Sambar

 Sambar recipe is one of the most loved dishes of mine and  in South Indian cuisine. It accompanies most every meal. In South India, there are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use and i learnt .

                  Sambar commonly contain a variety of vegetables and are often finished off with more spices and curry leaves sautéed in oil. Sambar is especially popular as a breakfast dish, served with idli , vada and rice.

Ingredients For Sambar Powder

• Coriander seeds - 1 table spoon
• Chana dal - 1 tea spoon
• Urad dal -1/2 tea spoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Asafetida - 1/4 tea spoon
• Red chillis - 2 to 4, according to taste
• Black pepper - 1/4 tea spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
• Methi(fenugreek) seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

Ingredients for Sambar:

• Toor dal - 1 small cup
• Tamarind - a lime sized ball
• Onions 2 medium sized, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium sized, chopped
• Curry leaves - a sprig.
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped.
• Salt - 1 tea spoon or to taste.
• Water - 3-4 cups.

Ingredients for seasoning:

• Oil+ghee - 1 tsp each
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4teaspoon.

Preparation:

• Roast the sambar powder ingredients on low flame. Grind to fine powder.
• Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes. Get pulp using 1 cup of water.

Cooking Method:

1. Cook Toor dal in 2 cups of water till it is soft.
2. In a deep pan, Heat oil.
3. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they stop crackling, add asafetida and turmeric powder, curry leaves, chopped onions.
4. Fry for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add 1 cup water. Add ground sambar powder. Boil.
6. Mash the cooked dal. Add to the mixture.
7. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp, salt. Stir. Add more water if needed.
8. Boil for about 5 minutes.
9. Add chopped coriander leaves.

Sambar is ready to serve withdosa,Rava Idli,Rice.

Enjoy

Kheema Palak

Spinach is one of very few vegetables that we both like and I cook it at least once a week. I usually fry the spinach or make a dal spinach ,but today i tried out  a new and a old variety that is keema palak .Kheema is a  goat or lamb meat and i mixed it with a bowl of spinach .Both palak and kheema are good for health. Yesterday i found spinach sitting in my fridge for a long time and thought of finishing it .On weekends for sure i will cook non veg ,so i thought of preaparing kheema this week.

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Oil
• 2 Cardamom
• 2 Cloves
• 1/2 tsp Saha Jeera
• 1 small Onion Chopped
• 1 – 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tsp masala powder
• Salt to Taste
• 2 cups or approx. Ground Goat or lamb Meat
• 1  6 oz or 170 gms Packet Baby Spinach Chopped (can use bunch spinach)
• Cilantro to Garnish,mint 

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a pan, add cardamom, cloves and saha jeera.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and continue to saute until the rawness of ginger garlic is gone.
• Add ground kheema and cook for 2-3 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.  If using raw meat, wash and add the kheema and mix well.  cover and cook for approx. 10-15 minutes until the kheema is cooked. Also adjust the chili powder and salt.
• Add coriander, turmeric, chili powder,masala powder, coriander powder and salt.  Mix well.
• Add a hand full mint leaves.
• Add Spinach, mix well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until spinach withers and is cooked.
• Remove the cover and continue to cook until all the liquid is gone.  Or until it is done.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or roties.

Penne Arrabiata( one of the wonderful italian dish .................:))

Hi friends
            Yehhh! back again with another new recipe,and its Sunday so it must  be something special and easy dish where you can enjoy your weekend with your partner having a spicy and a mixed Italian flavors.... Today i made Penne Arrabiata this  is an Italian pasta dish  is simple to make and tastes fantastic. Breaded chicken is tossed with pasta in a spicy tomato sauce. Enjoy with garlic bread with olive oil  and a side salad, if desired.

                 I tasted my first pasta  in Italy was in Rome after a long  walk on the Rome roads . And I'll never forget it. It was penne tossed in a spicy red sauce. My first Arrabiata. Here's my a simple and fast recipe perfect for a weeknight supper.

Penne Arrabiata

    Ingredients

SERVES 2
200g dried penne
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
half an onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt and black pepper
pinch of sugar(optional)
grated parmesan, to serve

Method
1. In a saucepan, gently cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion has softened. Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli flakes and sugar.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 25-30 minutes until thickened.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until cooked \'al dente\', and then drain the pasta.
3. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix in well. Serve with grated parmesan.

Arrabiata sauce is like, since most Arrabiatas that we have had in restaurants have slight variations in flavors. I guess it comes from the herbs used. But yes, arrabiatas have a thing in common and that's the heavy tang from tomatoes, which I totally adore.

( another simple way is , bring the arrabiata sauce and mix it with the boiled pasta ........... but i prefer home made is much tasty and healthy.............:))

Me and my recipe........Moong & Spring Onion Dal (Indian Soup of Split Green Lentils and Spring Onion)

Hi friends
    Today i started thinking to write a blog of my self  before writing about my recipes. I am not that big  fan of cooking. Then why a food blog, you may wonder? Like all you guys out there I didn't start this blog for the love of cooking or because I wanted to preserve my moms or grandmothers' recipes. I started it for my benefit really. I used to spend ages researching a recipe online (because I would have absolutely no clue) and then taking bits and pieces from here and there and create something that would soothe our taste buds and then forget to bookmark the page and go absolutely crazy trying to recreate the same thing again. The research bit all over again tested my patience and so I thought I should start a blog to record all those recipes I try, because cooking from books were so good and innovating  :). I like cooking recipes  because i feel even that is a type of discovery what we do daily in our work ..
          I become very creative when i am cooking or trying new recipes for new taste  but at the end of the day it will be the best and sometime the worst :) .But my partner anni is always with me.........:P :). Today i tried out a  very old Indian recipe and  easy one where 
everyone use to like this when we r at one.I think the best combo is with papad and dried chilies .

Moong & Spring Onion Dal (Indian Soup of Split Green Lentils and Spring Onion)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
1 cup Moong Dal/split Yellow Lentils
4-6 Spring Onions, thinly sliced (Keep the green part separate from the white ones)
2-3 large Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, finely chopped or grated
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
Juice of half of a lemon
2 tbsp fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped finely
Salt to taste


For Tadka/Tempering:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Methi/Fenugreek Seeds (Optional)
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida(Optional)
1-2 Dry Red Chillies, halved
Few Curry Leaves
½ tbsp Ghee/Oil


.Preparation:
Wash the moong dal and leave it in water for 15 min. Wash spring onions and chop the greens and bulbs too. Do not discard either of them. Meanwhile, heat a vessel with a teaspoon of oil and add the urad dal, mustard seeds, red chili, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chillies and saute for sometime. Then add the washed dal and saute for 2 minutes until the oil covers the grains. Then, add the spring onions and let cook, covered without adding any water. After keeping covered 5-10 minutes, add  salt and keep covered until done. the dal should remain intact and the spring onions soft. Remove from heat and add the juice of half of a lemon.Serve hot with hot rice and chips/fritters of your choice.

 See its simple, very tasty and very healthy.........:) hope u try this out :)