Palakkad sambar

I belong to God's own country rich in vegetation & ofcourse fish yet neither am I fond of coconut nor fish !(yeah thats right I donot eat fish).Back at my grandmother's home every recipe called for a dash of coconut.I do like coconut but not too much.As far as fish is concerned I have some bad memories of eating fish good enough never to eat them again ;p But I love cooking fish though :).Most of the house holds in kerala have either idlli/dosa/Idiyappam/Kozhukatta/Appam for breakfast.Coconut chutney is a must accompainiment,so is varathuaracha sambar.Here's the traditional recipe which I learnt from my grandmother.
Traditional Varathuaracha Palakkad Sambar:


Ingredients:


Toor dhal-1& 1/2 cups
Whole corriander seeds-3 tbsp
Whole cumin seeds-3 tbsp
Dry red chilly-3-4
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp(divide this into 2 portions one will be used for frying the second portion for tempering)
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida-1/2 tsp
Sambar powder-2 tbsp I use MTR sambar powder
Tomato-1 big (preferably the regular one & not the hybrid one)chopped into 1" size
Shallots-6-7
Ladies finger-5{cut in 2" long}
Egg plant/Brinjal-2 diced {2" long}
Hyacinth beans/ Avarakkai-4-5{remove the strings from the sides}
Coconut flower-1/2 cup
Tumeric powder-1 tsp
Green chillies-2 slit horrizontallyFresh corriander leaves-1-2 sprigs(for garnish)
Tamarind pulp-1/2 cup(for this add a lemon-sized tamarind ball into 1&1/2 cups of hot water,squeeze out the pulp,filter & set aside)
Curry leaves-2 sprigs(for tempering)
Cooking Oil-2 tbsp(preferably coconut oil for autheticity of the recipe)
Ghee /clarified butter -1-1&1/2 tbsp
Salt-to taste



Method:

In a cooking pan/Skillet roast{fry without oil) corriander seeds,cumin seeds,dry red chillies,fenugreek seeds(one portion) & coconut flowers.Fry them till the seeds begin to change colour(brown).Remove it from fire & transfer it into a blender,you will have to grind this up after it cools down & set it aside.Another check test to know if it is time to remove  from the stove top is when you can smell the wonderful aroma of the spices.That is a speciality with Indian cooking,we use such aromatic spices to our cooking that just the aroma makes one hungry =D.

Ok,next to the same pan(that we used to roast the spices) add oil & fry the vegetables shallots.Remove it from the pan when it is semi-cooked(the shallots will turn translucent).Transfer the vegetables to a platter.Meanwhile cook the dhal,tomato & tumeric powder in a presure pan/cooker with 1&1/2 cups to 2 cups of water (enough to cover the dhal in the pressure pan).Let it cook well(say 4-5 whistles or abt 5-7 mins).Now add the fried vegetables,the ground spices.tamarind pulp,salt & sambar powder & cook till the vegetables are well cooked(not slushy though!)

In another skillet add ghee/clarified butter,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,curry leaves & asafoetida.when the mustard starts crakking/spluttering remove from fire & add it to the cooked dhal & vegetales.Give it a healthy stir.Check the taste.Garnish with chopped fresh corriander leaves.Serve hot with rice/dosa/idlli.Yes it takes a while(about 45 mins) but trust me once you cook this for your family they ill never let you cook sambar any other way !

Happy cooking,serving & eating folks !

Cheers,

Deepa 

NB:You will find another variation of sambar here .

Hi its one of those days for me when I am too lazy to cook yet not lazy enough to feed or eat.I am sure if not all atleast few of you do sail the same boat  every so now & then :) So what do you do when your cook does not turn up & you are no where in the mood to cook?? why because its such a lovely weather outside.Did I mention its raining here? its just awesome,prefect to cuddle up nd snore..oops! did I say snore (not  lady-like ;p) ok lets just say cuddle up & dream.
So here I am wondering what to make....quickly so that I can resume my rain gazzing.Well ofcourse it has to be the Dhal,simple yet a satisfying dish.So here we go...

The simple life saver - Dhal

Ingredients:
Toor dhal : 1/4 cup
Moong dhal : 1/4 cup
Tomato: 1,finely chopped
Onion:1/2,finely chopped
Green chilly:1,finely chopped
Corriander leaves:for garnish
Ginger- 1/2 inch,finely chopped
Garlic- 1-2 pods,finely chopped
Tumeric powder-1 tsp
Salt-to taste

For tempering:
Ghee/clarified butter:1 tbsp
Mustard seed:1 tsp
Curry leaves: handful
Red dry chilly-2
Asafetida/Hing: a pinch

For garnish:
Fresh corriander leaves

Method:
In a pressure cooker,add the cleaned-washed dals.Add 2 cups of water,tumeric powder,onion,tomato,green chilly,ginger and garlic.Close the pressure cooker & let the dhal cook throughly (say 5 whistles).Remove from fire & set aside to cool down.Meanwhile in a small wok add ghee,hing,mustard seeds,curry leaves & red dry chillies.When the mustard seeds starts spluttering add it to the cooked dhal.Add salt and let it simmer for 2 minutes.Garnish with freshly chopped corriander leaves.Best served with steamed rice or rotis.

We had dhal,spicy egg thokku(I will link up the recipe here later),rice,curd,pappad & pickle for lunch.Simple yet a satisfying meal.At times it is best to avoid the frills and keep it simple.What healthy meal do you  like to cook for your family when you are not in your best mood to cook? Do share your inputs here.Have an awesome day.

Cheers,
Deepa