From the Temple Town: Udupi Sambar

Tucked in between the majestic mountains of Western Ghats on the east and mighty Arabian Sea on the West, there is a beautiful small town called Udupi. There are not many places like Udupi that has rich history, colourful diversity, vibrant people, virgin beaches, incredibly charming buildings and simply irresistible cuisine. I remember visiting the Krishna Temple with my parents and grandmother once in every six months when we were small and a walk on a Ratha Maarga (Chariot Street) was one of my favourite parts of the trip. Dad would take us to small shops on Ratha Maarga looking for any unusual piece of art and craft for his antique collection and promise us to take to our favourite hotel on a way back home for sinfully delicious, crisp Masala Dosa. A lazy stroll along the streets of Ashta Matha (8 temples) with Ajji while she narrated an amazing story of Saint Kanakadasa and Lord Krishna is something I will always cherish. It’s been quite some years since I visited the temple but the memories are as fresh as morning dew on rose petal.

Another part of our trip to Udupi that is one of my wonderful childhood memories is the food served at Udupi, be it at Krishna Temple or at my favourite restaurants Diana and Kidiyoor. For a foodie like me Udupi is food paradise. Even simple every day food has magical feel to it. According to history, the Udupi Cuisine has its origin in Ashta Matha’s of Udupi founded by the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century. Locally grown grains, beans, vegetables and fruits are the hallmark of this divine cuisine. The world famous Krishna Matha/Temple is believed to be the centre of Dasa Saahitya, a form of literature originated in Udupi. And this same temple serves free food, called as Annadana, for thousands of devotees every single day. The temple food is simple with no frills. Rice, one or two Palyas (vegetable stir Fries), Rasam (thin, spicy Tomato Soup), Papad/Happala, Sambar (South Indian vegetable curry), Majjige Neeru (Spiced Butter Milk) and Payasam (Indian pudding) to finish this divine meal. This is one meal that not only satisfies your stomach but also touches your soul.

One such recipe is Udupi Sambar usually made with no onion and garlic at Krishna Temple. The following recipe uses small pink Sambar/Pearl Onions. The vegetables used here Brinjal and Drumsticks are made for each other. The tang of tamarind and tomatoes, sweetness of jaggery and coconut and heat from roasted spices complements each other in this coconut-lentil medley. Back at my native we use Udupi Gulla Badane which has got big seeds compared to usual purple eggplants we get here. Nevertheless, you can use any vegetables of your choice like gourds or pumpkins as it is on slight sweet notes. The ingredient list might scare you but trust me when I say it’s really simple to make. Serve it with lacy and crisp Dosas or fluffy and soft Idlis or just plain steaming bowl of white Rice and Ghee to enjoy this divine food straight from Temple Town, Udupi.

Udupi Sambar

Print This Recipe

---

Udupi Samabr (Vegetable Coconut-Lentil based Curry from Temple Town, Udupi)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Source: Pachakam & Amma

---

Ingredients:

1 large Brinjal/Eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes (Thai Green Eggplant or Udupi Gulla Badane is preferred)
3-4 Drum Sticks, cut into 2 inch pieces
10-12 small Sambar Onions/Pearl Onions, peeled or 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
2 large Tomatoes, cubed
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
½-¾ cups Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Pea/Red Gram, washed, pressure cooked with pinch of Turmeric Powder and tsp of Oil and mashed well
1 tsp Tamarind Paste/1 small lime sized Tamarind Pulp, soaked in warm water and juice extracted
1 tsp Jaggery (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
Small bunch of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil (Preferably Coconut Oil)
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

For Udupi Sambar Powder:
1 tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram
½ tbsp Channa Dal/Spilt Bengal Gram
2 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
½ tsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds
4-6 Dry Red Chilli (Preferably Byadagi, adjust acc to taste)
1 cup Grated fresh/frozen Coconut

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Dry Red Chilli, halved
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil, preferably Coconut Oil

Seeking Comfort: Fried Okra Dal & Palya

Winter has come early to our neck of woods. Last night the wind blew, trees shed their last of few leaves and a light rain kissed our parched landscape with thick frost giving it white ghostly look. With temperature dropping to minus degree Celsius, it was the perfect night for comfort food. I know you will agree with me that comfort food is one of the nice things about these chilly cold nights...
So what exactly is Comfort Food? In my search for a clear definition of Comfort Food I can say that I am yet to come across any place which explains to me what exactly comfort food is. I can see some of you rolling your eyes and saying why she has to make everything look so complicated. Doesn’t she know the simplest definition of comfort food, a food that provides comfort when eating? But wait, don’t you agree with me that the definition of ‘Comfort’ is quite vague. It’s not necessary that what provides comfort for one may make other person shriek in horror. When I say Egg Plant/Brinjal Sambar is my comfort food, I can see Krish running a mile away from it. We have to look beyond the word ‘comfort’ itself in order to get a better definition.

---

Dictionary.com defines Comfort Food as
Noun

"Food that is simply prepared and associated with a sense of home or contentment or food that is simply prepared and gives a sense of wellbeing; typically food with a high sugar or carbohydrate content that is associated with childhood or with home cooking."

Yourdictionary.com defines Comfort Food as
Noun

"Any food eaten not only for its pleasing taste but also for a sense of contentment, nostalgia, etc. that it provides."

---

Take quick look at the list of comfort foods listed in Wiki, About.com. Most of the things listed don’t fall into my category of comfort food. So is comfort food is based on regional, ethnicity? Or is it defined by it being entrée, main dish or dessert or anywhere else it might sit on a menu card? If someone says that they eat junk food on daily basis, first thing which might cross my head is what an uneducated palate that person has. But if the same person is to tell me that junk food is his/her comfort food, will that make me think twice and make me perceive him/her in any other way? Yes, I think it will on some level.
Comfort food for me is food I qualify as something worthwhile and is a food I enjoy. It is something which I wouldn’t find in any star restaurant’s menu. When I am sick, or tired, or far from home I yearn for the gastronomic equivalent of warmth I get from my loved ones. It may be a warm sweater, a kiss on the forehead, a favourite blanket or a food that reminds me of home. My comfort food changes depending on climate, occasion and whom I am with. It’s cold Salad with chilled Yogurt and Ice Cream in summer, a piping hot bowl of Soup or Dal with Rice in winter. A bowl of Rasam is what I crave for when I miss my Amma and a fattening double cheese Veg Deli is what I need when hungry me cross MacDonald’s. White Rice with Curd and Pickle is all I need when I am alone at home and its 3 course meal which comforts me when I am with my family. Comfort food makes me feel good because it reminds me of my childhood, of my mother, of good times and good friends and it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Without any doubt Dal is the quintessential comfort food! Unpretentious, rich in nutrition I feel good whenever I make Dal and eat it. When I am worn out and the world isn’t such a nice place to be in, I make simple Dal with Rice. When time is short but dear ones must be fed with joy and not pressure, I make Dal with some Palya. Okra/Bhindi/Ladies Finger is one of the most favourite vegetables at our place. When I found these small and tender bhindi in our local store I could no longer stop myself from buying a big bagful of them. Instead of everyday plain dal I wanted to experiment by adding some vegetables which will compliment the spicy and sour taste of this dal and I felt Okra will do that trick. For my amazement it not only complimented the dal but tasted very delicious. It was one experiment which produced wonderful results and I am going to make this again and again. These tender okras are fried in little oil till they are crisp and then simmered in sweet, sour and spicy dal is a perfect comfort food for me. I am sending my dear friend Linda who is hosting this month’s JFI-Toor Dal this comforting bowl of Fried Okra Dal. I hope you enjoy this one Linda:)

Fried Okra Dal with Rice & Majjige Menasu

Print This Recipe

---

Fried Okra Dal
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-5

---

Ingredients:
15-20 small tender Okra
1 cup Toor Dal/Masoor Dal
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2-3 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, crushed and chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
1 lemon sized Tamarind Pulp
1-1½ tbsp Jaggery
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
A big pinch of Hing/Asafetida
Few Curry Leaves
½ tbsp Oil

Fried Okra Dal

Method:
Cook toor dal in pressure cooker in enough water for about 15 minutes till the dal is cooked and mushy.
Soak tamarind pulp in about 1 cup of warm water for 5 minutes and squeeze the juice and discard the pulp.
Mean while, trim the ends of okra and cut them into 1 inch pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté it continuously at medium-high flame for about 8-10 minutes till okra turns crisp and brown. Keep this aside.
Heat ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and add mustard, broken red chilli, jeera, curry leaves and hing in that order and sauté.
Once the mustard starts to pop and splutter, add finely chopped garlic and sauté it for about 30 seconds. Then add finely chopped onion, slit green chillies and sauté it for around 1-2 minutes till onions turn translucent.
Mix in lightly mashed cooked toor dal, squeezed tamarind juice, jaggery, turmeric powder, finely chopped ginger and tomatoes and about 1-2 cups of water if needed.
Bring it to boil in a medium flame and mix in salt to taste and fried okras.
Cook over a medium flame for around 5-10 minutes till all the flavors blend well and serve hot garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Fried Okra Dal

Another favourite way of cooking Okra is simple Fried Okra Palya. Tender fried okra is spiced with ground paste of sweet coconut and spicy sambar powder and crisp onions. The dash of lime juice adds the tanginess and creates a wonderful fusion of sweet, tangy and spicy dish.

Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya with Jolada Rotti

Print This Recipe

---

Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2-3

---

Ingredients:
15-20 tender Okras, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp Lime Juice
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Grind to Paste:
½ cup Coconut, fresh or frozen
1½ -2 tbsp Sambar Powder
½ tsp Tamarind Paste/2 tbsp Lime Juice
½ tbsp Jaggery (optional)

Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté it till jeera starts to sizzle and mix finely chopped onions and green chillies.
Sauté it till onion turns light brown and add cut okra pieces. Fry these okra for about 7-10 minutes over medium-high flame till it is crisp and brown.
Now mix in ground paste and keep stirring for about five minutes on medium flame. Make sure that the paste doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Switch off the pan and mix lime juice and mix well. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves with rice or roties.


Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya

Tomato Saaru & Pepper-Carrot Palya

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."
-Norman Kolpas

Our senses hold some of our most potent memories. Touching the silk or smelling herbal soap, aroma of ground coffee brewing in coffee maker or sizzling of curry leaves in oil sends me back in time to my Ajji’s kitchen. There is a delicious Rasam bubbling in a large copper pot over an open fire-wood heated stove in one corner; one helper is pounding red chillies and spices in other corner while my aunt is grinding freshly grated coconut with chillies for chutney in a stone grinder. There is a small stream of water flowing close to the kitchen, with just the right breeze causing a mist to drift across my face, tickling my nose. I am sitting cross legged on red oxide floor with my sister and cousins wondering where to have our picnic lunch, that day’s most important question. The sight, smell and taste of what my granny cooked are fresh and vivid memories which I will always carry with me.
While cooking everyday meals, I find myself musing lately over comfort foods. If I were to ask you what food you associate with feeling good, what would be your answer? I know that your answer is probably different from what I consider to be my comfort food, mainly because of our individual life experiences, backgrounds and cultures. Comfort food satisfies our soul as well as the stomach and that’s why we love it so much. Often these dishes remind us of our childhood, happy memories. Cooking up that dish our Granny or Mom or Aunt used to make is as soothing as eating it because it reminds us of a time when life was simpler. My Amma would always say that the reason why comfort food always tastes best is because it is shared with our loving family and friends with no frills, just with love. The kitchen filled with the aroma and scent of food that brings back warm and fond memories is what makes it more comforting and as these recollections takes place around the table with our loved one, yet another fond and loving memory is born.
Like most people, I don’t have just one memory associated with just one food. I have good number of favourite foods which fall into comfort food zone. These foods are simple with minimal ingredients used and are unpretentious, but these are the food which oozes with flavours and make me feel good when preparing and eating them. One such dish is simple tangy Tomato Saaru with Pepper-Carrot Palya. They are simple culinary delights I crave, just for comfort...

Our Comfort Food: Rasam Rice, Papads, Pepper-Carrot Palya and Salad

After many unsuccessful attempts at making simple Tomato Saaru which I wanted to taste just like the one my Amma and Ajji makes my hubby surprised me with his Rasam. It tasted as good as the one I remembered eating when growing up-same flavour, same aroma, same colour and same taste. Although he used the similar ingredients which most of us use when making Rasam it tasted different from what I cook. I immediately wrote down his recipe and tried it next time using same measures and ingredients and following his method. Darn!!! There was still something missing, may be it’s to do with the taste which goes into ingredients when he touches them. Since then it’s Krish who makes Rasam for me, the one which is comfort food for me and takes me down the memory lane.

Tangy Tomato Saaru

Print This Recipe

---

Tomato Rasam
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
3 large ripe & juicy Tomatoes, sliced thinly
¾ cup Toor Dal
1 tbsp Rasam Powder
1 large marble sized Tamarind Pulp/½ tbsp Tamarind Puree
2 Green Chillies, slit
½ medium Onion, thinly sliced(Optional)
½ inch Ginger, crushed
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Black Pepper, lightly crushed using pestle and mortar
½-1 tbsp Jaggery
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
Few Curry Leaves
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 tsp Oil/Ghee

Rasam Rice with Papads

Method:
Cook toor dal with 2 cups of water, turmeric and a tsp of oil in pressure cooker for about 15-20 minutes till they are nicely cooked.
Release the pressure from pressure cooker before you open the lid and roughly mash the cooked dal with ladle or masher.
Soak tamarind pulp in half a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes and squeeze the pulp.
Transfer cooked dal into heavy bottomed pan and add sliced onions, slit green chillies, crushed ginger and about 2 cups of water and boil it for about 5 minutes in medium flame.
Add sliced tomatoes, tamarind extract, rasam powder, jaggery, crushed black peppers and salt to taste and simmer the heat and cook for another 15 minutes.
Add more water if you feel the rasam is thick. When rasam is reduced to ¾th of its quantity turn off the gas and mix in chopped coriander leaves.
For tempering, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, broken red chillis, hing, jeera and curry leaves in that order and when mustard starts to pop and splutter transfer the tadka to rasam and mix well.
Serve hot rasam with steamed rice and papad or serve in a bowl as a soup.

Rasam Rice, Papads, Pepper-Carrot Palya and Salad: Our Simple Meal

There is nothing better than a simple vegetable stir fry and Pepper-Carrot Palya which my mom made is something I would happily eat as a salad with Yogurt or as a side dish with Rasam Rice. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity with minimal preparation and cooking time. Stir fried green pepper and grated carrot is spiced up with simple seasoning and a splash of lime juice makes it comfort food for me.

Pepper-Carrot Palya

Print This Recipe

---

Pepper-Carrot Palya
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Serves: 2-3

---

Ingredients:
2 cups Grated Carrot
1 large Green Pepper/Capsicum, cut into 1 cm squares
1 Green Chilli, sliced (Optional)
1-2 tbsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp Jaggery/Sugar
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
A Spring of Curry Leaves
1 tsp Oil
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

Pepper-Carrot Palya

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal, broken red chilli, mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves in that order.
When urad dal turns golden yellow and mustard starts to pop and splutter, add chopped capsicum pieces, slit green chilli and sauté over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes till its skin starts to wilt.
Now add turmeric powder, jaggery, grated carrots and salt to taste and sauté them for about 1 minute till the heat is equally spread. Make sure that you don’t over cook pepper and carrots and they should retain their colour and crunch.
Turn of the gas and mix in lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Rasam Rice or eat it with yogurt the way I prefer.

Nimbu Saaru/Lemon Rasam

Sometime ago I watched a really well presented documentary which highlighted the issue of child obesity in UK. Although I am very much aware of the growing issue about obesity all around the world, this documentary made me realise how obesity has become more like a social plague. We are talking about one of the biggest growing problem here. Although some people seemed to suggest the main cause for obesity is genetic, research shows that the main cause has got to do with diet and eating habit within the family rather than genetic.
We have become a fast food generation country with fast food restaurants springing up everywhere like wild mushrooms and junk food readily available. Just take a tour in our supermarket and you will be surprised to see the shelves packed with ready to eat foods which contain very high levels of sugar and unhealthy fat. Talking with one of my colleague made me realise, gone are the days of home cooked meals in many homes. Healthy and nutritious home cooked meals have been replaced by take-away food or ready to eat microwave meals. And more shocking thing was the increase in growing number of parents who chose to take their children out to eat rather preparing meals at home. No wonder it costs the NHS more than £500 million a year to tackle this issue.
While growing up our parents always made it a point that we kids spent minimum 2 hours of our day in some physical activity and burning most of the calories gained from eating. Now days, I feel sad to see kids spending more time in front of TV or computer playing video game or computer game. We can very much understand the amount of calories they will be able to burn off sitting on a couch. Amma used to cook every meal at home. Weekday meals were simple home cooked meals where Amma would add lots of greens and vegetables with little spices and very little oil. Like most of the kids, we too took it for granted and always looked forward to our once in a blue moon visit to restaurants. My Appa was not very fond of restaurant food and he prefered home cooked food to any star hotel food. I remember the times when we kids would happily eat all spicy and oily curries and he would quietly enjoy his South Indian Thali and a bowl of his favorite Tomato soup. Even today, he prefers Boiled Rice with Ganji for breakfast. No wonder he looks younger and younger as the years pass. His mantra for good health is Healthy food with regular exercise and it indeed is the best weapon to fight the problem of over-weight and obesity.
Simple Saaru/Rasam with roasted papad and pickle is something which was always served at our everyday meal with other usual Sambar and Palyas. Nimbu Saaru or Lemon Rasam is one of the first dishes I learnt from my mother. It is very comforting dish of red lentils cooked with turmeric and blended with lemon juice, finely chopped tomatoes, green chilli and ginger and finally tempered with aromatic cumin seeds and curry leaves. The simplicity of this dish makes it very special and comforting. Serve it with Chapati or with just plain Rice and Papad or just drink it as a soup and I bet you will have very satisfying look on your face.

Nimbu Saaru with Rice & Papad

---

Nimbu Saaru
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
¾ cup Toor Dal/Masoor Dal
1 large Tomato, finely chopped
2 tbsp Onion, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chilli, slit
1 inch Ginger, crushed
3-4 tbsp Lemon Juice
Samll Jaggary Piece
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
1 tsp Ghee/Oil

Nimbu Saaru

Method:
Add turmeric powder, a tsp of oil and 1 and half cups of water to the toor/masoor dal and cook it in pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes until done. Cool the cooker before opening the lid.
Lightly mash the dal and transfer it into heavy bottomed vessel.
To this add chopped onion, tomato, slit green chillies, crushed ginger, jaggary, two cups of water and salt to taste.
Cook this on a medium flame for 10 minutes till it starts to boil.
Reduce the flame and add little more water if desired and cook for further 5 minutes till all the flavours blend well.
Turn off the gas and mix lemon juice to it. You can add more lemon juice based on your preference.
In a tempering pan heat ghee and add jeera, mustard, curry leaves and hing. When mustard starts to pop and splutter transfer this to the saaru and mix well.
Serve it hot garnished with coriander leaves with rice and papad or chapati.

Nimbu Saaru with Rice & Papad

---

Did You Know?

Chaaru, in the Telugu language, means "essence," and, by extension, "juice" or "soup." In former times, it was prepared mainly with black pepper and tamarind, both ingredients native to and abundant in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and South India in general.
Iyengars, a community living in Tamil Nadu from the 7th century CE or earlier, call it Chaathamudhu (Chaaru + Amudhu, the Tamil form of Amrita, ambrosia)[citation needed].
Sourashtras, an immigrant community living in Madurai from the 16th century CE, still refer to it as Pulichaar (Puli = Tamarind + Chaar) (Puli or Pulipu means tart (tamarind)).
The same dish in commonly known as Saaru in Kannada and Chaaru in Telugu. With hoteliers and restaurateurs expanding their joints in South India in the mid-twentieth century, it was popularised and came to be known by its Tamil name as Rasam.
Interestingly, rasam is the basis of mulligatawny soup, which is an Anglo-Indian version of the same.
(Source: wikipedia)

---

Nimbu Saaru

Coconut Milk Saaru/Rasam

I come from a coastal town which is abundant with coconut palms swinging to the cool breeze from Arabian Sea. I have grown eating almost everything cooked using coconut in its different forms like coconut milk, ground coconut, grated or desiccated, dry coconut, coconut milk, tender coconut, coconut malai, coconut water and ultimately cooked in coconut oil. Ah!!! Coconut oil always reminds me of the litres of coconut oil applied to my head with vengeance by my mother and her mother. The weekend session of oil massage is something which I never appreciated as a kid. But now, the way westerners paying thousands of dollars in the name of aroma therapy made me realise what was head ache session in childhood is one of the luxuries of the century. I guess that’s the problem with most of us. We start to appreciate things when it has some designer label attached to it.
Coconut is something I have in my pantry 24X7 through out the year. Canned, cream, desiccated, fresh or frozen, you will surely find at least in one of its Avtars in our kitchen. Today I am gonna share one of my favourite recipe of coconut which has been passed from my Amma who learnt it from her MIL. It is Coconut Milk Saaru/Rasam, which always makes me feel royal. Its creamy texture and rich flavour is something which I can never get tired of. But the best thing for me is I can make it in jiffy. You need very few ingredients and very little time to make this. First let me give you the detailed recipe of making traditional Coconut Milk Saaru and then I will also give my shortcut recipe using just 3 ingredients to make this delicious Saaru.

Coconut Milk Saaru

---

Coconut Milk Saaru
Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
¾ tin Coconut Milk/ 1½ cups Freshly squeezed Coconut Milk
½ cup Masoor Dal/Toor Dal
1 marble sized Tamarind
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
4-6 Dry Red Chilli
1-2 tbsp Jaggary
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1 tsp Ghee/Oil
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves

Coconut Milk Saaru

Method:
Cook Masoor Dal with 1½ cups of water with a pinch of turmeric powder and drop of oil which helps to cook it quick.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and broken red chillies and sauté it for 1-2 minutes in medium flame.
Grind this mixture into a powder form without adding any water.
In a thick bottomed pan add cooked toor dal with its water, ground mixture, tamarind water, jaggary and salt to taste.
Add ½ cup of water and bring this to boil.
Now add coconut milk to this and mix well.
Cook this for further 4-5 minutes in medium flame till it starts to bubble.
In the end add chopped coriander leaves and season it with mustard, curry leaves and dry chilli.
Serve piping hot with rice and papadams and relish.

---

Note:
Freshly sqeezed Coconut milk is the best while making this saaru. I didn't have fresh coconut so had to substitute it with canned ones. When using canned coconut milk I recommend you use the organic ones.

---

Coconut Milk Saaru

Now coming to my short cut way of making equally delicious Coconut Milk Saaru.

---

Coconut Milk Saaru
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

---

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked Masoor/Toor Dal
1½ tbsp Rasam Powder
¾ tin Coconut Milk/1½ cups Freshly squeezed Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Jaggary
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1 tsp Ghee/Oil
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves

Method:
Mix cooked dal with 1 cup of water, rasam powder, jaggary and salt to taste.
Bring this to boil in a medium flame.
Now add coconut milk and cook it in a medium flame till it starts bubbling.
Add chopped coriander leaves and season it before serving.

Coconut Milk Saaru

---

Did You Know?
The coconut most likely originated somewhere around New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean, but long ago became distributed throughout the Pacific from Southeast Asia to Africa.
Coconut oil was the world's leading vegetable oil until soybean oil took over in the 1960s.
There are more than 20 billion coconuts produced each year.
Coconut juice or coconut water is the liquid inside a coconut. Coconut milk is produced by steeping grated coconut in hot water then straining; coconut cream is coconut milk cooked down until it thickens, or grated coconut steeped in hot milk instead of water.
One cup of unsweetened shredded coconut has about 25 grams fat and 280 calories.
(Source: www.foodreference.com)

---

Dill Saaru(Rasam), Dill Potato Palya and Amma's Kai Tuttu

Most of my friends and people who know me tell me, “You are so strong S. You know how to deal with worst situations”. This always makes me think again and again. Am I that strong? Can I cope up with any worst things and survive? No, I am definitely not that strong. If I am strong, then I inherited it by default. I inherited it by genes from one strong woman, my mother. I am blessed to have been raised by a woman who is never afraid to show her unconditional love. She never backs down from anything or anyone. She has given us courage, unconditional love, identity of our own, pride and ability to stand on our own feet in this not so kind world, not just nourishing food.
There is no greater love than the love of a Mother. There are times, even now, when I don’t feel well and I pick up the phone and call her. As soon as I hear her voice I revert to a child and as always in her loving way, she makes everything alright for me with her love. If anyone to ask me who my role model is, I would happily and proudly say it’s my Amma. I want to be like her in every way. The best compliment I ever got is from my Appa when he said I cook like my Amma. It felt so good to hear those words.

Dill Saaru and Dill Potato Palya

My favorite food is simple Anna and Saaru (Rice and Rasam) cooked by my mother and given as Kai Tuttu. Amma used to take big plate and mix rice and rasam. I with my younger sister and kid brother would sit with her on floor. She would then make big lemon sized balls of rasam rice and put it on our palm and we kids would happily eat them listening to all fairy tales. This way we used to eat more food than usual. Amma’s kai tuttu is like amrut and even now when ever I get chance I like to eat food that way. I guess we all are still children in heart and soul.

Dill Saaru and Dill Potato Palya

Here is the recipe of Dill Saaru which was, is and will always remain my favorite food because I must have had this for n-times as kai tuttu. This is my tribute to Amma for Mother's Day and her B'day(little belated:).

Dill Saaru

---

Dill Saaru
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 4-5

---

Ingredients:
1 cup Dill, chopped
1 cup Yellow Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal
1-2 tbsp Jaggary
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped finely
Salt to taste
For Grinding:
1 marble size Tamarind/1 Lime
1 tsp Black Pepper
3-4 Dry Red Chillies
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-3 Garlic Cloves
For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
Pinch of Hing/Asafetida

Dill Saaru

Method:
Cook pigeon peas/toor dal with enough water and cool it.
Grind half of this dal with pepper seeds, jeera, dry chillies, garlic and tamarind without adding any water and keep it aside.
In a deep pan, take little water and bring it to boil.
To this add ground masala and remaining dal with salt to taste.
Cook this in a medium flame till it starts boiling.
Reduce the flame and add chopped dill adnd coriander leaves and cook for futher 5-10 minutes.
Season it with mustard, dry chilli, hing and curry leaves.
Serve this hot with white rice with ghee and papads.

Dill Saaru

I made Dill Potato Palya inspired by Manjula of Dalitoy’s Dill Potatoes. I added few more things to it to give it a different twist.

Dill Potato Palya

---

Dill Potato Palya
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 2-3

---

Ingredients:
1 Onion, chopped finely
2 medium Potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
½ bunch Dill, chopped
1 tsp thick Tamarind Paste
1 tbsp Jaggary
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 cloves Garlic, chopped finely
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1 tsp Mustard
1 tsp Urad Dal
¼ tsp Hing/Asafetida
Few Curry Leaves
1 Dry Red Chilli
1 tbsp Oil

Dill Potato Palya

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, urad dal, broken chillies, hing and curry leaves.
When mustard starts spluttering, add chopped garlic and onions and sauté them till onions turn translucent.
To this add turmeric powder,chilli powder, tamarind paste and jaggary powder and sauté them for few seconds till masalas blend.
Now add boiled potatoes, dill and salt to taste and cook them adding ¼ glass of water in a medium flame till all the water is absorbed.
Serve them hot with rice or roties and enjoy.

Dill Potato Palya

Onion Sambar

Sambar or sambhar is a South Indian cooking recipe, made of lentils, usually red gram, and vegetables. The regular Sambar Recipe is usually poured over or alongside steamed rice. Several minor variants exist depending on the meal of the day, region, and the vegetable used.
The regular sambar recipe without significant vegetable content is called Saru in Karnataka. Saru without lentils is called hunise saru (tamarind saru), which becomes menasina saru (pepper saru) if pepper is added. Sambar without lentils (but with vegetables or fish) is called Kozhambu in Tamil Nadu. There are major and minor variants of kozhambu (mor kozhambu, vetha kozhambu, rasavangi etc). Note that there are minor but subtle differences in preparation between all the variants. For instance, whether the vegetables are added to the tamarind water or vice versa, which does make them taste different.
Sambar with rice is one of the main courses of both formal and everyday south Indian cooking. It is also served with idli, dosa and vada. It is not uncommon to eat sambar rice with Happala(papad).

Sambar is the most loved dish in my home. May its Idli or Dosa or just plain rice, Sambar always accompanies them. There are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use quite often.

Onion Sambar

Ingredients:
1 cup Small Onions
1/2 cup Toor Dal/Yellow Pigeon Peas
1 medium lime sized Tamarind
2 Tomatoes, sliced
2 Green Chillies, slit
Bunch of Coriander leaves, Chopped finely
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard
2 Red chillies
1/4 tsp Hing/Asafetida
Few curry leaves

To Roast & Grind:
2 tsp Dhania/Coriander Seeds
11/2 tsp Urad Dal/Black gram Dal
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Channa/Bengal gram Dal
4-5 Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
1 Tomato, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of Grated Coconut
3 tsp Oil

Onion Sambar

Method:
Heat 1tsp of Oil and roast the above ingredients until golden.
Fry 1 onion and 1 tomato separately with little oil.
Grind everything with grated coconut to a smooth paste.
Heat Oil in a shallow pan and fry the small onion for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add enough water and boil it till soft.
Cook red gram dal in pressure cooker and mash well.
Mix cooked onion, mashed dal, tamarind extract, tomatoes, green chillies and ground paste with salt and enough water and bring it to boil.
When the sambar is thick enough remove from fire.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and hing. When mustard starts spluttering add this seasoning to sambar.
Serve hot Sambar garnished with chopped coriander leaves with Rice, Idlis or Dosas.

Onion Sambar