Sambar Powder

Sambar is an essential part of south Indian families as most our staple food is rice. I usually get it done by my mum and use as per her instructions whether its measurement or storage even without what was inside. But if we keep the masala for a long time within the shelf it will loose its aroma and flavours. So I decided to make it myself in small quantities whenever needed.

Not a tough job but a few things we should take note of before preparing the recipe.Which includes:

Buy fresh spices.

Check if there is insects or stones in the spices.

If possible, dry the spices under sunlight for a day or two before grinding.

This method yields about 300 gms of sambar powder and a shelf life for more than 6 months if stored in the fridge.

 

Sambar powder Cuisine: Indian (South Indian/Tamil) Category: Curry Seasoning powder/spice mix Serves: 300gms Prep time: 40min Cook time: 30 Mins Ingredients: 2.5  cups tightly packed dry Red chillies 1 cup coriander seeds ½ cup Channa Dal split ½ cup Toor Dal ½ cup urad dal ¼ cup peppercorns ½ cup fenugreek seeds ¼ cup turmeric powder/sticks 1 tbsp Hing/asafetida 1 tbsp jeera/cumin seeds Method: 1.Dry roast all the ingredients separately in a medium to low flame until you sense nice aroma and a slight colour change. 2. Be mindful when frying fenugreek seeds, if they are over roasted they give out a bitter taste in the powder. 3. If you are using turmeric powder no need to fry but if you are using turmeric sticks     then you should fry.I used powder. 4. Let them cool before grinding. You can mix them now and grind to a fine powder. We use a food processor at home so can't expect that finest texture as done at flour mills. So just try best to the closest fine texture. 5. Let the powder cool down. Store it in an airtight container.

Note:

Buy fresh spices.

Check if there is insects or stones in the spices.

If possible, dry the spices under sunlight for a day or two before grinding.

Chole Masala/Channa masala/Chickpeas Curry

After a hectic day of cleaning, I was about to make the same classical stereo type channa masala and chapati. I had soaked channa overnight (it's been soaking for almost a day and half) then thought of my daughter who was not able to eat her fav channa bhatura last week due to her sore throat L So I changed my plan to chole and poori. Usually, I don’t cook chickpeas in tea decoction as my daughter doesn’t like the color change of channa. Moreover, we can avoid the caffeine.

Some health facts of channa/chickpeas:

1 Assists in weight loss

2 Boosts energy and immunity

3 Stabilizes blood sugar levels

4 Regulates hormonal levels in women

5 Prevents anemia

6 Controls your blood pressure

7 Protects from digestive problems

8 Maintains a healthy heart

Cuisine: Indian (Rajasthani/Gujarati) Category: Side dish Serves: 3 Prep time: 8 hrs(Chickpeas soak time) Cook time: 30 Mins Ingredients to soak: 1 cup Chickpeas/channa Ingredients to grind: 1 large Onion 1 large Tomato 1tbsp Ginger 5 Garlic pods 1 green Chilli Ingredients to temper: 1tbsp oil 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera To garnish: 1 tbsp coriander leaves Other Ingredients: 1 tbsp tea powder 1 tbsp Kasuri methi 1 tbsp Chilli powder 1.5 tbsp Corriander powder 1 tbsp Chole masala powder(I used Everest brand) 1 tbsp Lemon juice Method: 1. Soak channa overnight. Pressure cook it with tea decoction and ample water for 4-5 whistles.(Or till it is cooked soft) 2. Meanwhile, grind the ingredients given for grinding. 3. Wait till all the pressure comes down from pressure cooker and drain the water from channa, keep it aside. 4. Heat oil in a wok and temper jeera. Once cumin is fried add the ground mixture and methi leaves followed by cooked channa, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, chole masala powder. 5. Add a cup of water to the gravy stir well and close the lid. Cook for about 10 mins until the gravy is thick or reaches desired consistency.Switch off flame. 6. Add lemon juice. Garnish with coriander leaves and a tbsp of ghee. Serve with poori/bhatura/roti/naan/bread/rice

Method in pictures:

Serve with poori/bhatura/roti/naan/bread/rice

Note:

You can avoid the tea decoction part, if so channa retains its natural color.  Soak channa for at least 8hrs so that you can reduce the cooking time and save nutrients in it. 

Varagarisi Pongal (Kodo Millet Pongal)

Lately, I have been experimenting about siru thaaniyangal(small grains) as there is a spree on healthy foods. To start with testing best choices are dosa and Pongal :D because they can never go wrong most of the times…I'm not a big fan of Pongal until I was introduced to hostel life. Basically, Pongal tasted good (maybe it’s the only thing that tasted good) in our canteen. Memories past how pig-headed I was... if my mum cooked Pongal I would make her pour dosas for me L Now every week once I cook it as my daughter loves Pongal and sambar J

Varagarisi Pongal(Kodo Millet Pongal) Cuisine: Indian style Category: Breakfast/Dinner Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 Mins Cook time: 20 Mins Ingredients: 1 cup Varagarisi(Kodo millet) ½ cup Moong dal(green gram split) ¼ cup Milk ½ tsp Hing/Asafetida ½ tsp Turmeric 3.5 Cups Water Salt as needed To temper: 1.5  tbsp Peppercorns or Pepper powder 1.5 tbsp Jeera/cumin seeds or powder 1 tbsp Finely chopped Ginger 1 Green Chilli 1 spring Curry leaves Cashews as needed Method: 1.Wash rice and dal. Pressure cook them with hing, salt, milk, turmeric and water for 4-5 whistles. 2. Meanwhile, temper the items given to temper. Adding in the order of cashews, ginger, pepper, jeera, green chilli and curry leaves. 3.Open the pressure cooker when all the pressure is released. Add the tempered ingredients to the cooked rice and dal. Mix thoroughly. Serve with ghee seasoned on top and sambar as a side dish.

Method in pictures:

Serve with ghee seasoned on top and sambar as a side dish.

Note:

If you open the cooker before all the pressure comes down it will be watery. If so, close the lid and cook again for a whistle and wait till the pressure comes down by itself and open. Always add more water than what you use to cook for plain rice. So that it retains moisture and softness for long hours.

Aval upma/Flattened rice Upma (Finger Millet/Raagi)

We stayed in Salem during my childhood. Those were pleasant days J our neighbour was Malayalee who taught my mum this recipe. Originally sundal(tempered legumes) and coconut chutney accompanies aval upma which is how I had it then. But here I have cooked it alone without any side dish. Simple quick less oily and healthy breakfast/dinner. You can also use the rice aval and cook it the same way with no changes. 

Aval upma/Flattened rice Upma (Finger Millet/Raagi) Cuisine: Indian(South) Category: Breakfast/Dinner Serves: 3 Prep time: 15 Mins Cook time: 10 Mins Ingredients: 1.5 cup Aval (thin type) 1 large Onion 3 Green chillies 1 tsp Turmeric powder Juice of a small sized and ripen Lemon Salt as needed To temper: 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Urad dal 1 tsp Channa dal 1 spring curry leaves To garnish: Few cashews fried in ghee Method: 1.Wash aval and drain it. Leave it aside for 5 minutes. Check a grain by biting it. If it’s soft then the texture is right, if chewy then sprinkle some more water and let it rest for 5 more minutes.(If the type of aval is thick then it needs more water and time to get soft ) 1.Heat oil in a wok and throw in the mustard. When mustard seeds start to splutter then add dals and fry till golden brown. Add curry leaves and chopped onions.Fry till onions are transparent. Sprinkle salt and turmeric saute for few seconds and switch off  the flame. 3. Stream in lemon juice and soaked aval. Mix well so that the aval completely blends with the seasoning and other ingredients. Garnish with cashews. Serve with sundal (tempered legumes) and coconut chutney.

Method in pictures:

 

 

Serve with sundal (tempered legumes) and coconut chutney.

Note:

Don't soak aval/rice flakes in abundant water otherwise, it will become mashed and battery. 

Vendakkai Pulikuzhambu (Okra/bhindi/ladies finger curry)

When it is puli kuzhambu(gravy with tamarind) I cook extra rice as our family loves to dive into the tangy spicy gravy.Best combination for this type of gravy is vadagam or kootu.This is a simple version of puli kuzhambu I cook during the hasty morninng schedules. Process might look longer in the words but when you cook its verrrry simpleJ

Vendakkai Pulikuzhambu(Okra/bhindi/ladies finger curry) Cuisine: Indian (south Indian/Tamil) Category: Side dish/gravy Serves: 4 Prep time: 25 Mins Cook time: 20 Mins Ingredients: 10 to 12 tender ladies finger 1 cup baby onions/shallots ½ cup garlic ½ tomato if big or 1 small tomato 3 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 tbsp sambar powder Salt as needed To soak: tamarind small lemon size tightly packed To grind: ½ cup coconut 1.5 tbsp sambar powder To temper: 1 tsp musturd seeds ½ tsp hing/asafetida 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds 1 spring curry leaves Method: 1. Soak tamarind in warm water for 20 mins. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes and ladies finger into small desired size pieces. Peel and slit onions, garlic. Grind coconut and sambar powder to a fine paste with little water as we need to add water at the end to adjust the gravy consistency. 2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok and add items to temper. Once the musturd seeds splutter add curry leaves, onion and garlic.On a medium flame when onions turn transparent add tomatoes and saute until its soft and saucy. Add now ladies finger and fry for lets say 6-7 mins.(You can fry the ladies finger alone in a tbsp of oil ahead and add it now, which gives extra flavour to the curry). 3. Squeeze and strain thick tamarind pulp. Add the pulp to the fried vegetable mixture and sprinkle turmeric powder and salt. Stream in 1 cup of water and give it a quick stir. Put lid on wok and let it simmer 5mins till the tamarind’s raw smell leaves. 4. Now add the ground paste to the gravy and stir well. Adjust the consistency of gravy by adding water but not too much. Check for salt. 5. If you see the gravy starts to bubble then switch off flame. 6. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil once you transfer the gravy to another vessel.

Method in pictures:

 

Serve with hot rice and applam/vadagam/kootu.

 Note :

Do not add more water to the gravy.

After you add the coconut paste do not over cook.

As we add tamarind the amount of tomatoes mentioned is enough for the gravy.

If you don't have sambar powder as alone then add chilli powder 1tbsp and coriander powder 2 tbsp.

Corn and capsicum fried rice

 Cooking full meals every day is not possible and whoever invented this fried hats off to him/her.My husband is not a fan of fried rice but me and dhee completely enjoy this simple and mild dish with sauce. She likes adding eggs in this recipe. As I ran out of basmati rice I cooked this dish with normal ponni rice. Texture and taste are same but the flavour is compromising.

Corn and capsicum fried rice Cuisine: Indian style Category: Lunch/Dinner Serves: 3 Prep time: 20 Mins Cook time: 15 Mins Ingredients: 1 cup Basmati rice 5 Garlic pods 1 cup sweet corn kernels 1/2 cup capsicum 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Pepper powder Salt as needed 2 tbsp Olive oil Method: 1.Pressure cook rice with water in the ratio of 1:1.5 for 3 whistles over medium flame. Transfer cooked rice to a plate and spread it to cool down. 2.Meanwhile, heat a wok and add olive oil. The wok should be really hot. 3.Add finely chopped garlic and fry for few seconds only or else it might turn brown and bitter. 4.Throw in corn and fry until it is cooked fluffy. 5.Now add capsicum and saute for a minute and turn heat down. 6.Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce and toss well. 7.Put in cooked rice and stir well over medium heat making sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.Switch off the flame.Serve hot with desired sauce.

Method in pictures:

 

Enjoy the dish simply with tomato sauce or Manchurian.

Note:

You can add some more olive oil at the end to give more fresh flavour.I don't like the after taste of vinegar so instead, I added lemon juice for a difference still it tasted good. 

Peanut chutney

Chutneys are life saviours on hectic mornings.I first tasted peanut chutney at my mother in law's place, from then I became a fan of this earthy nutty flavoured chutney. Everyone has their own version of this chutney in Andhra.

PeanutChutney Cuisine: Indian Category: Side Dish/chutney Serves: 3 Prep time: 10 Mins Ingredients: 1 cup roasted Peanuts 1/2" Ginger 1-2 Garlic pods 1 tsp Tamarind 1 1/2 tbsp shredded Coconut(optional) Salt as needed Few Coriander leaves To temper: 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp Urad dal 1 tsp channa dal 1 tsp Cumin/jeera 1 Red chilli 1 Spring Curry leaves Method: 1. Grind all the above-mentioned ingredients to a paste of desired texture (coarse or fine or runny) 2.Temper and Serve. Goes well with dosa or Idli

Peanut Chutney

Note:
Adding Coconut is optional. But if added retains softness longer in chutney.Peanut skins have an abundant amount of natural antioxidants and a high content of dietary fibre so I don't remove it if you don't like you can remove.

Kuthiraivaali Upma (Barnyard Millet upma)

These days we are travelling backwards regarding food choices for healthy options.I was sceptical about the taste of grains used on olden days before I tried some of them like kuthiraivaali and varagarisi. Now it became a significant part of our kitchen grocery. Thank god my daughter and hubby liked it as there was no compromise in the taste. 

Kuthiraivaali Upma (Barnyard Millet upma in rice cooker) Cuisine: Indian Category: Breakfast/Dinner Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 Mins Cook time: 20 Mins Ingredients: 1 cup Kuthiraivaali/Barnyard Millet 1 large onion  3-4 Green chillies 1" Ginger 1 Small carrot  1 tbsp shredded coconut 2 1/2 cups of water Salt as needed To temper: 2 tbsp Oil 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp channa dal 1 tsp jeera 1 tsp Hing/asafetida  Few Curry leaves Method: 1. Wash millet and set aside. 2. Heat oil a pressure pan and add tempering items. 3. Once the mustard splutters add curry leaves, chopped onions ginger and green chillies. 4. When the onions and other ingredients are roasted well add coconut and saute for 5 seconds. 5. Pour in water, add salt and let it boil. 6. Now add millet and give it a stir. 7. Close the lid and put pressure. Wait till one pressure out and switch off. 8. Five minutes later when all the pressure comes down, open the pressure cooker and add a tbsp of ghee stir well. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Method in Pictures:

   

Serve with your choice of chutney or sambar :)

Kuthiraivaali/Barnyard Millet upma

Note:
This upma becomes harder by time. If you want it little fluffy and not soft then reduce 1/2 cup water.