Gongura Pappu | Sorrel Leaves Dal | Gongura Recipes

I am sure everyone would have celebrated Diwali nicely and enjoyed it with lots of fun and food. I had to pull myself to post this recipe especially after a along weekend.

Gongura leaves are called 'Sorrel leaves' in English and 'Khatta Bhaji' in Hindi and 'Ambaadi' in Maharastra.Gongura leaves(Sorrel leaves) is used extensively in Andhra to prepare various recipes like Gongura Pickle, Pacchadi, Pappu(Dal),Rice and gravies.I have posted few recipes with Gongura earlier and I am yet to post the most popular recipe - Gongura Pacchadi which I promise to post it in near future.I had earlier posted a recipe of Gongura Pulusu Kura which is a stewed version of Gongura and Chana dal which is quite tangy and goes well with rice and today I am posting a simple yet delicious dal recipe with Gongura,which is again a popular recipe in Andhra cuisine.

Check out other recipes with Gongura.

• Gongura Pulihora
• Gongura Pulusu Kura
• Noone Gongura

Gongura Pappu :

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: Andhra - Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor dal(Kandipappu)

1 medium bunch Sorrel leaves/Gongura or 5-6 cups loosely packed

1 large Onion,cut into big chunks

5-6 Green chillies,slit

3-4 Garlic pods

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

to temper:

1 tbsp Ghee/Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Red chillies

10-12 Curry leaves

2-3 garlic pods,slightly crushed

a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Wash and chop Gongura and keep it aside.
• In a kadai/pan heat oil and add green chillies, garlic pods and fry for half  a minute and then add onion chunks and saute for 2 minutes until they turn translucent.
• Add Gongura leaves and fry again for 4-5 mins until the leaves wither and become slightly mushy.
• Wash toor dal twice and add enough water and turmeric powder to it.
• Pressure cook toor dal and gongura leaves mixture in separate containers of the pressure cook for 3-4 whistles until the dal turns soft.
• Once the pressure drops remove extra water from cooked toor dal and mash the toor dal with a pappu gutti(wooden masher) to a smooth paste.
• Slightly smash the gongura mixture if you want your dal smooth or leave it as it is.
• In a kadai heat ghee/oil and crackle mustard seeds and add red chillies and crushed garlic pods and fry until it turns slight red in color.Add curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for half a minute.
• Add cooked and slightly mashed gongura mixture and cook for a minute.
• Add mashed toor dal to it and add enough reserved water(from dal) and salt and mix nicely and cook for 4-5 mins.

Serve it hot with hot steamed rice,ghee and papad/fryums.

Notes:

1. You can even add onions while tempering or cook along with gongura.
2. Sometimes the dal does not get cooked if cooked along with gongura because of the sourness of those leaves, hence cooking them separately is recommended.
   While boiling add water according to your desired consistency - add less water for thicker dal and more water for slightly running dal and boil accordingly.Also the dal thickens once its kept for long at room temperature.
3. The red sorrel leaves are slightly tangy,so tamarind is not need.But if you are using white sorrel leaves add 1-2 tbsp tamarind pulp at the end while boiling the dal.
4. Garlic adds a nice flavor,hence do not skip it.

Technorati Tags: gongura pappu, gongura dal, andhra pappu recipes ,dal recipes ,south indian, andhra recipes ,sorrel leaves recipes

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Mukkala Pulusu | Kadambam Pulusu | Dappalam

'Mukkalu' in Telugu literally means 'Pieces' and 'Pulusu' means 'Stew'. In Mukkala Pulusu, we use various vegetables which are chopped into big chunks, cooked in tamarind extract and spiced up slightly.It is usually paired with Mudda pappu(mashed plain toor dal) and papds/fryums which is the ideal combination.While a few add some rice flour mixed in water to thicken this pulusu, I usually prefer to add some toor dal as it not only thickens the pulusu, it also adds to the taste.

Usually Pulusu would be prepared with a combination of leftover vegetables but I usually buy various vegetables in small quantities to prepare this pulusu.I love this dish very much and hence I prepare it more often than I prepare sambar.

Though the ingredients that we add in Pulusu and sambar are similar,the taste of pulusu is totally different from Sambar.We add less quantity of toor dal and more vegetables in pulusu unlike Sambar where we add more quantity of toor dal and less vegetables. Pulusu is very tangy,spicy and slightly sweet compared to sambar.

Mukkala Pulusu | Andhra Style Mixed Vegetable Stew Recipe:

(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Toor dal

1 very big lemon sized Tamarind

2 tbsp grated Jaggery

1 1/2 tbsp Sambar powder or 1 tsp Red chili powder

5-6 Curry leaves

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Vegetables:

1 Drumstick,cut into 1 1/2" pieces

7-8 Pumpkin pieces of 1" cubes

7-8 Bottle gourd pieces of 1" cubes

1 Carrot,cut into big chunks

1 small Sweet Potato,cut into big chunks

5-6 French Beans,cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1 Onion,cut into 8 quarters

1 Tomato,cut into 8 quarters

2 light colored Green chillies,slit

(other optional vegetables - potatoes,brinjal,ladies finger,raw papaya,winter melon)

to temper:

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Red chillies

a sprig of Curry leaves

a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Pressure cook toor dal for 3 whistles until done.Mash the toor dal nicely and keep it aside.
• Soak tamarind in water for 10-15 mins and remove tamarind pulp and keep it aside.Add 1 cup of water to it.
• Add chopped vegetables(chop the vegetables in big chunks),slit green chillies,onions,tomatoes,few curry leaves to the tamarind pulp and add salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook for one whistle.
• After the pressure drops down add cooked dal to the boiled vegetables and add grated jaggery,salt and sambar powder(or red chili powder) and cook for few more minutes until you get the required consistency..The consistency should neither be very thick nor very thin.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a small tadka pan and crackle mustard seeds,red chillies,curry leaves and asafoetida and fry well and add this to the boiling Pulusu(stew).

Serve it hot with rice and papad/Curd chili/fryums.You can serve it with cooked and mashed toor dal(mudda pappu).

Notes:

1. I usually add vegetables like drumsticks,pumpkin,bottlegourd,beans,carrot,sweet potato which I strongly recommend to use them as they impart a nice flavor to the stew.But you can add other vegetables like brinjal,ladies finger,winter melon,potatoes too in the recipe.If you are using ladies finger I would suggest to saute them in oil before you boil it with other vegetables.
2. Few do not add toor dal in the recipe,in that case you can thicken then pulusu/stew with a tbsp of rice flour(which is mixed in water) and boil it along with pulusu until you get desired consistency.But I always prefer to add the dal to thicken instead of rice flour mixture.It is your wish,but do not add more amount of toor dal as it will change the taste of it.
3. We use more amount of tamarind pulp in the recipe,so adjust the jaggery and salt according to your taste buds.
4. You can add red chili powder or sambar powder or a mix of both in the recipe.
5. Always cut vegetables into big chunks for this pulusu.

 

Technorati Tags: mukkala pulusu, dappalam recipe, mixed vegetable stew, andhra dappalam, kadambam pulusu, south indian recipes, andhra style pulusu, mixed vegetable pulusu

 

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Five Taste Uthappam | Uthappam Toppings ideas

'Uthappam' or 'Oothappam' or 'Utappa' is a thick dosa and is usually prepared with various toppings of vegetables like tomatoes,onions,carrots etc.If I go to any joint for breakfast,my typical order constitutes Masala Dosa or Set dosa unless something else impresses me in their menu. I don't usually order Uthappam when I go out as I prefer eating it at home-don't know why!!

Onion Uthappam is the most famous among all other Uthappam varieties and is also my personal favorite.I usually love to add generous amounts of finely chopped onions,green chillies and coriander and sprinkle lots of Milagai podi over it and roast with a double dose of ghee-it tastes really delicious. Today I am posting various toppings options for Uthappam which might be colorful and a perfect way to feed those fussy kids.
The batter for uthappam is bit different from the regular batter and it makes a soft and fluffy uthappam.You can be creative with the toppings and use the same batter for any kind of uthappam.
Check out another interesting version of Uthappam - Masala Uthappam, a version from Khao gallis of Mumbai.

Five Taste Uthappam Recipe: 

Ingredients:

for Uthappam Batter:

2 cups Raw rice(sona masuri or similar)

2 cups Idli Rice or Par boiled rice

1 cup whole white Urad dal

1/4 cup Toor dal

1/4 cup Chana dal

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
a pinch of cooking soda

Salt to taste 

Oil/Ghee, to roast utappams

for toppings:
1 small Tomato,seeded and chopped fine
1 Onion, finely chopped or Shallots,sliced
1 small Carrot,grated
1 green Chili,finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped mixed bell peppers
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
2 tbsp Idli Milagai podi,to sprinkle

 

Method:

to make dosa batter:

• Wash and soak raw rice,idli rice(or par boiled rice), urad dal, toor dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds together in water for  4-5 hrs.
• Grind all the ingredients in the wet grinder to a fine batter by adding water at regular intervals.The batter should be like regular dosa batter consistency.
• Add required amount of salt at the end of grinding and mix well.
• Allow the batter to ferment for 12-14 hrs.

to make Uthappam:

• The dosa batter should be at room temperature.Mix in a pinch of cooking soda and mix well.
• Pour a small ladle of batter(do not spread) of 2-3" inch size on a hot tawa,you can prepare 2-3 at a time based on your tawa size
• You can sprinkle various toppings like grated carrots on the first one,chopped tomatoes on the second,finely chopped onions(or shallots) + finely chopped green chillies on the third one, chopped coriander leaves + Idli Podi on the fourth one, chopped bell peppers on the fifth one.Pour a tsp of oil/ghee generously over the mixture and also pour the oil from the sides and cover with a lid and cook it on medium flame for a minute or two and remove the lid..
• Increase the flame to high and cook until you can see the golden brown crust formation.
• Now turn the dosa to the other side and fry for a minute.

Serve it hot right out from the pan with coconut chutney and Sambar.If you want you can sprinkle milagai podi or kaarapodi over the hot uthappams before serving.Check out other side dishes for Idli/dosa here.

The options for Uthappam toppings are endless.I am sharing you many more options here:

1. a mix of chopped onions + grated carrots + chopped coriander + chopped green chillies
2. Potato Masala .check the link for a detailed post.
3. slices of tomatoes instead of chopped tomatoes
4. grated Cheese + chopped coriander + chopped green chillies - do not turn this utappam,roast it only on one side.
5. finely chopped onions + generous sprinkle of Idli Milagai podi
6. finely chopped onion + chopped tomatoes + chopped green chili + grated cheese - it is called Pizza Utappam.Do not turn this utappam,roast it only on one side.
7. thinly sliced Mushrooms sauteed in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

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Chettinad Cauliflower Masala Dosa Recipe | Dosa Recipes

After a long time I am posting a DOSA recipe in my blog.Many of you know my love for Dosa as I have mentioned in many posts about my views/tips on preparing a wonderful Dosa .Hence I would not get into the technical details of  Dosa again and bore you guys.

Coming to today's Dosa recipe, I have never tried Cauliflower dosa in any restaurant and also I  am also not aware of any particular Chettinad style preparation for this dosa. A few recipes that catch my attention haunt me until I try it. This is one such recipe, which I saw at Anu's space and I had the huge urge for few months to prepare and finally prepared it a few months back and loved it too.This time I wanted to share it with my readers and hence I made it again to share it in my space.

This dosa tastes different and is a good change from the regular Masala Dosa because of its spicy cauliflower filling.What attracted me the most was the mashed version of cauliflower in the filling.Though I am not sure of the authenticity of the chettinadu style preparation, I have adapted the filling recipe from her blog and modified it to as per my requirements.The batter which I am mentioning here can be used to make any dosa like plain dosa, utappam or Masala dosa,it works wonders!!
Check out other must try Dosa recipes in my blog.

1. Atukula Dosa/Sponge Dosa 
2. Davanagere Benne Dosa 
3. Erra Kaaram Dosa...from Rayalaseema 
4. MLA Pesarattu / Upma Pesarattu 
5. Paper Thin Rava Dosa..Hotel Style
6. Mysore Masala Dosa
7. Pav Bhaji Dosa
8. Vegetable Dosa

 

Chettinadu style Cauliflower Masala Dosa:

Ingredients:

for Batter:

2 cups Raw rice

2 cups Idli Rice or Par boiled rice

1 cup whole white Urad dal

1/4 cup Toor dal

1/4 cup Chana dal

1/4 cup Flattened rice(Poha)

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste 

Oil/Ghee, to roast dosas

to mix in batter before making dosas:

2 tbsp chiroti Rava

1 tbsp Sugar

a pinch of Cooking Soda

for Cauliflower Masala:

2 cups Cauliflower florets

1 big Onion,finely chopped

1 big Tomato,chopped

5-6 Garlic pods,peeled

1/2" Ginger,finely chopped

1 Green chilli,finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1/2 tsp Rasam powder

1/2 tsp Sambar powder

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 Red chillies,broken

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt to taste

to grind:

2 tbsp fresh grated Coconut

2 tsp Poppy seeds,soaked in water

1/2 tsp Saunf 

5-6 Pepper corns

Method:

to make dosa batter:

Wash and soak raw rice,idli rice(or par boiled rice), urad dal, toor dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds together in water for  4-5 hrs.

Soak flattened rice(poha) for 1/2 hr.

Grind all the ingredients in the wet grinder to a fine batter by adding water at regular intervals.

Add required amount of salt at the end of grinding and mix well.

Allow the batter to ferment for 12-14 hrs.

On the day of preparing dosa take out the required amount of dosa batter into a vessel and add chiroti rava and sugar to it and mix well and let it keep for an hour.

to make Cauliflower masala:

• Clean and wash the cauliflower florets and soak them in salted hot water for 10-15 mins.Drain them and chop them finely.
• Heat oil in a kadai/pan and crackle mustard seeds and add broken red chillies and curry leaves fry until they wilt.
• Add garlic pods,chopped ginger and green chili and fry for a minute.Now add finely chopped onions and fry until they become translucent.
• Add chopped cauliflower florets and fry well for 2-3 mins and add chopped tomatoes to it and fry for 3-4 mins.Cover it and cook until the tomatoes turns mushy and cauliflower is cooked.
• Grind grated coconut with poppy seeds,pepper corns and saunf to a fine paste.Add little water if required for grinding.
• Add rasam powder,sambar powder,red chili powder,turmeric powder and salt to the cauliflower mixture and mash it nicely with a masher.It is your choice to keep the texture how ever you want.I mashed it completely like a spread,if you want you keep it chunky too.
• Add the ground coconut mixture to it and let it cook for 3-4 mins until the raw smell disappears.You should keep the consistency of this very thick as we will apply this inside the dosa.
• Switch it off and let it come to room temperature.Add chopped coriander leaves to it and mix and keep it ready.

to make Cauliflower Masala Dosa:

• Make the tawa ready for making dosa,keep the stove on medium flame and pour a ladle full of batter in the middle of the pan and spread in a circular motion to form a 9 " dosa and pour some oil/ghee (1 tbsp roughly) all over the edges and in the center cover it with a lid.
• After it is roasted for a minute remove the lid and smear the cauliflower mixture(approx 3-4 tbsp) all over the dosa.
• Keep the flame on HIGH and let it roast for another minute until it turns golden brown and crispy.
• Fold it into half and serve.

Serve it with Coconut chutney and Sambar. Check out other side dishes for Idli/dosa here.

Tips:

• The addition of sugar to the batter makes the dosas crisp and also gives a thick golden crust to dosas.
• If your dosas did not turn out good,do not panic.Add 1/4 tsp cooking soda to a ladle and mix with 2 tbsp water well and that to the dosa batter and mix well and start making dosas.This will make the interior of dosa fluffy.
• If you want you can avoid mashing the cauliflower florets and keep them as they are and follow the same process for the filling.I personally liked the idea of mashing it.
• The dosa batter can be used to make any dosa like plain dosa, Utappam or Masala dosa.

If you are interested in other dosa recipes,check out more varieties here.

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Rasam Powder Recipe | Andhra Style Rasam Powder

I have posted  Andhra style Sambar Powder recipe recently and today I am posting Andhra style Rasam powder recipe which I got from my MIL.The addition of liberal quantity of cumin seeds, pepper corns and coriander seeds makes the rasam flavorful and spicy.A small quantity of toor dal is added to the powder which helps in thickening the rasam.It is a very simple and basic recipe which might help many who are new to kitchen.

Andhra Style Rasam Powder Recipe:

(stores upto a month)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Coriander seeds

1/3 cup Toor dal(split Pigeon peas)

2 tbsp Cumin seeds

3 tbsp black Peppercorns

Method:

• In a thick kadai dry roast coriander seeds until they turn slight brown in color and keep them aside.
• In the same kadai dry roast toor dal until red in color and keep them aside.
• Add cumin seeds and peppercorns and fry them separately and keep them aside.
• Once they cool down grind them to a fine powder.
• Store it in an air tight container.

Add a couple of tsps of rasam powder while making rasam.

Notes:

• You can dry roast and add 10-12 red chillies while making the rasam powder.

You can use this Rasam powder in the following rasams:

• Tomato Dal rasam
• Tomato Rasam
• Pepper Rasam
• Drumstick Rasam
• Cumin rasam,etc.

 

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Kandi Podi | Andhra style Gun Powder Recipe

The first thing you would notice if you go to any Andhra restaurant for a thali is an array of pickle jars and various powders which are placed on every table.While few varieties might vary,the most common varieties would be Andhra Avakaya and Kandi Podi(which is fondly called as Andhra Gun powder).

Andhrites start their lunch with a powder, mostly Kandi podi which is Andhra's trademark recipe.It is usually mixed with hot rice and a generous dollop of ghee, a combination which is definitely a heaven on a plate.You can even mix Avakaya with the powder and ghee,even that tastes absolutely delicious.Many of my friends(including those who are not from Andhra) have tasted this powder/podi and have always raved about its taste. One must try this trademark Andhra Gun powder recipe for sure to understand what I am saying.

Kandi Podi | Andhra famous Gun Powder Recipe:

shelf life:stays fresh up to a month

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor dal

1/2 cup Moong dal

1/2 cup Chana dal

10-12 Red chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Method:

• Dry roast toor dal until it turns red in color and keep it aside and dry roast moong dal until red in color and remove it from pan and keep it aside and do the same with chana dal.Always dry roast each dal separately as they will not get roasted uniformly otherwise.Let them cool.
• Dry roast red chillies until they turn slight red in color and keep them aside.
• Dry roast cumin seeds and keep them aside.
• Once all the dals come to room temperature grind all the dals with red chillies,cumin seeds and salt to a powder.You can either grind it to a fine powder or slightly coarse powder.
• Store it in an air tight container.

Serve it with hot steamed rice and a dollop of ghee.You can serve chopped raw onions along with it,it tastes delicious.

Notes:

• Add 1-2 garlic pods after the dals are ground to a powder and grind it again to a powder.
• Do not grind it to a very fine powder,keep it slightly coarse.
• You can mix the kandi podi with Mango Avakaya,Usiri Avakaya,Gongura etc or just mix it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.It tastes very delicious.

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ADAI DOSA RECIPE | KARA ADAI | MIXED LENTIL DOSA

Adai's origin is from Tamilnadu where it is usually paired with the vegetable, 'Avial'.The batter for Adai is ground thicker and coarser than the regular dosa batter and it does not require any fermentation.The Adais are prepared slightly thicker than the regular dosa and they consume lots of oil as the batter is ground coarse. This version that I have made is more of a dosa and is thin and crisp. Adai is usually spicy as the batter has it all - so no need for any accompaniment. I though prefer to have it with a bit of jaggery and ghee.

Adai Dosa Recipe | Mixed Lentil Dosa Recipe :

(yields 18-20 adai)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Raw rice(regular rice variety like sona masuri,ponni etc)

1/2 cup Idli rice

1/3 cup Toor dal

1/3 cup Chana dal

1/4 cup Moong dal

1/4 cup Urad dal

1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut

10-12 Curry leaves

4-5 Red chillies

3-4 Byadige Red chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/8 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

to add to the batter:

1/4 cup chopped Coriander

2 tbsp chopped Curry leaves

Oil to roast adais

Method:

• Soak rice for 4-5 hrs or over night.Soak chana dal,moong dal and toor dal in a separate container for 4-5 hrs or over night.Soak urad dal in another container for the same time (4-5 hrs).
• Dry roast cumin seeds and red chillies(both the varieties regular and byadige) slightly until warm and let them cool.This process is just to make them crisp for better grinding.
• Grind urad dal to a smooth and frothy paste by adding some water.Remove this mixture and keep aside.
• Now grind soaked rice with the remaining dals,coconut,curry leaves,red chillies,cumin seeds and asafoetida to a smooth batter.I ground to a smooth batter as I wanted to prepare like dosa,you can even grind to a coarse batter.
• Mix the urad dal batter with the ground batter and add enough salt to it and mix well.You can prepare adai dosa immediately with this batter if you want,I kept it aside for 3-4 hrs for little fermentation.
• I am sure everyone knows how to make simple dosa,still I explain the process of making it for people who are not familiar with it.
• Mix batter well and add chopped coriander and curry leaves to the batter and mix again.Pour a big ladle of batter onto a medium hot pan and spread it in the circular motion to form a uniform shaped dosa.You can spread the batter thick or thin according to your wish.
• Pour 1-2 tsp oil approx over it and cover it with a lid.(No need to add more oil if using Non stick pan,you can completely replace oil with ghee for better taste if you are not calorie conscious).

• Let it initially cook on low flame for 1-2 mins and remove the lid and increase the flame later and cook for a couple of mins until you see brown/red patches.You can turn it and roast the other side if you want.(Do not try to remove the dosa in between while it is roasting.We should remove it only when you are sure that the dosa is perfectly roasted.)
• Serve it directly and do not drop them in hot boxes.It should be served on to the plate immediately to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the dosa.
• Reduce the flame for half a minute and then start preparing the next dosa.Do not pour the batter on high flame.

Serve it with spicy chutney or Avial.I served it with spicy coconut chutney and jaggery.

Notes:

1. The addition of idly rice gives crispiness to adai,if you don't have it replace it with regular rice.
2. Ideally the batter should be ground to a coarse mixture and is made thick which we are not really fond of,hence I made it into a very slight coarse dosa kind batter.It is left to your choice, either way it tastes good and left to you.
3. You can start preparing them immediately but I prefer to leave it aside for few hours to let it ferment.Again it is my personal preference.
4. You can add finely chopped onions/shallots to the adai batter just before making adai.If you add the onions you cannot spread like dosa,it will be slightly thicker and you need to roast on both sides.
5. The addition of more oil to adai makes it crispier.

Variations:

• You can add tender drumstick leaves or grated carrots or chopped spring onion greens to the batter.Each gives a different flavor and taste to adai.
• You can even add ginger while grinding which gives a nice flavor to adai.

 

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Andhra style Pappu Charu | Tomato Dal Rasam

I had prepared this rasam along with Vankaya Kobbari Karam(Stuffed Brinjals) which I had posted recently for those one of our week end lunches.This is a very common recipe in every south Indian household.I love this rasam very much and also make it quite often.

Tomato Dal Rasam | Pappu Charu Recipe:

(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Toor dal

2 small Tomatoes,chopped

a small lemon sized Tamarind or 3 tbsp Tamarind pulp
1 light colored Green Chilli,slit

1 tsp grated Jaggery
1 tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
2 tsp Sambar/Rasam powder *see notes
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

for Tempering:
2 tsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Red chillies
a sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Pressure cook toor dal with chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder for 3 whistles.
• Once the pressure drops transfer it to a vessel and let it come to a boil.Add more water to  the required consistency.
• Once it comes to a boil add green chilli,chopped coriander,sambar/rasam powder,tamarind pulp,jaggery and enough salt and mix well.Let it come to a boil.Taste it now and adjust the seasoning according to your taste buds.In case you need to add more water or tamarind or salt or sambar powder,feel free to add it and boil for a couple of minutes more.This would be sweet,spicy and tangy at the same time,a perfect blend of flavors.
• Mean while heat ghee in a small(tadka) pan and crackle mustard seeds and add red chillies,curry leaves andasafoetida and fry for few seconds and add the tempering to the boiling rasam and boil for 1 minute and switch off the flame and keep it covered.

Serve it hot with plain hot rice and some vegetable fry and fryums.

*My mom gives me the sambar powder which can be used as rasam powder.You can easily replace the sambar powder with store bought MTR brand Rasam powder.

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Drumstick leaves Adai | Lentil Dosa with Drumstick Greens

When I saw drumstick leaves in a near by market recently I picked them as I rarely find them.I like the flavor of those greens especially when made in curries/palyas. Drumstick leaves are known to have more iron content in them and hence is very healthy to consume these greens once in a while.For a change I wanted to make something different apart from the usual palya/powder recipes with them.I usually add the tender ones in akki rotti but had not given a try in dosa/adai.
I have adapted this recipe from a cook book with some minor changes to suit our taste buds.The adai was tasty with a nice flavor added from those drumstick greens and over all a healthy dish.I like the combination of adai with jaggery and ghee and I know many of you think it is a weird combination,but for me the crispy and spicy adai tasted nice with jaggery and ghee.Who knows?? you might also fall in love with that combination,give a try and lemme know how you liked it.

Drumstick Leaves Adai:
(makes around 20-25 medium ones)

Ingredients:
1 cup Raw rice or Brown rice
1 cup Idli rice
3/4 cup Toor dal
2-3 cups Drumstick leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped Shallots/Onions
2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut
4-5 Byadige Red chillies(for color)
4-5 Red chillies
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 fat pinches of Asafoetida
a sprig of Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak rice for 3-4 hrs and toor dal for 1 hr separately.
• In a blender/mixer,grind rice with toor dal,garted coconut,red chillies.cumin seeds,asafoetida,curry leaves and salt to a rawa consitency batter.Try adding less water for grinding,the consistency of the batter should be similar to the idli batter,but a bit coarse in texture.
• Leave the batter aside for an hour or two.However it is optional,you can make adai immediately with the batter.
• Clean and remove the drumstick leaves from the stems.Wash and drain them.
• Add finely chopped onions/shallots and drumstick leaves to the batter,the batter would be thicker than the spreading consistency.Do not chop the drumstick leaves.
  
• Make small and slightly thicker adai like how we spread dosa.Do not bother about the shapes of adai,as the batter is very thick it is bit difficult to get the perfect round shape but taste wise there would not be any difference.
  
• Pour lots of oil all over the adai and in the corners.It makes the adai more crispier.
  
• Cover and cook it over low-medium flame until golden brown on one side which takes 1-2 mins ideally.Turn to the other side and roast it well.Turn back to the roasted side and increase the flame for 1/2 minute.

Serve them hot with spicy Onion chutney,Jaggery and Ghee.

You can even serve with Avial/Onion-Tomato chutney/Ginger chutney or Coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. Use tender drumstick greens for this adai as they have lots of flavor in it.
2. Adai is ideally prepared thicker and also needs lots of oil to fry,so please add more oil for a crispier and tasty adai.
3. You can use 2 cups of raw rice instead of 1 cup raw rice and 1 cup of idli rice.But idli rice makes the adai more crispier.
4. You can even grind onion along with rice but I prefer adding them to the batter which gives a nice crunch.
5. Asafoetida adds a nice taste to adai,use the required quantity according to the quality of asafoetida.In generally the rock variety is more stronger than the powdered variety.

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RED PUMPKIN SAMBAR | GUMMADIKAYA SAMBAR

Sambar is one of the most common dishes served in any South Indian meal.While some varieties of sambar(drumstick,ladies finger,pumpkin,yellow cucumber,radish,mixed vegetable) go well with Idli,Dosa and Rice , some others (chow chow,beans,carrot)go well with only rice. South Indians use most vegetables and greens in Sambar by making some tweaks to the recipe. This is another regular recipe from my kitchen.

RED PUMPKIN SAMBAR RECIPE:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
250 gms Red pumpkin,washed and cut into 1" cubes with skin
1/2 cup Toor dal
8-10 small Onions(peeled) or 1 big Onion(diced)
2 medium Tomatoes,roughly chopped
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
a gooseberry sized Tamarind
1/2 tsp grated Jaggery
Salt to taste

to roast and grind:
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
5-6 Red chillies
5 Byadige Red chillies(for color)
2 tsp Bengal gram dal(Chana dal)
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Oil

to temper:
1 tsp Ghee/Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
a sprig of Curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric for 3 whistles until the dal is soft.
• Pressure cook pumpkin cubes ,peeled or diced onions,chopped tomatoes with salt in tamarind water and cook it until the pumpkin pieces are soft.
• Heat 1/2 tsp of oil and add chana dal and roast until it is red in color and remove it and keep aside.In the same pan add coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds and red chillies one by one and roast them until red.Let them come to the room temperature and powder it.
• Add grated coconut to it and grind to a smooth paste.
• In a big vessel,let the cooked vegetable mixture come to a rolling boil.Add cooked toor dal and ground masala to it and add enough water and salt and gated jaggery to it and let it boil for 7-8 mins until the raw smell of the ground masala goes away.
• Taste sambar at this stage and adjust according to your taste buds.
• In a small pan heat ghee and crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves and hing and fry for 30seconds and add this tadka to the boiling sambar and give a quick mix and switch off.

Serve it hot with Idli/dosa/Rice.

Variations:

• You can follow the same recipe for vegetables like Drumsticks,Bottle gourd, White pumpkin, Chow-Chow, Radish and Carrot.
• For a variation you can skip the roasting the spices part and replace that with 2-3 tbsp Sambar powder and grind it with coconut and follow the same process.

Notes:

• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee in the seasoning.
  

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