Sambhar is a hot favorite South Indian curry which is popularly served with idli (rice dumplings) and dosai (a type of Indian pancake). Sambhar is prepared from Indian lentils and vegetables. It is very easy to make and tastes excellent. All one has to do is gather the ingredients together, and go according to the recipe – step by step. Unsweetened or freshly grated coconut is added to sambhar to enhance its taste. A special masala called sambhar masala is added to toor dal with certain vegetables to prepare sambhar. Sambhar masala is available all over India in local grocery shops. South Indians make sambhar masala at home. Sambhar goes very well with boiled rice for the main meals of the day. Idli and dosai are very nourishing and popular breakfast items.

SAMBHAR RECIPE

Ingredients

Toor dal – 2 cups
Sambhar masala – 4 tbsps
Chopped eggplant (into neat 2″ cubes) – 1 cup
Chopped potato (into neat 1” cubes) – 1 cup
Pearl onion (peeled and cored – 10 no
Baby okra – 10 to 12 no
Pumpkin – ½ cup
Drumsticks (3” long pcs) – 10-12
A lump of tamarind – about the size of a small ball
Ghee – 3 tbsps
Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 8 to 10 no
Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsps
Dry red chili – 3 to 4 no
Salt to taste

Preparation

Boil toor dal with sambhar masala with lots of water till tender and soft. Its consistency should be that of a thick soup.

Leave the tamarind to soak in hot water for 10 minutes at least. Then squeeze it properly and remove all juice.

Add the puree to the boiled lentil and mix very well. Add salt and allow it to simmer. Then add the potato pieces, cook till half done.

Now add other vegetables and cook till all are done. Now heat some oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chilies.

Fry till the spluttering stops and add to the boiled dal and mix again.

Garnish with coriander and serve piping hot with idlis dosas, vadas or plain boiled rice.

Upma is a common breakfast item in India. Upma has its origin in South India. It is a very nourishing and simple to prepare dish, which can be eaten at any time of the day for snacking. Its wholesome quality makes it an ideal substitute for a full meal for some people.

UPMA RECIPE

Ingredients

Vegetable oil – 2 tbsps
Semolina – 1 cup
Curry leaves – 5 to 6
Green chilies – 2
Grated ginger – 1” piece
Mustard seeds – ¾ tsp
Finely chopped onions – 2 medium sized
Chopped tomatoes – 2 medium sized
Salt to taste
Hot water – 2 Cups
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Juice of ½ lime
Copped coriander to sprinkle

Preparation

Place a pan on a medium flame and roast the semolina lightly.

Stirring should be vigorous and the semolina should not be allowed to turn brown. When done, keep on one side in a plate.

Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies.

When the spluttering comes to an end, grate and add ginger.

Stir for one minute. Now add onions till they turn soft and translucent. Then add tomatoes, till they too turn soft.

Add hot water, salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.

Now add the roasted semolina slowly (bit by bit), stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Cook and simmer till the semolina transforms into a thick porridge, then turn off the fire. Then squeeze lime juice over the upma dish and mix properly.

Sprinkle chopped coriander on top for garnish and serve piping hot.

Upma can also be made with chopped vegetables for variation. The vegetables have to be boiled and stirred with the semolina.

Kind courtesy of Indian recipes

Pongal is the most important festival of South Indians. Pongal celebrations extend for four days. God is praised by man on these days with utmost devotion and sincerity. It is celebrated in south India to usher in the new year with immense gratitude, joy and amity. Pongal is a South Indian dish which is popularly cooked during this festival. There are two main varieties of pongal, namely sarkarai or sweet pongal and kara or spicy pongal. Kara pongal is called Ven pongal in Tamil Nadu and Huggi in Karnataka. The divine rice which is boiled with milk and jaggery in the festival is also called pongal.

PONGAL RECIPES

Ven Pongal

Ven pongal is an intrinsic part of South Indian culture, and popularly served as breakfast in South Indian homes. It is a creamy rice dish, which is made by cooking rice with ghee and roasted moong dal. The stirring is done in plenty of water and milk. The seasoning is done with black peppercorn, cumin and salt. The delicious mixture is cooked in a huge pot till the rice and dal become soft. Cashews are roasted and sprinkled on the finished dish before eating. The simplicity of this dish emanated a divine fragrance that fills South Indian homes at festival time.

Sarkkarai Pongal

Sarkarai Pongal is cooked in the Sunny courtyard and served from the pot directly.

Ingredients

Milk – 2 lts
Almonds – 10
Cashewnuts – 15
Kishmish or raisins – 30
Newly harvested rice – 1 and ½ cups
Grated jaggery – 1 and ½ cup
Nutroeg powder – ¼ tsp
Saffron powder – ¼ tsp
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Ghee – 2 tbsps

Preparation

Clean Kishmish and chopped cashew nuts and almonds. Pour milk in Pongapni (an earthen pot) and place on fire. Wash rice and dal and add to the milk when it comes to boil. Add ghee and jaggery when the rice and daal become soft. Cook on a medium fire for some time before adding almonds, cashew nuts, and the crushed and dissolved saffron, nutrieg and cardamom powders. Add Kishmish in the end and bring to one or two boils.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Rice

½ Cup Grated Coconut

Salt To Taste

How To Prepare Maida Naan Recipe :

.    Grind soaked rice to a fine paste.
.    Add salt, enough water to make a thin batter.
.    Keep aside for 2 hours.
.    Heat a dosa griddle, pour 1 ladle ful of mixture in centre.
.    Spread to make a round flat pancake shape.
.    Or tilt griddle in all directions to allow batter to spread thinly.
.    When done flip over, drizzle a little oil, cook 1 minute.
.    Fold in half and then quarter.
.    Serve hot with coconut or green chutney.

Ingredients :

3 Cups Maida

2 Tsp Oil

Milk For Blending

4 Tsp Butter

½ Cup Curd

Salt to Taste

½ Tsp Baking Soda

How To Prepare Maida Naan Recipe :

. To maida, add butter, curds, oil and crumble with fingers.
. Add milk a little at a time, till soft pliable dough is formed.
. Cover with wet muslin cloth and keep aside for 5-6 hours.
. Make even sized balls and roll into a thick a thick triangle
. Place on a pre-warmed griddle (tawa) and cook both sides.
. Serve hot.

Ingredients :

Vellarika (cucumber) 200 gm

Salt As required

Curd ½ cup

Grated coconut 1 cup

Cumin powder a pinch

Green chilly 6

Coconut oil 1 tablespoon

Mustard seed ½ teaspoon

Dry red chilly 2

Curry leaves 1 stem

How To Prepare Vellarika Kichadi Recipe :

.    Peel the cucumber and cut into small pieces.
.    Cook this in water with salt as required.
.    Grind Ingredients 4 to fine paste.
.    Add this to the cooked cucumber pieces and bring to boil.
.    Add curd and stir well for 2-3 minutes.
.    Splutter mustard seeds in coconut oil,
.    Add dry red chilly and curry leaves and pour it over the kichadi.

Ingredients :

Lady’s finger 200 gm

Mustard seed ½ teaspoon

Shallot 1 cup

Green chilly 5

Coconut oil 2 tablespoon

Grated coconut ½ cup

Curry leaves 1 stem

Salt(as per taste)

How To Prepare Bhindi Thoran Recipe :

.    Cut lady’s finger in small round pieces.
.    To this add chopped shallots and chopped green chilly, grated coconut, salt and mix well.
.    In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seed.
.    Add the mixed ingredients and salt.
.    Close the pan and cook on a low flame.
.    Store and serve as per requirements.

Ingredients :

250 gms. french beans (flas beans)

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

2 green chillies

1/2 tsp mustard seeds (raai)

1 tsp black gram split (urad dal)

2 red chillies whole

8-10 curry leaves (kari patta)

4-5 tblsp gingelly oil (tel)

salt (namak) to taste

Dal Paste Preparation Ingredients …

1/4 cup bengal gram (chana) split

2 tblsp black gram split (urad dal)

1/4 cup pigeon pea split (arhar dal)

2 tblsp green gram split (moong dal)

6 red chillies whole

1/4 tsp asafoetida

salt (namak) to taste

How To Prepare Beans And Paruppu Usili Recipe :

.    Wash, string and cut French beans into half centimeter sized dices.
.    Cook beans in salted boiling water for two to three minutes.
.    Drain well and reserve.
.    Wash, remove stems and finely chop green chillies.
.    Soak all the dals for about twenty minutes.
.    Drain and grind to a thick paste with dry red chillies, salt and asafoetida powder.
.    Add water if required.
.    Apply a little oil on a piece of banana leaf according to the size of the steamer or the pressure cooker.
.    Spread dal paste evenly on it and steam in a cooker for fifteen minutes or till cooked.
.    Insert a toothpick or needle into the dal mixture and if it comes out clean then it is cooked.
.    Turn out cooked dal on a large plate and cool.
.    Crumble cooked dal to a coarse powder with your palm and fingers.
.    If dal is quite dry and solid,
.    Then you can blend it briefly in a food processor to crumble.
.    Heat oil in a shallow pan, temper with mustard seeds, red chillies, urad dal and curry leaves.
.    Stir-fry briefly and add chopped green chillies.
.    Add the cooked beans and crumbled dal mixture.
.    Toss on high heat for a two to three minutes.
.    Reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently for five to six minutes or till the beans and dal start sizzling.
.    Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups coconut (narial) (scraped)

1 cup red chillies whole

2 tblsp mustard seeds (raai)

1/4 cup black gram split (urad dal)

salt (namak) to taste

1/2 tsp asafoetida

8 tblsp oil (tel)

How To Prepare Narial Podi Recipe :

.    Heat 4 tablespoons of oil
.    Fry the coconut to a reddish brown color and cool.
.    Heat the remaining oil
.    And then fry the dal, chillies and mustard seeds separately,
.    Remove and cool the mixture.
.    Mix all the ingredients and grind to a coarse powder.
Store in a dry airtight bottle.

Ingredients :

12-16 raw piece of kathal(jackfruit)

1 cup coconut (narial) (scraped)

1 tsp rice (chawal)

1/2 cup green gram split (moong dal)

1/2 tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder

4 red chillies whole

salt (namak) to taste

2 tblsp coconut (narial) oil (tel)

How To Prepare Kathal Puzhukku Recipe :

.    Take raw jackfruit cut into 12-16 segments.
.    Choose large jackfruit segments, which are not fully ripe.
.    De-seed and cut into two or three pieces.
.    Soak half the coconut with rice and grind lightly.
.    Broil the dal in a kadhai for a couple of minutes,
.    Cool, wash and boil in two cups water till soft and completely cooked.
.    Add the jackfruit sections and continue cooking.
.    Add chilli powder, red chilies broken into two and salt.
.    Stir well for few minutes.
.    Add the scraped coconut and the coconut paste to the vegetable.
.    Simmer till it thickens.
.    Drizzle the coconut oil on this, remove and serve immediately.