Instant Sambar - Sambar without Paruppu - Tiffin Sambar

   

    Instant Sambar is a grea6t relief when we feel lazy to cook still feels like eating a tastier side dish. This Sambar doesn't need any paruppu/dal nor sambar powder for preparing. Yet the Sambar has superb flavour and taste!!! Let us get into the recipe now!!!

Ingredients:

For Masala:

1. Small Onions - 5 to 6

2. Tomato - 1

3. Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbsp

4. Dried Red Chillies - 2 or as per your spice level.

5. Roasted Chana Dal (Porikadalai) - 1 Tbsp

For Sambar:

1. Small onions - 5 to 6

2. Tomato - 1

3. Carrot and Beans - few chopped

4. Jaggery - a little

5. Asafoetida 

6. Turmeric Powder

7. Chopped Coriander leaves - few

For Tempering:

1. Mustard Seeds

2. Urad Dal

3. Curry Leaves

&

Salt

Oil

Recipe:

1. In a Pan, heat oil and saute coriander seeds and dried red chillies. Add Small onions and chopped Tomato and saute for a while. Closing the pan with a lid will make the process easy. Once done let the mixture to cool down. While the Mixture is cooling down let us prepare the sambar base.

2. In another/same pan, heat oil and temper mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Add in Small onions and saute for a while. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for a while. Add chopped Carrots and Beans. Give a stir. Add Water and let the vegetables boil. Add in Asafoetida, Turmeric powder and salt. Close the pan with a lid.

3. Add the roasted chana dal along with the cooled down mixture and grind it into a smooth paste while the veggies are boiling.

4. Once the veggies are cooked, add in the grounded paste. Add required water, salt and a little Jaggery. Once boiled add in chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

5. The Instant Sambar is Ready.. Goes well with Idli, Dosa, Rava Dosa, Pongal etc !!!

Notes:

1. You can use big Onions as well. But the Small Onions gives more taste.

2. You can add a little tamarind pulp if you need extra sourness. 

Salna / veg salna / empty salna

                            This salna is a plain one which is usually named empty salna as it has no veggies in it. This is a great combo for Parottas. Also it tastes great with chapati, Idly and dosa too... This is a very simple and easy recipe. The taste and flavour of this salna reminds us of the roadside shops...

Ingredients:

1. Onion - 2 (medium size) 

2. Tomato - 1 (medium size)

3. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

4. Cardamom - 1

5. Cloves - 4

6. Black stone flower (Kalpasi) - a small piece

7. Coriander seeds - 1 spoon

8. Fennel seeds - 1 Spoon

9. Cumin seeds - 3/4 spoon

10. Ginger - 1 inch piece

11. Garlic - 2 to 3 pods

12. Curry leaves

13. Coriander leaves

14. Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

15. Roasted chana dal - 1 tbsp

16. Cashew nut - 3 to 4 pieces

17. Chilli powder - as needed

18. Turmeric powder - as needed

19. Salt - as needed

(You can also add other whole garam masala spices like star anise, marathi moggu etc)

Recipe:

1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black stone flower, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds. Roast for a while. You will get a nice aroma. Add chopped Onion (1), ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Saute for a while. Add Tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are well cooked, add the grated coconut. Saute for few minutes and switch off the flame. Allow the mixture to cool down. You will feel the nice aroma of salna at this stage itself.

2. Once the mixture is cool, grind it to a smooth paste along with few cashews and roasted chana dal by adding water. Don't add too much cashews and roasted chana dal.. It will spoil the taste of the salna.

3. Heat a pan and add oil. Add the remaining one chopped onion and curry leaves. Saute well. Sautéing the onions for a long time gives nice flavour to the salna. You can also temper whole garam spices before adding onion. That step is purely optional. Add the grounded paste and saute the paste for a minute. Add half of the chopped coriander leaves. You can add chopped mint leaves too. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add water to make the gravy thin. Allow the salna to boil. The oil gets separated when the salna is ready. Swith off the flame and garish with the remaining coriander leaves. 

Notes:

1. If you are want to increase the quantity of the salna, along with doubling the ingredients, add poppy seeds while roasting.

2. The recipe can be made even simpler by replacing coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds with coriander powder, fennel seeds powder, cumin powder respectively. 

3. Use kashmiri red chilli powder, if you prefer a nice red colour for the salna.

Srilankan Fried Eggplant curry

I tasted this curry/kulambu recently in a Srilankan eatery. Was really amazed with the taste of the curry. Immediately, I searched through the internet for the recipe. I got very few inputs on the ingredients and the recipe. I tried the recipe few times and it turned out yummy! I have explained the recipe here. It is a simple recipe yet it tastes heavenly!!! Pardon me, if there is any error in the recipe and correct me if you know the original recipe in the comments section so that I can edit the post with the correct details..

Ingredients:

1. Eggplant (I used the long purple variety) - 3 to 4.

2. Garlic - 10 pods.

3. Onion -1 medium size.

4. Turmeric powder.

5. Chilli powder.

6. Sambar powder/ kulambu masala powder.

7. Tamarind pulp.

8. Salt.

9. Jaggery.

10. Mustard seeds.

11. Red chilli.

12. Curry leaves

13. Oil.

14. Coconut milk (optional)

Recipe:

              Chop the eggplant in 2 inch stripes. Chop the garlic lengthwise if it is big. Fry the chopped eggplant in batches until it is browned a little. Finally fry the garlic too. Chop the onions.

                Heat a tawa and add oil to it. When it is hot, add mustard seeds. Once it crackles, add curry leaves and broken red chillies. 

                 Add onion and saute it. Add the fried the eggplant and garlic. Add salt and give a stir. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, sambar powder and give a stir. Saute a little and add tamarind pulp. Check for salt and add salt if needed. Add a little Jaggery (this step is optional). Allow the curry to boil. 

                 This curry is supposed to be thick. So make sure that tamarind pulp is not watery. Also do not add too much tamarind. It may override the taste of eggplant. simmer the curry. Stir it in between. Switch off the stove after 10 mins. Add coconut milk and give a stir(This step is optional).The Srilankan fried eggplant curry is ready. 

 

                  You can also add tomatoes in the recipe. But I felt tomatoes change the taste of the recipe... 

                  The curry goes very well with rice, Idly n Dosa!!! Try it!!! You will surely fall in love with the fried eggplant curry!!!