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. 

Spicy Urad dal rice

Urad dal and spicy.. yes this recipe is a traditional one.. simply yum and easy to make as well.. Try this out for breakfast, lunch or even dinner..

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients:

1. Urad dal 7 teaspoons
2. Black pepper corns 3 teaspoons
3. Ghee
4. Oil
5. Curry leaves
6. Chana dal 1 teaspoon
7. Dry red chillies 3-4
8. Green chillies 5-6
9. Cashews 10-12
10. Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
11. Rice 2 cups
12. Dry coconut 1 cup
13. Water
14. Salt

Method:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a tawa and add the pepper corns and roast them till they splutter.
2. Now add the urad dal and roast till they turn light brown.
3. Add the dry red chillies and dry coconut as well.
4. Grind this into a coarse mixture without adding water.
5. Cook rice and make sure each grain is seperate. Let it cool slightly.
6. Again heat 2 teaspoons of ghee and 2 teaspoons of oil. Add seasoning of chana dal, urad dal, green chillies and curry leaves.
7. To this add peanuts and cashews as well.
8. Add this seasoning to the rice along with salt and mix well.

Serve hot.

Variation: You can fry urad dal appalam and break into pieces and add to the rice before you serve. Makes a yummy combination.

Pa Pa Pa... Pazzztaaaa

I just love saucy pasta.. who doesn't. This Italian delicacy is one yummy affair, but to make it at home could be one difficult affair.. but not anymore suggested my brother in law. You know the men at my house share equal interest in cooking. So he said he'll cook pasta for all of us this Saturday. He loved the one they served at Domino's and i loved the one they serve at Sweet Chariot Cafe.. It was his job to match both the tastes and cook for all of us.

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


Ingredients:

1. Store bought pasta shells 1 packet (costs about 99 rupees)
2. Olives  about 2-3 tablespoons (also available at stores, you can use it only if u like it)
3. Vinegar 4-5 tablespoons
4. Onions 3-4 finely chopped
5. Tomatoes 8-9 chopped (more tomatoes means more sauce)
6. Red chilli sauce 5-6 tablespoons
7. Tomato sauce 5-6 tablesppons
8. Water
9. Cheese (optional, you can also use butter)
10. Salt

Method:

1. Half cook the pasta as per instruction on the packet. Make sure it doesn't turn soggy in earlier stage only. Half cook it now and the rest in the sauce.
2. Heat cheese/butter in a saucepan and add onions. Saute till golden brown.
3. Add the vinegar and mix well.
4. Now add the tomatoes and a little bit of salt. Wait till tomatoes turn really tender and mash them. Add a little water and let it boil.
5. Mix in the half cooked pasta shells and add the red chilli sauce, tomato sauce.
6. Add in the remaining salt and cover it up and let it cook for a while.
7. If you feel its too bland you can add in red chilli powder (it becomes more Indianised, but who can eat a bland pasta).

Vary the additions of sauces to meet ur saucy requirements. Serve hot. Garnish with cheese if you love it.

5.