit.
7. Turn off the flame and add this tempering to the sambhar. Cover for 10 minutes. Open and stir well, serve piping hot with idlis, dosa etc.

Looking for more sambhar recipes? 

You can try this Hot and spicy sambhar and Parsley Parippu Rasam

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Parsley Parippu Rasam

Ingredients:

Toor dal: 2 cups
Parsley leaves: a handful
Garlic (chopped): 3 cloves
Peppercorns: 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Turmeric: 1 tsp.
Asafoetida: a pinch
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Curry leaves: a few
Coriander seeds: 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Onion (chopped): 1
Tomato (chopped): 2
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Sambhar masala: 1 tsp.
Tamarind paste: 2 tsp.

1. Wash and pressure cook the toor dal with salt and enough water and keep aside.
2. Grind together the following: parsley leaves, garlic, peppercorns, cumin seeds, green chilli, curry leaves and coriander seeds to a coarse paste and add turmeric and asafoetida to it and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the onions and let fry until they are transparent. 
4. Add the ground masala in step 2. and mix everything and fry for about 2-3 minutes. 
   
5. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. 
   
6. Add red chilli powder and sambhar masala. Add the tamarind and mix everything well and let cook for another 2 minutes. 
7. Add this masala to the boiled dal and add 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil on medium-high flame. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes to get the desired consistency and turn off the flame. Serve with idlis or dosa.

Recipe credit: Crackle and Temper (Parvathy V. Nair)

Original recipe link: https://crackleandtemper.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/parsley-parippu-rasam/

Sambhar Poha

Sambhar poha? Wondering what exactly is it? Well, even I was. I had never heard the name of this dish anywhere, let alone taste it. Yes, I do love sambhar with idlis, yes I do make various kinds of poha, but well, this recipe is a fusion of both.

How did it come into existence? I was talking to a dear friend one fine day and in the middle of the conversation she told me her daughter loves to eat "Sambhar Poha". What? Then she told me as her daughter loved the taste of sambhar and it was difficult for her to prepare idlis every time, she discovered this method of preparing this healthy Sambhar Poha..

I have no kids but I wanted to go ahead and try this recipe, and I totally loved it. It was a new addition to my poha collection. (Here's my poha collection: Poha Recipes). I skipped on to the veggies, you can skip or add as many veggies as you wish to.

Ingredients:

Poha (flattened rice): 3 cups
Cooking oil: 5 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Curry leaves: a few
Dried red chilli: 1
Onion (chopped): 1
Tomato (chopped): 1
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Potatoes (boiled): 1
Carrot (boiled): 1
Peas (boiled): a handful
Drumstick (optional)
Bottle Gourd (optional): chopped and boiled
French beans: a few (boiled)
Sambhar powder: 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp.

1. Run the poha under water in a colander so all the poha are wet uniformly and keep aside.
2. Boil all the vegetables separately and keep aside. I use frozen peas so I don't need to boil them, I add directly. Also I fry the potatoes instead of boiling. This is optional.
3. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves, peanuts (optional) and red chilli. 
4. Add the onions, let the onions cook and become transparent. Don't let them brown.
5. Add the potatoes (if you want to fry the potatoes instead of boiling, tastes better but takes little more time) and sprinkle salt. Let cook until the potatoes are done. This step is optional.
6. Add the tomato, green chilli and peas (if using frozen peas) and sprinkle salt (do not add salt if already added in step 4). Let cook until the tomatoes are soft. 
7. Add the chopped and boiled veggies and toss well into the masala. Add the sambhar masala and tamarind. Mix everything well so that all the veggies are coated in the masala and let cook for few minutes.
8. Add the poha and mix everything well. Let cook for another minute and turn off the flame. Sprinkle lemon juice (optional) and serve healthy dish. 

Coconut Chutney: Restaurant style

I have been making coconut chutney a lot, to accompany all my South Indian dishes. This is my dairy-free recipe of making coconut chutney. Coconut Chutney without yoghurt. Recently when I visited some south Indian friends, they gave me their recipe which I tried out, and never went back to the way I was doing before.. Okay, no.. that's also what I like a lot and I have only made with this recipe twice, it sure did gave a wonderful and different taste.

Ingredients:

Roasted Bengal gram: 6 tsp.
Coconut broken in pieces: 1 cup
Yoghurt: 1/4 cup
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Coriander leaves: 1/2 bunch
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Cooking oil: 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Asafoetida: 1 pinch
Curry leaves: a few
Dried red chilli: 1

1. Add the coconut, yoghurt, Bengal gram, Green chilli, coriander leaves, salt and tamarind to the mixer. Add little water if required and grind it to a very smooth paste. Take out in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilli. Cook for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
3. Pour this mixture over the chutney and serve !!

Mint Coriander Idli

The very same way I made the batter for Rawa Idli (5-minute Microwave recipe), and the same time taken to cook; adding chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and a pinch of asafoetida to the batter when letting it stand, brings out a wonderful and very different taste to the regular style of idli.

Spicy Idli

Not so easy and versatile like the 5- minute Rawa Idli, but this one has different ingredients; and a different dimension. Also, not really as melt-in the mouth kind of thing, but then.. tastes wonderfully different because the semolina used is dry roasted with spices which impart a wonderful taste and aroma to the whole dish. Mild spicy, also the spices can be added or subtracted as per taste. I was also planning to add asafoetida and dried red chiilis to the dry roast, but was not feeling experimental enough, hence this, and served with Hot and Spicy Sambhar and Coconut Chutney

Semolina 1 cup Chana dal 4 teaspoons Mustard seeds 2 teaspoons Curry leaves A few Salt to taste Red chilli powder to taste Eno Fruit salt 1 teaspoon Oil (For brushing)


Dry roast the chana dal on medium flame for about 7-8 minutes, until it starts becoming golden and releases aroma. Remove from heat and keep aside. Dry roast the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the semolina and dry roast everything together. Remove from  heat and let cool. Mix the dal in and add salt and red chilli. Mix well and add water to make a thick paste. Do not add a lot of water. Keep aside for 20 minutes. Add Eno fruit salt and mix well. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Also a mixture of baking soda+baking powder can be used in place of eno (half-half). Lightly grease the plates of the idli stand and fill them up. Add water to the base and cover the stand. Microwave for 5 minutes. Remove from the steam and serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney.

Rawa Idli (5- Minute Microwave Recipe)

After so many efforts in trying to make the perfect semolina (sooji) idli, finally I followed the recipe which my mom uses and it was a wonderful success. Idli has always been my personal favourite since as long as I remember.. I serve it with Hot and Spicy Sambhar and Coconut Chutney.

I also always save some for the next day to make fried idli and savour it with the Chutney as breakfast.

Ingredients:

Semolina (Sooji): 2 cups
Beaten yogurt: 1 cup
Eno (fruit salt): 2 tsp. (A 50-50 mix of baking soda+baking powder can be used alternatively)
Oil for brushing

1. Mix the semolina with the yogurt to make it to a paste. It  should neither be too thick nor too runny. Add little water if required. Set aside for an hour.
2. Add the eno (fruit salt) and mix well. The mixture will start to ferment. Leave for 2-3 minutes. You can use a 50-50 combination of baking soda+baking powder in place of eno.)
3. Mix the batter lightly but not vigorously. 
4. Brush the idli stand lightly with oil and fill it up with the batter. Don't fill it up completely because the idlis will expand. Fill them about half.
5. Fill water in the base and cover. Microwave for 5 minutes on normal. Remove lid carefully (because of the steam) and let the idlis cool on the stand itself. You can separate all the plates from the stand and keep aside.
6. After 5 minutes, remove carefully from the plates and serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney.

Hot and Spicy Sambhar

Enjoy this with wonderful and easy 5- Minute Microwave Idli and a flavourful Coconut Chutney

Toor Dal (Arhar) 1 Cup Bottle gourd (chopped) 1/2 cup Carrots (chopped) 1/4 cup Drumsticks (chopped) 1/4 cup Oil 4 Teaspoons Small Onion (chopped) 1 Asafoetida 1 Pinch Mustard seeds 1 Tablespoon Curry leaves A few Turmeric powder 1/2 Teaspoon Tomato (big: chopped) 1 Green chilli (chopped) 1 number Sambhar powder 2 Teaspoons Red chilli powder 1 Teaspoon Tamarind pulp 2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Boil toor dal with 3 cups of water, (with bottle guard, carrots and drumsticks, finely chopped in pieces: optional) with 1 tsp. oil and a little salt and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Boil to 6-7 whistles (depending upon the pressure cooker). Take little oil (2-3 tsps.) in a shallow frying pan and heat it on medium flame. When hot, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafoetida and curry leaves. Let them splutter for 10 seconds. Add chopped onions and fry them until they are transparent. Don't let them brown. Add chopped tomatoes and let it cook for about a minute. Add sambhar powder, tamarind pulp, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste (remember the salt already used in boiling the dal with vegetables: it will be added in the complete dish). Cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the boiled dal with vegetables to the pan with the water (if not all, you can put a little of it, mix thoroughly, and then transfer it all to the cooker). Add 2-3 cups water to the complete mixture, mix well, and boil it on medium flame for about 10 minutes. The consistency of sambhar must be a lot thinner than dal. So add water accordingly. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with idlis, dosa or uttpam.

Coconut Chutney..

The day I discovered this amazing chutney was the day my love for south Indian dishes increased manifold.

Shredded coconut 1 Cup Chana dal 4 Tablespoons Urad dal (white) 2 Tablespoons Green chilli (chopped) 1 Ginger (chopped) Slice 1 Dry red chillies 2 Curry leaves 10 Coriander leaves 1 Sprig Salt To Taste Tamarind To Taste Mustard seeds 1/2 Teaspoon Cooking oil 2 Tablespoons Asafoetida 1 Pinch Red chilli powder 1/4 Teaspoon



Dry roast the chana dal on medium heat until it changes color and gives out a wonderful aroma. Transfer it to a bowl with little water and keep aside. Next, dry roast the coconuts till they start becoming brown in color and give out an amazing aroma. Keep them aside to cool. Then dry roast ginger and green chilli until they start to caramelize. Keep them aside. Then add coriander leaves with the stems to the dry pan and fry till it wilts. Remove from heat. Add coconut, ginger and green chilli, tamarind and salt to the mixer. Drain the water from chana dal and add dal to the mixer. Add some water and grind it to make a blend. Take out the mixture in a big bowl. Keep aside. Heat the shallow pan on medium heat and add oil. Let it heat and then add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Add curry leaves and let it cook for about a minute. Next, add asafoetida and dry red chillis. Fry them for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add red chilli powder. Mix well and immediately pour this tempering over the coconut mix. Serve with hot idlis, dosa, upma, uttpam etc. It can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.