Hotel Sambar

Ingredients:

Small Onion - 200 gms, peeled
Tomato - 2, cut
Tamarind - small lemon sized
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 3
Sugar or Jaggery - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - as required

 

For Masala

 

Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 3 tsp
Red Chillies - 4
Asafoetida - a pinch
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Roast all the above ingredients in a little oil and grind to powder.

 

For Seasoning:
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 2
Curry Leaves - few
Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing


Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal and keep aside.
2. Shallow fry onions along with tomato and green chillies.
3. Extract tamarind in 3 cups of water.
4. Boil the fried onions in this, till done.
5. Add turmeric powder, salt and ground masala.
6. Boil for a few more minutes.
7. Now mix the cooked toor dal and sugar.
8. Boil for a few more minutes and serve hot.

 

Temper with mustard seeds and curry . This sambar goes well with South Indian tiffins like Idli , Dosai and Adai.

Idli Sambar

Ingredients:

 

1 cup Moong dal
1/4 cup Thoor dal
5 Drumsticks(cut into 11/2 inch pieces)
1 Carrot (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 Medium size brinjal (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 Potato (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 Green chillies
1 tomato Medium size
1 onion Medium size
1 Coriander powder
1/2 Chilli powder
1/4 Turmeric powder
Salt for taste

 

For Tempering:
2 tbsp Oil
1 Onion (chopped)
1tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Urad dal
3 Curry leaves

 

Method:

1. In a pressure pan fry the moong dal for 6-7 min.
2. Add the thoor dal, vegetables, chopped tomato, chopped onion, green chillies.
3. Pressure them till 2 whistle.Then, open the pan and add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and cook for 5 min.
4. Now, in a tempering vessel pre-heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves.
5. Add the onion and fry till golden brown and add to the sambar.
6. Sambar is ready serve with Idly and Dosa.

Kothamalli Thokku

Ingredients:

Coriander Leaves - a bunch

Red chillies - 4 (vary according to your spice level)
Urud dhal - 3 tablespoon
Fenugreek Seeds - 2 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoon
Urud dhal - 1 tablespoon (for seasoning)
Salt - to taste

 

 

 

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry urud dhal, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and asafoetida without over burning.
2. Then clean the coriander leaves with water and add it to the pan and fry well until the raw smell goes off.
3. Cool and grind it into coarse paste with required salt.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and season mustard seeds and when it splutters, add the ground paste and mix it well for 2 -3 minutes.
5. Spicy, tatsy kothamalli thokku is ready to serve.
6. This goes well with Idly/dosa and also with white rice. 

 

Tomato Thokku (with onions)

We use onions for preparing this thokku. To prepare without onion, Click here.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1. Onion - 3 finely chopped
2. Tomato - 7 finely chopped
3. Garlic - 15
4. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Urud dhal - 2 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - 6
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Oil - 6 to 7 tablespoon
9. Sambhar powder - 2 tablespoon
10. Salt - to taste

Preparation:1. Chop Onions and tomatoes into fine pieces. Peel the skin of garlic.
2. Heat oil in a pan, and when hot, add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters, add urud dhal, asafoetida and fry until it turns golden brown.
4. Now add the onions, tomatoes, garlic and curry leaves and cook.
5. Add the sambhar powder and salt and mix well.
6. Now start cooking the mixture in a medium flame and stirring every 7 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes are completely smashed and cooked.
7. When the oil starts separating and the tomatoes and onions are perfectly cooked, thokku is ready to serve.
8. Garinsh with coriander leaves.

This mouth watery dish is a very good combination for idly, dosa, rotis, and also goes well with variety rice.

Tomato Thokku (without onions)

We donot use Onion for this one. This dish can also be prepared using onion. For preparation of that one, Click here.

Ingredients:
Tomoato -4
Turmeric powder - 1 Teaspoon
Chilli powder - 2 Tablespoon
Asafoetida - 1/2 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Fenugreek powder (methi) (fry dry methi seeds and powder it) - 2 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 Tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Boil tomatoes and peel the skin and make a puree.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida.
3. Add the tomato puree and turmeric powder and salt and stir well.
4. Add chilli powder and fenugreek powder and mix well and close it with lid and cook till the raw tomato smell goes away oil floats.

Tomato thokku is good combination for Idly/Dosa/Rice. Especially this is a lovely combination for curd rice/lemon rice. You can also stock this in an air tight container in refrigerator for 1 week.

Brinjal Gothsu

Ingredients:
1. Brinjal - 6
2. Onion - 2 medium size
3. Tamarind juice - 300 ml (you can make the juice from either a tamarind of small lemon size or can use 2 spoons of tamarind paste).
4. Red chillies - 2
5. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Urud dhal - 2 teaspoon
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Curry leaves - 4
9. Oil - 2 tablespoon
10. Salt - to taste
11. Coriander leaves - to garnish

To make Powder:1. Channa dhal - 3 tablespoon
2. Red chillies - 4 (vary it according to your requirement)
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
4. Methi seeds - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:
1. Chop brinjal into fine pieces and onions lengthwise.
2. Dry roast all ingredients given for powdering and make a coarse powder.
3. Heat oil in pan and when hot add mustard seeds.
4. When it splutters, add urud dhal, red chillies and asafoetida and fry until it turns golden brown.
5. Add the chopped onions and curry leaves and cook until onions turn transparent.
6. Now add the brinjals and salt and mix well for next 5 minutes
7. Add the tamarind juice and bring it to boil in a medium flame.
8. When it comes to boil, add the powder and keep it in a low flame and cook for another 15 minutes.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and tasty, yummy brinjal gothsu is ready to serve. This is a very good combination for Idly and Ven Pongal.

Based on the sourness of the tamarind you use, make sure to adjust the quantity.
A cup of cooked moong dhal canalso be added to have an additional taste.

Paneer Kofta

Ingredients:

1. Paneer - 50 gms
2. Potato - 2
3. Corn flour - 3 tablespoon
4. Onion - 2
5. Tomato - 3
6. Cashews - 20
7. Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoon
8. Red chilli powder - 2 tablespoon
9. Garam masala - 2 teaspoon
10. Curd - 1/2 cup
11. Oil
12. Coriander leaves


Preparation:
1. Boil potatoes and mash them nicely. Grate the paneer into fine pieces.
2. Add Corn flour, 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder, and required salt and add little water and mix well.
3. Heat oil in pan. Make small balls of the mix and deep fry them till it turns golden brown.
For Gravy
1. Grind onions and tomatoes into fine paste.
2. Powder cashew and cumin seeds separately.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the onion/tomato paste and stir well till it is cooked and oil separates.
4. Add curd, cashew powder, cumin powder, 1 tablespoon of chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix well. Add little water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Add the balls into the gravy and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi or Naan or Paratha and enjoy the delicious dish.