Mom-in-law's Arachavittu Sambar

My mom-in-law makes sambar every other day and it is almost the same each time. My hubby hogs when he gets his mom's sambar. Today, I decided to make my mom-in-law's version of sambar to go with Venn Pongal. I find it a rather tedious process but it is all worth it when your husband says "The sambar is delicious, it's the best dish on the plate".

Ingredients :
To grind :

1. 1/2 cup grated coconut
2. 4-5 sambar onions
3. 4-5 pods of garlic
4. 1/2 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
5. 4 whole red chillies
6. A large pinch of hing/asafoetida
7. 1/2 tsp coriander powder

For dal and veggie mix :

1. 1/2 cup toor dal 
2. 2 tbsp skinless masoor dal
3. Veggies - I used 2 carrots cut into bite sized pieces and 2 brinjals quartered. You could use ladies finger, white pumpkin or drumstick too
4. 1 potato (optional)
5. 1 medium onion chopped
6. 1 largish country tomato chopped
7. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
8. 1 tsp coconut oil
9. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
10. 1 sprig curry leaves
11. 2 slit green chillies
12. Salt to taste
13. Chopped coriander to garnish

How I made it :

1. Dry roast coconut, small sambar onion, garlic, methi seeds, whole red chillies, cumin seeds and hing. Add coriander seeds if you have. Else, add coriander powder in the end. This would take about 8 to 10 minutes with constant stirring to get a dark golden brown color on the coconut. 
2. Once the mixture cools, grind with enough water
3. Pressure cook the dal with turmeric for about 15 minutes on low flame.
4. In another pan, heat coconut oil.
5. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
6. Add curry leaves and split green chillies.
7. Add finely chopped onion.
8. When onion is  pink, add vegetables of your choice. I added carrot and brinjal.
9. When the veggies are half cooked, add chopped tomato.
10. Adjust salt and add the ground mixture. 
11. Add this to the dal and give one whistle on high.
12. When pressure releases, add chopped coriander.
13. Serve with rice or chapati or idli or dosa.

I served mine with Khara Pongal.

0

Veg Manchurian and Manchurian Sauce

The day has started off well with a perfect Sindhi breakfast and a perfect Chinese combo for lunch. We had vegetable fried rice with vegetable manchurian plus mushroom manchurian in sauce. You can find the recipe for the fried rice here.

We had eaten Chinese food the previous week at Shitake at Park Square Mall and were bitterly disappointed. Today, it feels like we ate "Chinese" food.

Ingredients :

1. Mixed vegetables like finely chopped carrots and french beans 
2. 1 cup maida
3. 2 tbsp cornflour
4. Salt to taste
5. 1 tsp red chilli powder
6. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
7. 1 tsp black pepper powder
8. Water - enough to make a thick dosa batter
9. Oil for deep frying

How I made it :

1. Mix together all ingredients from 1 to 7. 
2. Add water little by little till it resembles a thick pakoda batter.
3. Heat oil and fry tiny balls of this mixture. 
4. Serve hot. 

I had made the sauce below for the mushroom manchurian, which was reused for this.

Manchurian Sauce :

Ingredients :

1. 1 tsp cornflour mixed in 1/2 cup cold water - do not use hot water
2. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3. 1 tbsp oil
4. 5 spring onions - chopped, green and white separately
5. 2 finely chopped green chillies
6. 2 tbsp soya sauce
7. 1/4 cup Maggi Oriental Sauce - (optional)
8. 1/4 cup tomato ketchup - use 1/2 cup if not using the oriental sauce
9. 1/2 tsp black pepper powder

How I made it :

1. Heat oil in a pan. 
2. Fry the ginger garlic paste.
3. Add the white parts of the spring onion and fry for 3 minutes on low heat
4. Add the green chillies and black pepper
5. After a minute, add the soya sauce taking care to not let it burn. 
6. Add both the oriental as well as tomato ketchup.
7. Once it starts bubbling, put in the water containing dissolved cornflour. 
8. Once the sauce starts to thicken, turn off heat

Here is a picture of the mushroom manchurian in the sauce.

0

Maggi Exotica

I make this quite often with whatever veggies I have at hand. This time I had these exotic vegetables that I picked up during my visit to Ooty. I had to use up the veggies soon, before they began to rot as my hubby too had bought veggies from the store nearby. Coincidentally, Nags has put up a similar recipe.You can check out Nag's version of Maggi here.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1. 1 small sized red onion finely sliced
2. 1 small sized broccoli split into florets
3. 1/4 red cabbage chopped into fine strips
4. 1 carrot chopped into fine strips
5. 15 french beans chopped lengthwise
6. 8 cloves garlic chopped into small pieces
7. 1 inch ginger julienned - very fine thin strips
8. 1/2 tsp soya sauce
9. 1/2 tsp vinegar
10. 2 packets maggi with taste maker
11. 1/4 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp
12. Water to cook maggi
13. 2+2tbsp oil + 1 tbsp (optional)

How I made it :

1. Heat up water to immerse noodles. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 2tbsp oil. Boil for 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse noodles in cold water. You can pour an additional tablespoon of oil on top to ensure that they don't stick to each other. I usually put olive oil on the top.
2. In a wok, heat up 2tbsp oil.
3. Put in the ginger and garlic.
4. After 1 minute, put in the onions.
5. When the onion starts turning pink, add the vegetables.
6. When the veggies are more than half cooked, add the vinegar, soya sauce and taste maker.
7. Add 1/4 tsp salt. 
8. Turn off heat when the veggies are cooked to your liking. I like some crunch in the vegetables.
9. Mix in the noodles. Best done with two forks.

0

Mixed vegetable kurma

I've decided that at least for now, most of the posts on the blog will be recipes of those dishes that I have grown up eating. I would love to be known as a good cook just as my mom, aunt and cook Sushila. And what better way than to master their own recipes. I've mastered mom's naans and butter panneer. Now, here's the recipe of mixed vegetable kurma made by Sushila. It goes well with parathas, naans and steamed rice. At home we usually have it with rice.

Ingredients (serves 4) :

1. 1 medium sized potato - cut into small cubes
2. 2 medium carrots - cut into shapes similar in size to the potato
3. 15 french beans - cut into 1 inch pieces
4. 1 small sized red onion - chopped
5. 5 small sambar onion - chopped
6. 1 tbsp oil
7. 1/2 tsp garam masala
8. 1 large tomato, preferable country variety - chopped
9. 1 tsp mustard seeds
10. 1 big slit green chilly
11. 1/4 tsp methi fenugreek seeds
12. A pinch of kasuri methi
13. Salt to taste
14. To grind : 

1. 1/4 cup coconut
2. 6 whole red chillies
3. 1 tsp coriander powder
4. 6 cloves garlic
5. 1 inch piece ginger
6. 5 small sambar onions
7. 1/2 tsp khus khus

How I made it :

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add methi and mustard seeds. 
3. Add slit green chilly.
4. Add kasuri methi.
5. After a minute, add the onions - both small sambar onion and small red onion.
6. Fry till the onions start to brown.
7. Add the paste.
8. Fry on low for about 8 minutes.
9. Now add the chopped tomatoes.
10. Fry on low for another 5 minutes. 
11. Add garam masala. Adjust salt.
12. Put in the vegetables.
13. Pour enough water to just cover the entire mixture. Close cooker.
14. Give one whistle on high and one on low. 
15. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

We had it with naans

0