White Pumpkin Sambar

This is a tamilnadu style Sambar. I love this with idly, dosa, pongal and other tiffin items. The ground Masala added at the end gives the extra taste. This is a good combination for Idly, Paniyaram, dosa and Ven pongal. Recipe from my mom. This means fresh ground Sāmbhar. I.e. the powder for Sambhar is roasted and ground freshly along with the Sambhar Preparation. This is famous in most festivals and virundhus. South Indians need sambar as an accompaniment with a wide variety of dishes. Even though this sambar is very similar to another recipe the taste of this sambar is pretty different. I add lot of pumpkin into it. Pumpkin has lot of fiber. It gives very nice sweet flavor. With Tamarind sour taste and pumpkin sweet taste together it is really mouthwatering. This sambar goes very well with idly also. The taste of hot steaming rice with this fragrant sambar made with pumpkin which I learned it from my mom here I go with this receipe.Any one would be delighted to hear the recipe cooked with restaurant style at home. I am sure if you try once you will enjoy this sambar to the core.

 Prep time       :20 mins               Cook time          :15 mins          Serves        :6

Ingredients	Quantity
Toor dal	1 cup
White pumpkin	2 cups
Onion	1 no
Ripe tomatoes	5 no’s
Green chili	1 no
Garlic	3 cloves
Tamarind juice	3 tsp.
Jaggery(powdered)	1 tsp.
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp.
Sambar powder	2 tsp.
Salt	To taste
Oil	2 tbsp.

To grind

Red chili	6 no’s
Channa dal	1 tsp.
Cumin seeds	½ tsp.
Raw rice	1 tsp.
Grated coconut	1 tbsp.

To temper

Mustard seeds	½ tsp.
Cumin seeds	½ tsp.
Dry red chili	2 no’s
Hing	½ tsp.
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Cilantro	handful

 Method

1. Wash and soak Toor/Red gram dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) in water for at least 1 hour. Then pressures cook it with little salt until you get 3 to 4 whistles from your cooker. Once done and when the pressure releases, open and mash it immediately with a flat spatula or blend well and keep aside. Wash and cut Pumpkin into 2 inch pieces. If the skin is soft you can cook with Skin 2. Pressure cook pumpkins separately with a dash of turmeric powder, little salt and water (Maximum 2 whistles) and set aside.In a small pan, add little oil, fry the raw rice in “To Grind section” for 1 minute. Fry the coconut separately for 2 minutes. Fry the remaining items in the “To Grind” for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool down. Grind all these together to a fine powder.Soak tamarind in ½ cup of water and extract the juice. Chop Onion, Tomato. Split open green chili.3. In another pan heat oil and mustard. When the mustard starts spluttering add cumin seeds, dry red chili, Hing, big onion, garlic, green chili, Curry Leaves, tomato and fry till the tomato is cooked. Now add 2 cups water, salt, tamarind pulp, cooked toor dhal or Thuvaram paruppu, cooked pumpkin pieces and spice powder. Allow it to boil for 3 – 5 minutes until the raw tamarind smell leaves. Stir often to avoid burning the bottom.4. Add Ground powder – 2 tsp., Sugar and mix well. Tastes the dhal, if required add some more ground powder. Do NOT add all the ground powder as it would turn the recipe overwhelming with spices. Add little by little until your taste buds feels right. Let this soupy gravy come to a boil, add ghee at this stage, taste for salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

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Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal is one of the breakfast item from South India, mainly popular in Tamil Nadu, prepared during Pongal Festival and also served as a special dish on auspicious occasions like wedding ceremonies. Fresh curry leaves and Ghee is a must for this dish. Yeah, in order to enjoy cooking, sometimes you need more than two to eat. One such Sunday treat is this South Indian breakfast - Ven (White) Pongal. A porridge kind creamy dish made with rice and Moong dal and spiced up with peppercorns, cumin and grated ginger. The humble spices cumin and pepper work wonders in this dish. Don't be stringent in adding these spices. The pongal should be warm and slightly peppery and a dollop of ghee will balance to make it hearty and comforting. I love to do VenPongal as it is very easy and quick. We should be generous in using ghee for Pongal.  The flavor of ghee with pepper is the unique taste of pongal. It is the traditional neivedhyam in any temple. It is a salted variation and is also made of freshly harvested rice and moong dal. It’s a hot favorite in my family and while I learnt this recipe from my mother, I have added my own inputs and the addition of milk which really tastes awesome.

Prep time   : 10 mins|  Cook time    : 20 mins |  Serves         : 4
Cuisine :South Indian (Breakfast),Tamil Nadu Recipes

Ingredients	Quantity
Raw rice	1 cup
Split yellow moong dal	½ cup
Chopped ginger	1 tsp.
Hing	¼ tsp.
Whole peppercorns	1 tsp.
Cumin seeds	1 tsp.
Black pepper powder	1 tsp.
Curry leaves chopped	2 sprigs
Green chilli	2
Cashews(halved)	2 tbsp.
Ghee	2 tbsp.
Oil	2 tbsp.
Salt	To taste
Water	4 cups
Milk	½ cup

Method

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and roast the yellow moong dal until a lightly roasted aroma is released.dont let it turn dark brown2. Wash rice and mix the roasted dal.Pressure cook rice, moong dal with little salt and green chillies and add 4 cups of water for up to 3 whistles. Cook till the rice is smashed and mushy.3. Meanwhile heat a pan and add ghee. Fry peppercorns, once it splutters, add cumin seeds, grated ginger, curry leaves, pepper powder, hing and sauté for few more seconds. Turn off the heat and set aside.4. Now heat ½ tsp. of ghee in the same pan and roast cashewnuts until golden and crisp.Add the fried mixture with the boiled rice- dal mixture. Add the remaining ghee with pongal to get a delicious taste. 5. Also can be Served  with  Brinjal (eggplant) Gothsu. Serve with coconut chutney and Sāmbhar. The best combo for ven pongal. Notes

You can use Ponni raw rice or Sona masoori.If using an electric cooker, use the same proportion and cook rice and dhal with little salt and then do the tempering

If it’s too dry, it will be difficult to swallow. Upon cooling it becomes thick and dry. So serve them when it is warm. If serving later; add little warm water, loosen it and then serve.

Spiced Curd Rice

In South Indian cuisine, it is common to eat curd rice at the end of lunch and dinner Rich in protein and calcium, this rice dish is just perfect for a cooling summer lunch. The cucumber, carrots and coriander provide fiber and vitamin A.Seasoned curd rice garnished with pomegranates or seedless green grapes is even more deliciousIn summer season this dish tastes excellent, as curd and cucumber are coolants. it is good to use fresh curd otherwise the dish within no time becomes sour. Curd Rice is a comforting South Indian rice recipe that makes for a filling complete meal with pickle. The key to tasty curd rice lies in mashing the cooked rice it tastes great with just a pickle or chutney.

Prep time     : 20 mins            Cook time       : 15 mins              Serves: 4

Ingredients	Quantity
Raw rice	2 cup
Whole Milk	1 cup
Butter	1 tbsp.
Cream	2tbsp
Fresh curd	½ cup
Cucumber(grated)	¾ cup
Pomegranate kernels	¼ cup
Cilantro	2 tbsp.
Salt	To taste

To temper

Oil	1 tbsp.
Mustard seeds	½ tsp.
Cumin seeds	½ tsp.
Channa dal	1 tsp.
Urad dal	1 tsp.
Hing	pinch
Green chilies	4
Grated ginger	1 tbsp.
Curry leaves	2 sprig

Method:

1. Wash and soak raw rice for 15-20 mins and add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Meanwhile boil the milk and keep it warm.Once the rice comes to luke warm temperature transfer it into a wide bowl and slightly mash it with the back of the ladle.Add warm milk and butter to the rice and mix well.2.  Heat oil in a small pan and crackle mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add chana dal, urad dal and cashew nuts and fry until they turn golden in color.Add hing slit green chilies, grated ginger and curry leaves and fry well. Let the tempering cool down to room temperature.Add curd, salt, pomegranate kernels, chopped coriander to the rice mixture and mix well.3.  Add the tempering to the curd rice and mix well and keep the rice aside for 1/2 hr. to 1 hr. This standing time will set the curd rice nicely. If you want to serve it later it’s better to refrigerate after an hour until the serving time.4. Serve it with curd chilies and lemon or mango pickle. Garnish with seedless green grapes, pineapple pieces and grated mangoes.

Notes

If you like curd rice little soft, slightly mash the rice while it is still warm

The curd rice will thicken as it cools, you can adjust the consistency by adding a little milk or curd or both.
Raisins can be added in the tempering along with cashew nuts to the curd rice. You can add grated carrots, grated cucumber to this curd rice. It tastes awesome.

If you have prepared the curd rice well in advance, add 1/4 cup milk to the curd rice 10 minutes before serving as milk removes any sourness of the curd.

 

 

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Brinjal Gothsu

Kathirikai /Brinjal Gothsu is a delicious sauce-like side-dish for breakfast items like idli, Dosa, Uthappam and Idiappam. It contains a combination of healthy vegetables such as potatoes; brinjals, tomatoes etc., and goes well with rice-based breakfast items. A delicious side dish for Venn pongal and upmas. Best brinjal would be the large variety without seeds. In case you don’t get it you can still prepare this dish using a medium sized brinjal.Gothsu is often a welcome change in place of the usual side-dishes like coconut chutney and sambar. There are too many ways of cooking brinjal and this recipe has too many versions. Honestly, I don’t know which one is the authentic one but I simply love this recipe. This vegetable bring to me the prospect of cooking so many delicious gravies and curries and this is just one of them. Kathirikkai Gothsu is tangy gravy prepared of brinjal/eggplant that is cooked soft with the least amount of spices. The Onions, curry leaves, tamarind bring out the flavours of this wonderful dish that is traditionally served along with ven pongal.

Prep time     : 20 mins          Cook time     : 10 min           Serves: 3

Ingredients	Quantity
Brinjal (long green variety)	2 ½ cups
Toor dal	¼ cup
Moong dal(yellow split)	¼ cup
Onion	½ cup
Garlic( cut into halved)	3
Tomato	½ cup
Green chillies	5 no
Tamarind water	½ cup
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp.
Sambar powder	1 tbsp.
Coriander powder	½ tsp.
Curry leaves	2 sprigs
Cilantro	Small bunch

 To temper

Oil	2 tbsp.
Mustard seeds	½ tsp.
Urad dal	1 tsp.
Channa dal	1tap
Dry red chilli	1
Hing	pinch

 

Method

1. Chop onions and tomatoes and cut garlic into two, slit green chilies. Peel. Remove the stalks from the brinjals and dice into small pieces.Next add toor dal, yellow split moong dal, brinjals, salt, turmeric powder and 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 8 minutes with the cooker lid closed.

2. Prepare thin tamarind water made from 3 inch tamarind 1 cup.Take a kadai and place on the stove. Pour 2 spoons of oil and mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Keep the diced vegetables ready aside.

3. After sometime add garlic and onions. Sauté for some time until it attains its slight brown color. Now add the tomatoes and mix well.Tap in a pinch of Hing and cook till the tomato-onion mixture is mushy.Now add sambar powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well.

4. Add the tamarind water and allow it to cook for some time. Lastly add the boiled dal-brinjal mixture to the kadai.Add some more or less water depending on what you want the final consistency to be.

5. Normally it would be a little thicker than “Sambar” but thinner than a chutney or dip.Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with idly, dosa or steamed rice.

Notes

Ven pongal tastes best with gothsu.

For tempering, cumin seeds can also be added.

 

 

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