Alu palak majjige huli

Majjige huli is a traditional dish, a kind of sambar made without toor dal. Sour curds are used to get the sour tangy taste. It can be made using pumpkin and greens. More popular version is made using pumpkins or mangalore cucumber.

I once had this really different majjige  huli made from potato and palak (spinach). It tasted really good and the combination was awesome. I had been planning to make it at home since the day i had it, but somehow the time had not come.. One fine day when i almost ran out of veggies stock in my fridge, except potatoes i remembered i had to try this. I got a bunch of fresh palak leaves after dropping my son at school.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients: 

1. Potatoes 4-5
2. Palak leaves a bunch
3. Grated fresh coconut 1/2 cup
4. Jeera seeds 1tbsp
5. Ginger a little
6. Salt
7. Oil
8. Turmeric 1/2tsp
9. Coriander leaves a little
10. Green chillies 8-10 (depending upon their hotness)
11. Mustard seeds 1tsp
12. Dry red chillies 2nos
13. Chana dal 1.5 tbsp
14. Rice 1/2tbsp
15. Water
16. Sour curds 1 cup

Method:

1. Wash the palak thoroughly, chop them and keep aside. Cut the potatoes into cubes.
2. Soak the chana dal and rice for about 1/2 hour.
3. Cook the potatoes first, when half done add the palak (palak cooks early)
4. Grind coconut with ginger, green chillies, jeera seeds, coriander leaves, soaked chana dal, rice and turmeric powder to a fine paste. Make sure its not too watery.
5. Add this to the cooked alu and palak. Mix well.
6. Add salt and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.
7. Now add the sour curds, and a little water if its too thick, mix well.
8. Let it cook for about 4-5 minutes on low flame.
9. Make seasoning of mustard seeds and dry red chillies.
10. Serve hot with rice.. Tastes best when had with puliogare.

Bhindi (ladies finger) sambar

Bhindi (ladies finger) is a very popular veggie in India. very healthy as well. Its really good for everyone, kids, elders and especially diabetics.

My 3 year old has a vegetable rhymes dvd, in which this rhymes on ladies finger mentions "ladies finger, ladies finger slim and slender, soft and tender; ladies finger, ladies finger good for brain and memory power" very true i would say.. my little one loves ladies finger to the core..


This is a traditional sankethi style sambar, very tasty and will definitely tickle ur taste buds for sure..


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Ladies finger (fresh) 1/2kg
2. Toor dal 1/2 cup
3. Oil
4. Dhania seeds 1.5tbsp
5. Grated fresh coconut 1/2 cup
6. Coriander leaves a little
7.Curry leaves a few
8. Salt
9. Water
10. Dry red chillies 8-10
11. Rice 1tbsp
12. Mustard seeds 1tsp
13. Tamarind about a lemon's size


Method: 

1. Cook toor dal and keep aside.
2. Wash the ladies finger, wipe them clean and cut them.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of mustard seeds. Add the cut bhindi.
4. Fry/roast them well, stirring in between until the stickiness is gone.
5. Squeeze tamarind extract and the bhindi cook till tender. Add a little water.
6. Now grind coconut, dry red chillies, dhania seeds, rice and coriander leaves to a fine paste.
7. Add this to the cooked bhindi. Add toor dal, salt and boil for about 5 minutes.
8. Add water to required consistency.
9. Serve hot with rice/chapathi.

Drumstick, Onion and potato sambar

I just love eating drumsticks, and when it blends with onions and potatoes.. the sambar smells and tastes soooo good...

My father in law loves this very much and so does my co sister and hubby's granny, so i could not avoid myself from sending some for them when my father in law went back home in the morning after staying with us for 3 days..

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 5-6 people

Ingredients: 

1. Drum sticks 2 nos
2. Onions 3 nos
3. Potatoes 2 nos
4. Toor dal 1 cup
5. Fenugreek (methi seeds) 1/2tsp
6. Cinnamon stick 1 inch
7. Clove pods 2-3
8. Pepper corns 5-6
9. Dry red chillies 8-9
10. Chana dal 1tbsp
11. Urad dal 1/2tbsp
12. Dhania seeds 1tbsp
13. Tamarind about a lemons size
14. Salt
15. Ghee 1tbsp
16. Curry leaves
17. Oil 1tbsp
18. Mustard seeds 1tsp
19. Grated fresh coconut 1/2 cup


Method: 

1. Heat 1tbsp ghee and roast methi seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, pepper corns, chana dal, urad dal and dhania seeds till light brown. Also roast the dry red chillies and let them cool. 

2. Cook toor dal, keep aside. Soak the tamarind in a little water and keep aside. 

3. Once cooled grind the roasted ingredients with coconut to a fine paste, add water while grinding. 

4. Add the ground paste and cooked toor dal to cooked vegetables and boil for about 6-7 minutes. 

5. Add salt and squeeze tamarind juice into the boiling sambar. 

6. Add curry leaves and simmer. 

7. Heat oil in kadhai and make seasoning with mustard seeds and serve hot with rice...

Sabsige soppu (fresh Dill greens) kootu

Kootu, a dish little similar to sambar but another version of spices and dals used, is very good to have along with rice or even chapathi for that matter. Sabsige soppu (Fresh dill greens) is very beneficial for our health and as always its greens so which green is not good for health..


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Sabsige soppu 1 1/2 bunch
2. Toor dal 11/2 cup
3. Oil
4. Urad dal 11/2 handfuls
5. Jeera seeds 1 handful
6. Peppercorns 10-12
7. Dry red chillies 5-6
8. Water
9. Grated fresh coconut 1/2 cup
10. Grated dry coconut 1/2 cup
11. Mustard seeds
12. Ghee 1 tsp
13. Dhania seeds 2 handfuls
14. Tamarind extract about half lemon size
15. Salt


Method: 

1. Remove the leaves from branches of the greens and wash them thoroughly.
2. Now cut them medium fine and cook with a little water.
3. Cook toor dal in a cooker and keep it aside.
4. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a kadhai and roast urad dal till it turns light brown. Also roast the jeera seeds, dhania seeds and pepper corns until they splutter, add dry red chillies as well.
5. Once this is cool grind them along with fresh grated coconut and the dry coconut along with water and tamarind extract.
6. Add this grind paste to the cooked soppu and let it boil until the raw smell disappears. Add salt as well.
7. Add water to your required consistency. Once boiled make seasoning of mustard seeds and serve hot with rice/chapathi.

Doddapatre ( Coleus aromaticus ) thambuli

Refreshing and cooling, good for health and very very beneficial this recipe is an all time favorite at my house, especially my hubby.

You get the leaves of this plant at neighbourhood house or if u have the plant at your own house, even better, you can make it any time..

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Sour curd 1/2 litre
2. Doddapatre leaves about 30
3. Jeera seeds 2 tablespoon
4. Peppercorns 9-10
5. Green chilies 3-4
6. Oil 3 tsp
7. Grated fresh coconut 1 cup
8. Mustard seeds 1 tsp
9. Dry red chillies 2-3
10. Salt

Method:

1. Wash the leaves thoroughly and let them dry a little.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai and roast jeera seeds, peppercorns and also the leaves. Let them wilt a little.
3. Let it cool a bit. Now grind this along with fresh coconut adding very little water.
4. Poor this mixture to the sour curd as per your required consistency and salt, mix well.
5. Heat oil and make seasoning of mustard seeds and dry red chillies.


Tastes best when chilled and served with rice.

Pumpkin Sambar

Here's the traditional recipe for the age old home made sambar. This might be known to lots of people but still unknown to many of them, so just thought of sharing it.

I have used pumpkin for the vegetable here but you can substitute it with any vegetable of your choice or even make a mixed veg sambar.


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients:

1. Pumpkin 1 kg
2. Dhania seeds 8 tablespoons
3. Cinnamon stick 2 inches
4. Chana Dal 1 tablespoon
5. Dry red chilies 15nos
6. Clove pods 3
7. Water
8. Oil
9. Mustard seeds
10. Curry leaves
11. Fresh grated coconut 1 cup
12. Tamarind about a lemon's size
13. Salt


Method:

1. Cut the pumpkin into cubes (longer ones) and cook them till tender.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and roast dhania seeds, chana dal, cinnamon sticks, clove pods and dry red chillies.
3. Grind them to a fine paste along with coconut.
4. Add the grind paste and salt to the cooked vegetables and let it boil.
5. Now add the tamarind extract and let it boil for about 2 minutes.
6. Finally make a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves.



Tastes best with rice and could also be had with chapathi's.

Yummy and wholesome avial

After my brother in law's cooking the last weekend was my co-sisters chance to cook us something delicious and yummy from their traditional food. She being an iyer decided to make avial, yummy and wholesome. After shopping for almost all the vegetables available at the vegetable vendor she did buy some edible coconut oil which is one of the main ingredient for this delicacy. There are many versions of this dish but i present her version..

Preparation time (the most time consuming one): 45 minutes
Cooking time ( equally time consuming): 45 minutes
Serves: 7

Make sure you have all the patience in you before you start cutting the vegetables as the list goes on.

Ingredients:

1. Beans 1/4 kg
2. Carrots 1/4 kg
3. Sweet pumpkin 1/4 kg
4. Drumsticks 3
5. Potato 5 nos
6. Yam 1/4 kg
7. Pumpkin 1/4 kg
8. Chayote squash (seemebadanekai) 3 nos.
9. Salt
10. edible coconut oil 7-8 tablespoons
11. Sour curd 1/4 lts
12. Fresh grated coconut 4 cups
13. Green chillies 15-16 (depending upon the hotness)
14. Water
15. Mustard seeds
16. Curry leaves


Method:

1. Cut beans into medium size strips, and carrots and potatoes like how its cut for finger chips
2. Cut the pumpkin and sweet pumpkin into cubes, follow the same for the seemebadanekai.
3. Cut the yam in the same cube size. Break drumsticks into strips of about 5cms.
4. Now cook all the vegetables in water and make sure you dont make it too watery. In case you've added more water you can strain the water and use it later.
5. Grind the fresh coconut and green chillies to a paste and add it once the vegetables are tender.
6. Add salt and also the sour curds. The curd should be really sour since that's the only thing which provides sourness to the dish as we dont use tamarind.
7. Add water depending on the required consistency.
8. Now add the coconut oil and make seasoning with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Serve hot. Tastes best with dosa, chapathi and could be relished with rice as well.

Sweet pumpkin and capsicum curry (oorvatlu)

A very traditional Sankethi recipe, known as oorvatlu, this one's made on all festive days especially during sankranthi when avrekai (flat beans) season is in full swing.. Though in bangalore avrekai is available at all times of the year now i prefer to make it without them at this time of the year since the ones available now has no such taste compared to the ones available during the season. It can be relished with idli, dosa, chapathi but tastes best with rice.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 7

Ingredients:

1. Sweet pumpkin 500 gms
2. Capsicum 2
3. Dhania seeds 3 teaspoons
4. Mustard seeds 2 teaspoons
5. Jaggery 1/4 cup
6. Salt
7. Water
8. Coriander leaves
9. Fresh coconut 2 cups
10. Curry leaves
11. Dry red chillies 18-20

Method:

1. Cut sweet pumpkins into cubes and cook them till tender. Follow the same for capsicums as well.
2. In a mixer grind fresh coconut, coriander leaves, dhania seeds, 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds to a fine paste.
3. Once vegetables are cooked add the grind paste, salt and let it boil.
4. Add jaggery and let it boil.
5. Now make a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Serve hot.

Variation: This curry can also be made with beetroot and lady's finger. 

Gol gol unde saru

This one's for taste seeking tongues... A very traditional yet yummy dish to be enjoyed with rice.. Watched this on TV cookery show and decided at that moment that i will have to make it at home..

Ingredients:

1. Toor Dal
2. Chana Dal
3. Corriander leaves
4. Green chillies
5. Corriander seeds
6. Hing
7. Marathi moggu 2 pieces
8. Dry red chillies
9. Sambar powder
10. Oil
11. Cocunut
12. Salt
13. Cinnamon sticks
14. Jaggery
15. Tamarind


Method:

For the unde:

1. Soak toor dal and chana dal for about an hour.
2.  In a mixer jar add green chillies (vary them according to ur taste), coconut, hing, and grind them coarsely. Keep aside.
3. Now grind toor dal and chana dal again coarsely. (Dont use too much water for grinding. too much water would make the dals soggy)
4. Mix this to the ground mixture along with corriander leaves and salt.

5. Shape them vertically.
6. Steam them in cooker for about 25 minutes.


For the saru:

1. Cook toor dal with a little turmeric in a pressure cooker.
2. Once its done add the sambar powder and salt and let it boil until all the raw smell of the powder is gone.
3. Dry roast Marathi moggu, Cinnamon stick and corriander seeds and grind this along with a little coconut.
4. Add tamarind pulp, ground mixture and a little bit of jaggery and let it boil. Also add the corriander leaves.
5. Finally make a seasoning of mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.

Add the unde's to the saru before u serve.