Vermicelli Upma / Semiya Upma

Vermicelli Upma also known as Semiya Upma is a south Indian breakfast dish. Its healthy and gets ready in no time. There are many variations to this recipe. Sometimes I add a few mixed vegetables and sometimes make it without using any onions. 

Ingredients:

1 cup vermicelli
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
10 12 cashew nuts, chopped
1 tsp chana dal (optional)
1 spring curry leaves
1/2 tsp urad dal
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 small sized onion, sliced
11/2 cups water
salt to taste

Directions:

Dry roast vermicelli until golden brown. Remove on to a plate and keep aside.

Heat oil in the same pan. Put mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add chopped cashew nuts and saute till golden brown. Add urad dal, curry leaves and green chillies and saute till the urad dal turns golden brown.

Add grated ginger and sliced onions and saute till onions become translucent.

Add water and salt and mix well. (The water should be slightly over salty than required. Salt will balance out once you add vermicelli) Bring it to a boil.

Add vermicelli and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium low and cover and continue to cook till all the moisture evaporates and vermicelli gets cooked.

Remove on to a plate and serve immediately.

Kanda poha / kande pohe

           Kanda poha / kande pohe is a popular dish from Maharashtra, served as breakfast or tea time snack. Kanda means onions in Marathi and poha means flattened rice. It's another variation of the poha usli recipe that I had blogged earlier.
           There are 2 kinds of poha available in the market. Thick poha and thin poha. This recipe is made using thick poha.

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup thick poha
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of hing/asafetida
1 spring curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust according to taste)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 handful roasted peanuts
Chopped coriander springs

Directions:

Wash poha 2-3 times in cold water. Drain all the excess water. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water and keep it aside for 5 minutes. (If you feel the poha has not softened, you can sprinkle some more water).
Add salt and mix gently. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, green chillies and chopped onions. Cook until the onions become soft. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add softened poha and mix it gently. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until the poha gets cooked. Add chopped coriander and roasted peanuts and mix well. Steaming hot poha is ready to serve.


Kaarate Kismuri (Bitter gourd dry side dish)

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 med. sized bitter gourd
3/4 to1 tsp salt
Oil for shallow frying
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
2-3 dry red chillies, roasted
1 tsp coriander seeds
Tamarind pulp, to taste
2 green chillies, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Wash and slice bitter gourd. Remove the seeds and chop in to small pieces. Apply salt and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Squeeze out all the moisture from the bitter gourd pieces and fry until crispy. Take out on to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Grind coconut, dry red chillies, coriander seeds and tamarind pulp to a coarse paste by adding couple of spoons of water.
Take out the paste in a bowl. Add fried bitter gourd pieces, chopped green chillies and chopped onions. Mix it really well. Adjust the salt.
Serve on the side with some rice and any curry.

Ivy gourd/tindora stir fry (tendle upkari)

This ivy gourd/tindora stir fry is a simple mangalorean style stir fry dish. It goes really well with some dal and rice or on the side with some chapatis for a healthy and comforting week day meal.
I got this recipe from a malayalam video clip on you tube. When I prepared it for the first time for my family, we absolutely loved this dish. Little bit of heat from the green chillies, tang from the lemon juice and slight sweetness from the use of pinch of sugar makes this dish different from the regular stir fry that we usually make at home.

Ingredients:

500 grams tindora/tendle/ivy gourd
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed
1 tbsp chana dal
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium potato, cut in to strips (optional)
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:

Wash the ivy gourd, cut the ends and slit into 4-6 pieces. Discard the ivy gourd if it is ripe and has turned red inside. Add the ivy gourd into a vessel and add some salt and water. Cover and cook until just done. Drain the excess water if any. (If you want to cook it in the pressure cooker, pressure cook by adding 1/4 cup water and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Immediately release the pressure by lifting the weight slightly with the help of a spoon. Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and keep the cooked ivy gourd aside)
Heat oil in a wok/kadai. Add mustard seeds, when they start to pop, add crushed garlic and chana dal. Cook until chana dal turns golden brown. Add chopped onions and green chillies and cook until onions turn translucent. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Add potatoes, if using and stir it for 2-3 minutes. Cover the pan cook until tender. Add tomatoes and cook until soft.
Add cooked ivy gourd and mix it well. Simmer and cover for 2-3 minutes until everything comes together.
Add grated coconut, sugar and lemon juice and give the pan a good mix. Finish it off with some chopped coriander and serve.

Masala Khichdi (spicy rice,lentils and vegetables)

          Masala khichdi is a variation of simple khichdi with the additions of spices and vegetables. Each family in India has their own version of the khichdi. It's a healthy, comforting meal in one pot.
          I used brown rice for making this recipe and served it with some lemon pickle on the side.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup rice
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1" piece ginger, grated
2 large cloves of garlic, grated
1 spring curry leaves
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 carrots, diced
1 cup fresh/frozen green peas
8-10 green beans
4 cloves
1" cinnamon stick
1/2-1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp oil and/or ghee
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp chopped coriander

 

 

Directions:

Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 30 mins.
Put green chilles, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and tomato in a small bowl and keep aside.
Using a pestle and mortar, crush cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns into a fine powder.
Heat oil, add bay leaves and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add cumin seeds and the first bowl ingredients ( green chillies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and tomatoes) and mix well. Cook until the tomato becomes soft.
Add crushed spices and turmeric powder and mix well.
Add soaked dal and rice and mix well. Add vegetables and salt along with 3 cups water. (31/2 cups if using brown rice)
Pressure cook for 3 whistles in medium flame. (4 whistles if using brown rice)
Allow the pressure to go. Remove the lid and add in the chopped coriander leaves.
Mix well and serve.


Ambuli Chutney (Raw Mango Chutney)

Ambuli means raw mango in konkani. This tangy, spicy raw mango chutney gets ready in no time. It requires a very few ingredients. We usually serve this chutney with rice and dal or any other curry. But it goes equally well with idli or dosa. You can substitute green chillies with roasted dry red chillies.

Ingredients

1 medium sized raw mango
1 cup fresh or frozen grated coconut
3-4 green chillies (adjust according to taste)
1 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafetida/hing
Salt to taste

Directions

Peel and chop the mango in to medium sized pieces. Grind it to a smooth paste along with grated coconut, green chillies and salt. Transfer the ground chutney in to a bowl.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add asafetida and mix well. Pour this tadka over the ground chutney. Mix well.
Serve.

Gardudde Upkari (Bottle Gourd Fry)

Bottle gourd known as gardudde in konkani, sorekai in kannada and lauki in hindi is a vegetable packed with nutrients. I got this recipe from a Facebook group couple of months back.
It goes really well on the side with steamed rice or chapati and dal for a quick, easy and healthy weekday meal.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 medium sized bottle gourd
1 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
5-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
2-3 tbsp fresh/frozen grated coconut

 

 

 

 

Directions:

Wash, peel and cut bottle gourd in to medium sized pieces.
Slightly crush the garlic cloves. ( you can either peel the skin off or keep them on)
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds.
When they start to splutter, add curry leaves and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add bottle gourd pieces and salt and sauté until the gourd becomes tender, around 5 minutes.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and little less than 1/4 cup of water. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the bottle gourd gets cooked and all the moisture evaporates.
Finally, add grated coconut and mix it well. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Serve.

 

 

 





Vyngana/Gulla Talasani (Eggplants Talasani)

Vyngana talasani / gulla talasani is one of my favorite recipes using eggplants / brinjals / aubergines. (Gulla is a special kind of eggplant that we get in India. Here We don't get gulla so I have used eggplants, known as vyngana in konkani. You can use either green or purple eggplants for making this dish. Here, I have used green eggplants).  It is very easy to make and gets ready in no time. Whenever I make this recipe, I remember the time when me and my sister used to fight to eat the seedless pieces of the eggplant :-)

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
1 drumstick, cut up into 2" pieces (optional but special)
2 tbsp oil
6-8 cloves of garlic
2-3 dry red chillies (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Wash and cut eggplants into 1"cubes. Immerse in water and keep it aside.
Break red chillies into pieces. Crush garlic cloves slightly. (You can either peel the skin off or keep them on).
Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic cloves and fry until golden brown.
Add broken red chillies and sauté until the seeds of the chillies change the color to light brown.
Drain all the water and add eggplant pieces, drumstick pieces and salt to taste. Add little less than 1/4 cup of water. Mix it well.
When the water comes to a boil, simmer and cover the pan and cook till the eggplant becomes soft and all the moisture evaporates. Serve hot.

talasani using purple eggplant and drumsticks

Gobi Masala

I tasted this dish for the first time at a friends place. She made this using cabbage. I made some minor changes to the recipe to suit the taste of my family. It goes really well with some roti, yogurt and pickle or with steamed rice and dal.

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
2 tsp coriander powder
1/3 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tomato, chopped
Salt to taste
Some coriander leaves, chopped

Directions:

Wash and cut cauliflower into small florets.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add onions and sauté until translucent.
Put ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone, around 30 seconds.
Lower the heat and put all the powdered spices and mix well. Sauté for another 30 seconds.
Increase the heat to medium. Add chopped tomato and salt to taste.
Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves the side of the pan.
Add cauliflower and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the cauliflower gets cooked, stirring once in a while in between.
Add chopped coriander and mix well.
Serve hot with some more chopped coriander on top.

Panchmel dal / Panchratan Dal

Panchmel dal, also known as panchratan dal is a healthy and delicious Rajasthani preparation. This dal goes really well with rice or chapati but it is usually served with baati. Panchmel dal is a mix of five most commonly used lentils in Indian cuisine. You can also use split lentils with the skin on.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup toor dal
1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup moong dal
1/4 cup masoor dal
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil/ ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafetida
1-2 dry red chillies
1 med. onion, chopped
1" piece of ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated (optional)
 1-2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

 

 

 

Directions:

Soak lentils for 30 minutes. Wash and pressure cook by adding salt and 3-4 cups of water for 4-5 whistles or until soft.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add asafetida and broken dry red chillies. Sauté for few seconds.
Add chopped onions and sauté until golden.
Add grated ginger and slit green chillies (and garlic, if using) and sauté for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Mix well.
Add chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy and oil separates.
Add garam masala powder and mix well.
Add cooked dal and adjust the consistency of the dal by adding water, if required.
Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.




Beans Talasani (Green Beans stir fry)

Green beans talasani is very simple yet delicious stir fry flavored with lots of garlic. It is very easy to make and needs minimal ingredients. It goes really well with some rice/chapati and dal for a simple weekday meal.



 

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams green beans
2 tbsp. oil
10 medium cloves of garlic
2-3 dry red chillies (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Wash and cut beans into 1" long pieces.
Slightly crush each clove of garlic (You can either peel off the skin or keep them on).
Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic and roast until golden brown on both sides.
Add broken red chillies and roast until the seeds of the chillies change the color slightly.
Add green beans and salt to taste. Mix well.
Add 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the beans gets cooked. If there is any water left, increase the heat and stir until all the moisture evaporates.
Serve.

Pressure cooker method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add crushed garlic and roast until golden brown on both sides.
Add broken red chillies and roast until the seeds of the chillies change the color slightly.
Add green beans and salt to taste. Mix well.
Add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well. Cover and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles.
Once the pressure goes off, take out the lid. Mix the beans well. If there is any water left, increase the heat and stir until all the moisture evaporates.
Serve.





Spicy potato curry (Batate Song)

Batate song/Potato song is a very famous konkani dish. This spicy, tangy curry goes really well with some dalithoy and rice or pan polo/neer dosa. I have used Kashmiri red chilli powder for making this dish as it gives a nice color but it is less spicy compared to the regular red chilli powder.  You can also use a combination of both the red chilli powders. You can adjust the quantity of red chilli powder and tamarind concentrate according to your taste.

 Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes
3 tbsp. coconut oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. red chilli powder
Little less than half a teaspoon of tamarind concentrate (I used tamicon)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Pressure cook potatoes until soft but not mushy. Allow to cool down and peel off the skin. Crumble them coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden brown on medium heat.
Lower the heat completely and add red chilli powder. Mix well. Sauté for 5-6 minutes.
Add tamarind concentrate, salt and 2 cups of water. Mix it well. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
Add crumbled potatoes and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the potatoes absorb the flavors and very thick sauce is left.

Dal Fry

 This is a classic dal recipe. It is absolutely wonderful and easy to make. I learnt this recipe from my sister in law Shilpa Shenoy.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup toor dal
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic
1" piece ginger
2 green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2 med. tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
8-10 springs coriander, chopped

Directions:

Wash and pressure cook dal by adding water and salt for 4 whistles or until smooth.
Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Put cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle.
Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn slight golden on the edges.
Add ginger, garlic and green chilli paste until the raw smell is gone, around 45 seconds.
Lower the heat and add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook for 15-20 seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes, mix well and increase the heat to medium. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Add garam masala powder and cook until oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add cooked dal and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add chopped coriander and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with some more chopped coriander. Goes well with jeera rice, ghee rice or chapati.




Chickpeas Curry (Chane Ghashi)

Chane ghashi is a classic coconut based konkani dish using garbanzo beans/chickpeas.  It is usually prepared on special occasions like festivals or weddings. You can substitute yam with green jackfruit pieces or potatoes. You can use either black chickpeas or white.

Ingredients:

1 cup chana
1 cup fresh/frozen yam/suran cubes
Salt to taste

For the masala:
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
8-10 dry red chillies, roasted
1 small ball of tamarind or 1 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 tsp mustard seeds

For tadka/seasoning:
1 tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves

Directions:

Wash and soak chana overnight. Pressure cook chana by adding salt for 3 whistles. Add yam/suran and pressure cook for 1 more whistle.
Grind grated coconut, dry red chilles and tamarind to a smooth paste. Add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds and grind for another 30 seconds.
Pour this masala over cooked chana and combine. Add more water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and mix well.
Pour this over the curry and mix well.
Serve with steamed rice.




Puffed Rice Dosa (Charmbure polo)

I got this recipe from the book "the konkani saraswat cook book" by Asha S Philar. I simply love the texture and softness of this dosa. It goes really well with some coconut chutney or sambar or any curry.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup urad dal/split black gram
2 cups rice
1/2 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
11/2 cups puffed rice
Salt to taste
Oil for frying (you can also use a combination of oil and ghee)

Directions:

Soak urad dal, rice and methi seeds in 5 cups of water for 4-5 hrs. Soak puffed rice separately.

Wash the urad dal and rice. Squeeze out water from the soaked puffed rice. Grind everything to a smooth batter.
Allow it to ferment overnight.
Next morning, add salt and mix the batter thoroughly with a whipping movement to incorporate as much air as possible.
When the griddle/iron tawa is hot, turn down the heat to medium. Take a ladleful of the batter and pour it on the center of the tawa. Spread it slightly as it must be spongy, with holes appearing as it cooks. Spoon a little oil around the dosa.
Cover and cook on one side only until light brown.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.



Asafoetida Flavored Coconut Chutney (Hinga Chutney)

This is one of the easy, tasty and popular konkani chutney recipe. This goes really well with dosa or idli.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
3 dry red chillies, roasted
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Small piece of tamarind
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A large pinch of asafetida/heeng
1 spring curry leaves

Directions:

Put coconut, dry red chillies, green chilli, tamarind, salt and coriander seeds in to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste by adding warm water.
Transfer it to a bowl. Add some more water to adjust the consistency.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafetida and curry leaves. Mix well.
Pour it over the chutney, mix well and serve with dosa or idli.



Sukki Chutney (Onion Coconut Chutney)

This is one of the tasty and easy to make chutney that goes really well with chapati, roti or paratha. I got this recipe from my mom.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
1 green chilli
2 dry red chillies, roasted
1 tsp coriander seeds
Small piece of tamarind
Salt to taste
1 tbsp onions, roughly chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a blender and grind it to a fine, thick paste by adding warm water.
Serve.


Fenugreek Leaves Flatbread (Methi Paratha / Methi Roti )

These parathas/flatbreads are absolutely delicious and healthy. This goes really well with some pickle or yogurt or chutney or any curry. There are many variations to this recipe. My family loves it this way. You can substitute methi with chopped spinach, grated zucchini, grated bottle gourd, grated radish or a combination of grated radish and grated carrots.

Ingredients:

1 cup methi leaves / fenugreek leaves

2 cups wheat flour plus more for dusting
Salt to taste
3 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ajwain seeds
Water, as required to knead the dough
Oil, ghee or butter for roasting the parathas

Directions:



In a bowl, combine methi leaves, yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain and salt.
Add wheat flour and mix well. Add water gradually and make a medium soft dough. Knead until smooth by adding 1/2 tsp of oil. Cover and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 balls.
Heat an iron tawa, flat griddle pan or frying pan. Take a ball of dough and roll into 6-8" diameter circle, using flour for dusting.
Pat off excess flour and place the paratha on the hot tawa and let it cook for 15 secs. Flip the paratha and let it cook for a few more secs. Once light brown spots appear, drizzle some oil, ghee or butter and roast to a golden shade on both sides. Use a spatula to press the puffed areas as the paratha gets roasted.
Serve hot.





sambar / Kolmbo

Sambar is one of the most famous South Indian recipes. This recipe has lots of variations. This is my mom's recipe. I have used potatoes, drumsticks, green beans, carrots and Lima beans. You can also use cauliflower, radish, ivy gourd / tendle, eggplants, winter melon, yellow cucumber or bottle gourd. If you are making it on fasting days, you can skip adding onions.

Ingredients:

For Sambar:
3/4 cup toor dal
Salt to taste
4 cups of mixed vegetables (see the note above)
1 medium onion, diced (or 6-8 shallots)
2 med. tomatoes, diced
1 handful chopped coriander leaves and stems

For the masala:
1 tbsp. oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. Bengal gram / Chana dal
6-8 black peppercorns
1 tbsp. split black lentils / urad dal
1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds / methi
1 1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
8-10 dry red chillies
A large pinch of asafetida / hing
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 spring of curry leaves
2 tbsp. fresh/frozen coconut
Small piece of tamarind

For the tadka/seasoning
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
A large pinch of asafetida / hing

Directions:

Pressure cook toor dal with 2-3 cups of water and salt for 4 whistles until soft. Whisk to a smooth paste. Add 1 more cup of water along with vegetables, onions and tomatoes. Pressure cook for 1 more whistle.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add cumin. When they slightly change the color add chana dal, peppercorns and dry red chillies. When the dal changes the color slightly, add urad dal, methi seeds and coriander seeds one by one and roast until they turn golden.
Add hing, turmeric powder, curry leaves and coconut and roast until golden.

roasted spices

Allow the spices to cool down. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding tamarind and 1 cup of water or more as required.
Add this ground paste to the boiled dal and vegetables and combine well. Adjust the consistency of sambar and check the seasoning. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes mixing in between.
Add chopped coriander leaves and cook for 1 more minute.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add curry leaves and hing. Mix well. Pour this over the sambar and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with some more coriander with steamed rice.



Tomato Rice

This is one of my favorite rice dishes. You can use basmati or sona masoori rice. It can be eaten by itself, with some yogurt or any curry. The recipe is by chef Leevin Johnson.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds /saunf / badesopu
1 bay leaf
8-10 cashew nuts, chopped
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1" ginger, minced
1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan. Add fennel seeds and bay leaf. Once they start to sizzle, add cashew nuts and fry until golden.
Add onions and sauté until golden. Add ginger and green chilli until the nice aroma comes out.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and combine.
Add tomato and salt and mix well. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves on sides of the pan.
Add rice and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 min. Simmer, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the rice is heated through.
Add coriander leaves, mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
Serve hot or warm garnished with some more coriander leaves.