Sambar-side dish for Idli,dosa,pongal,thalipeeth etc

 Sambar is south indian wholesome delicacy.Its a  tasty combination of lentil/dal and vegetables seasoned with spices and tamarind.

Sambar goes well with anything and everything!My daughter doesn't eat lunch and dinner if there is no sambar.This is a mandatory item in my dialy menu.Sambar is a perfect combo of carbs and proteins from dal and vitamins from mixed vegetables.Try making this to your little one and to your family.

Sambar can be made variety of ways.I being from Karnataka,we eat variety of sambar each day each tastes so very different from others!.Recipe varies by region from simple to complex.

If u have this in ur kitchen u are free to make anything like rice,chapati/roti,poori,idli,dosa,pongal,rotti(thalipeeth)....hmmm much more.I call it king of all recipes:-)

Today I will share the recipe of  Simple  Mixed vegetable sambar like the one's u get it in hotels like udupi,saravana bhavan,kamath,adigas..a few to note.

Ingredients
11/2 cup Toor dal
21/2 cup mixed  vegetables
1  big roughly cut tomato
11/2 Tbspn sambar powder ,click on the link for the recipe- sambar powder
1 Tbspn peanut(optional)
1/2 tspn jaggery
Tamarind big lemon size
2 pinch  turmeric
fresh/frozen grated cocnut 1 Tbspn.

tempering:1 tspn ghee,1/4 tspn mustard seeds,2 pinch asafetida/hing

Process

1)Pressure cook Toordal,peanut with water and turmeric until 2 whistle  or until compeletely cooked .Some pressure cooker requires 3 whistle.Allow the cooker to cool down completely,if you are in a hurry put it down under running tap water.

3)Lets boil the mixed vegetables in water and salt until 3/4th done.I used greenbeans,chayote squash(seeme badanekai),carrot,radish,cucumber with skin(don't skip this),onion.

4)Soak tamarind in water for 20 min and squeeze out the juice.(u can also microwave tamarind and water for 2 min high and keep it in the freezer for 2 min and then squeeze out).Even use tamarind pulp if u have.

4)Mix cooked toor dal,boiled vegetables,sambar powder,4 string curry leaves,tomato.Adjust water.Bring it to boil for 5 min then add the tamarind juice, jaggery and boil it for 15 min in medium.

5)Next add 1 tspn ghee in a pan,add mustard seeds and allow it to pop then the asafetida .Add tempering to sambar.

I made Dosa Sambar for lunch today.
click here for Dosa recipe

Guacamole-Mexican Delicacy

Guacamole is a Mexican delicacy prepared with ripe avacados as its main ingredient and usually had with tortilla chips ie,corn chips.A tasty and healthy appetizer.Also used as topping for burritos,wraps,tacos or even taste great with salads.I love eating with any kind of chips it can be pringles or any other thick variety of  chips.

In India,avacado is popular by name 'butter fruit' for its buttery creamy texture.I used to drink butter fruit milkshake in juice centers of Bangalore while returning from school, I didn't realize this for a long time! that this was avacado.My friend here in US  told me she got some cheap avacados in the store today and I was like oh!new fruit and made a note in my next week grocery shopping list.I went to walmart & I was like oops,this is Butter fruit:-)

I started loving it more after reading its health benefits in a top magazine.Its considered superfood by many nutrition experts.Rich in folate,omega-3,contains good fat,heart healthy are a few to note.

One more plus point about this recipe is you need not to cook at all!!!!Good news ladies:-).Its just mixing up of all raw ingredients.Isn't is good?:-).A super easy recipe.Love these kind of quick fixes for evening much time.

Here are the ingredients

2 Ripe Avacado
1 Tbspn finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon finely chopped tomato
1 tspn lemon juice
1  minced garlic
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes or green chilly chopped or a combination of both.
1 Tbspn  cilantro leaves chopped
salt to taste

Process
1)Peel off  the skin and chop the avacado.
2)Combine all the ingredients,gently smash and mix it well.
3)Enjoy with some corn chips.


Note:Don't over mash it and make it creamy

Panchamrita/Panchamrutha - Puja Offering

Panchamrita or also called panchamrutha is used as puja offering to God.If u visit temples in south India,a spoonful of panchamrita prasad is given after the main aarti.This sacred mixture is also used for abhisheka ie, to bathe the dieties/idols.

This is very easy to make and comes in handy when we perform pujas like varamahalakshmi vrata,vaibava Lakshmi vrata,baba parayana or even dialy pujas.

This holy drink is a mixture of  five main ingredients and hence called panchamrita .Milk,curd,honey,sugar,ghee  are its main ingredients.There is usually regional variations in ingredients.Its very common to add ripe bananas to it.Some even add mixed fruits and some like it with nuts.

This nutritious drink can also be served as dessert.

Have tried lots of variations and this combination tastes great.

1 cup fresh raw milk.
1/4 cup beaten fresh plain yogurt/curd
1 Tbspn Ghee
2 Tbspn honey
2 Tbspn sugar
2 Tulsi leaves/Indian basil
1 ripe big banana
2 Tbspn pomegranate seeds

1)Lets combine milk,curd,honey,ghee,sugar.Mix well till sugar dissolves.Add chopped tulsi.
2)Add ripe banana cut into semi circle pieces and pomegranate.
3)Use it to bathe dieties for abhisheka or offer to God
4)Even serve it chill as dessert for your guests.




 

Medu Vada

Medu Vada is also called Urad vada/Udhina vade and is very popular dish in south India.Its usually had along with Idli for breakfast and also comonly had as appetizer or a evening tea time snack.

This vada is crispy outside and fluffy soft inside.Kids will love this.Make this for your kids and family for evening snack and enjoy beautifull evenings with this yummy vada.

2 cup urad dal

1 tspn rice flour

2 greenchillies finely chopped

1 inch grated ginger

1 tbspn finely chopped coconut

1tspn coriander leaves chopped

6 curry leaves chopped

1/4 tspn eno fruit salt

 Oil for deep fry

salt to taste

 

1)Soak urad dal for 3 hr min.Grind dal it with very less water,add water in drops just enough to grind.You may have to stir now and then as we don't add lot of water.Make it very fine paste.The only tough part in vada is grinding with very less water.

2)Lets whisk the batter for 10 min (you are aerating the batter making it foamy,it yields soft and crisp vada) ,add rice flour.
3)Add salt ,greenchillies,ginger,coconut,coriander leaves.

4)Add eno at last ,mix well

5)Keep a bowl of  water,dip ur fingers in it,then take batter and form vada shape forming a hole inside.You can also drop them in round shapes to get urad bonda .Put it in heated oil immediately.

4)Fry in med-low flame till golden crisp...!

                                                       

                                       

 

 

Lemonade/Lemon Juice

Lemons are an excellent source of Vitamin C.We all know that Vitamin C is essential to our body in a number a ways.Some of them to mention are it boosts your immune systems whose main job is to protect you from illness,so it prevents/cures cold , flu etc.Lemons are also have anti-oxidant,anti-cancer properties!

Its always good to refresh your day with freshly squeezed lemon juice which keeps you energized .

Very famous in India as panaka,panakam,nimbu pani is usually spiced up with cardamom which makes it more aromatic and flavourful

India is one among the biggest producers of cardamom.

Ingredients

6 Tbspn freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Liter or 33 oz water
1/2 cup sugar
2 pinch salt
4 cardamom powdered
ice cubes
sliced lemon to decorate

Procedure
1)Lets warm half of the water and to the sugar and stir till sugar dissolves completely.
2)Add rest of the water,lemon juice,pinch of salt,cardamom powder.
3)Add ice cubes,sliced lemon and store it in a jug and enjoy your day.

Note:To powder the cardamom,peel the skin add 1 tspn sugar and run the rolling pin over it couple of times applying pressure.If u don't have fresh cardamom,then use around1/4 tspn cardamom powder.

Kadabu/Modak/Karjikai - Ganesh Chaturthi Special

Kadabu,a traditional indian sweet made specially for Ganesh Chaturthi.Lord Ganesha loves this sweet.There are two variations ,one is steamed and the other in deep fried.Today I have chosen the deep fried one-Crispy Yummy!

"HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI" to all of you.

One of the huge,grand festivals celebrated in India.This kids favourite festival is celebrated very lively -gigantic idols in all the main streets  filled with music and dance,decorated very creatively with lot of themes.

Ganesha Chaturthi is never complete without offering kadabu/modak/gujia .Lets make this today and worship Vinayaka.

Outer Shell
11/2 Cup Maida/All purpose flour
2 Tbspn Fine Sooji
11/2 Tbspn hot oil
water to make dough

Lets mix maida and fine sooji(chiroti rava),hot oil and mix well.Let make a little stiff than chapati dough by adding little water at a time.Cover and let it rest for 15 min.

Filling
11/2 Cups grated fresh/frozen coconut
11/4 cup jaggery
1 tspn cardamom/elachi powder
4 Tbspn water

1)Lets add jiggery and water in a heavy bottom pan.Allow it to melt.
2)Add coconut and fry for 5 min,now add cardamom powder and fry for another 3-4 min
3)Let it cool down.

Make Kadabu
1)Take a lemon size dough and roll it into circular shape poori
2)Place 11/2 tspn of filling for a medium size poori.
3)Fold it to form a semi circle.
4)Wet your hands with sugar water,form a border at the ends.
5)Deep fry in medium hot oil till completely done.

Note:Also made some modak.Form a oval shape and protrude it ends.

 

Super Easy,Super Healthy,Quick-Oats Curd Rice

Let me start this topic with few benefits of Oats.
1)Provides Cardio vascular benefits.
2)Strengthens your immune system.
3)Good for people with high Blood Pressure and Diabetes.
4)Rich in Antioxidants.
5)Relieves Constipation.

Etc Etc....Always wanted to include this in my diet but never liked the taste till I tried this Oats curd rice.Similar to curd rice but u substitute rice with oats.

 Ingredients
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup plain yogurt/curd
3 Tbspn milk
salt to taste
tempering
1 Tbspn Oil
1/4 tspn mustard seeds
1/4 tspn chana dal
1/4 tspn urad dal
1 string curry leaves
2 greenchillies chopped
 



 1)Cook the oats with 11/2 cup or required amount of water in stovetop or just microwave it for 6-7 min.

2)Let it come to room temperature.

3)Add salt,curd,milk.Mix well.

4)Prepare tempering:Heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds when hot and allow it to pop,then the chana dal and urad dal,fry till golden brown.Add chillies and curry leaves.

5)Add the tempering to the oats and enjoy with your favourite pickle!

Note:
1)If u add more water and cook in microwave,it may overflow and spill inside.Keep an eye!.
2)I used old fashioned oats ie,the thick variety not the quick cut one.As I like the texture,but u can use any variety of oats.
3)You can also add 1 Tbspn grated cucumber and 1 Tbspn finely chopped onion and try variations.The above recipe is the basic version.You can also try adding pomegranate seeds,grated coconut.