Sambar Rice (Another Version)

 Sambar rice is one of the tastiest and nutrition rich one pot meal . You get the essential carbohydrates from rice, protein from dal, vitamins and minerals from vegetables, fat from oil/ghee. Earlier I have shared another version of sambar rice recipe, cooking all the ingredients in a single shot in pressure cooker. Please click here for that recipe. This one is slightly a different version. In this, we cook only the rice and dal in the pressure cooker and mix the rice,dal with spices, vegetables . This sambar rice is made with fresh home made sambar masala paste , with minimal ingredients available in your kitchen. Try it, you will like it for sure. It is very filling and you will not feel the hunger for a long time.

Cooking Time: 35 to 40 mintes

Serves : 1 to 2 persons

INGREDIENTS:

FOR SAMBAR MASALA PASTE:

Oil - 2 teaspoon

Channa dal/ kadalai paruppu - 1 tablespoon

Coriander seeds  - 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Black whole pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 6 no.s ( Reduce the chilli, if you want less spicy)

Coconut powder /fresh grated coconut - 1 tablespoon

Water - 1/2 cup for grinding

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

Rice - 1/2 cup 

Toor dal - 1/ 4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Water - 2.25 cups

Ghee - 2 teaspoon

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 2 no.s

Onion - 1/2 cup chopped ( Preferrably small onions)

Carrot - 1/2 cup chopped

Chayote / chow chow - 1/2 cup chopped

Green peas - 1/4 cup

Garlic pods - 3 no.s

Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup

Salt - as required

Coriander leaves - For garnishing

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

METHOD:

1.  Wash and soak 1/2 cup of basmati rice and 1/4 cup of toor dal in sufficient water for about 30 minutes. Then drain the water and add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder , required salt and 2.25 cups of water and pressure cook them in high flame for 1 whistle and then sim for 12 minutes. 

2. In a pan, add 2 teaspoon of oil. Now add 1 tablespoon channa dal, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 6 no.s of dry red chilli and roast all of them in a low flame, until the colour changes and nice aroma comes. Now swich off the stove and add 1 table spoon of coconut powder to the hot pan and mix well. Now grind them all with 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste. Your fresh sambar masala paste is ready !

3. Now, in a pan, add 2 teaspoon of ghee. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard, 2 dry red chilli. When it splutters, add 1/2 cup of chopped onion and garlic pods. 

4. Now add 1/2 cup of chopped carrots, 1/2 cup of chopped chayote and 1/4 cup of  green peas. Also a pinch of turmeric and pinch of salt and saute for sometime. Then add tamarind extract water and cover and cook the vegetables , until they are soft. 

5. Once the vegetables are  cooked ,  add the fresh sambar masala paste which you prepared in step 2 and also 1/2 cup of water . Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. As the masala paste has been already roasted and grinded, no need to cook the masala paste for longer time, as it will lose its fragrance. 

6. Now add the cooked rice and dal. Also add some water to adjust to your desired consistency. Mix the contents well and boil for a minute or two and switch off. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder and garnish with coriander leaves. Sambar saadham is ready to serve. You can serve it with pickle and papad . Sambar sadham taste better, when served hot !

SEE ALSO: Vegetable sambar rice , Bisi bela bath

Instant Bread Dosa

 Try this instant bread dosa recipe, that requires no fermentation and can be made immediately in a short time. 

Yields - 8 no.s of Dosas. 

INGREDIENTS :

White Bread - 4 no.s

Sooji/Rava - 1 cup

Rice Flour - 1/4 cup 

Curd or Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 1 cup

METHOD:

1. Cut the edges of white bread. Cut them into pieces and take it in a bowl.  Add 1 cup of rava, 1/4 cup rice flour and 1/4 cup curd .  Also add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar .

2. Now add 1 cup of water to it , combine well and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes, till the bread and rava absorb all water and soaked well.

3.  After 20 minutes, the bread and rava soaked well. Grind them in to a smooth paste by adding another 1/2 cup of water. Adjust water according to dosa batter consistency.

4. Just before making dosa, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the batter and mix gently. Heat the dosa pan, and start making dosas. Dosas will be crispy and also tasty . Serve with any favourite chutney of your choice.

Bread Dosa with Tomato Thokku

ALSO SEE:  Mint Coriander Chutney, Peanut Chutney. Tomato Onion Chutney 

Pineapple Rasam

     Summer season has arrived. Mangoes, pineapples are now dominating in fruit market. Pineapple is used in smoothies, cake and even in pizzas. I used pineapple in a healthy way and also an unusal way of adding it to rasam. But trust me, it was absolutely delicious . The rasam gave a taste of slight sweet, sour and spicy all combined together and it was very yummy when mixed with rice or quinoa. Give it a try and am sure you will like it.

INGREDIENTS:

Pineapple - 4 to 5 pieces

Tomato  - 1 medium sized

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Garlic pods - 4 to 5 no.s

Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Rasam powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Coriander leaves - For garnishing

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

SEASONING:

Ghee/ Oil - 2 teaspoon

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 2 no.s

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - as required

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook toor dal and keep it aside. Take half of pineapple pieces and grind it in to a smooth paste. Remaining pineapples, cut in to small pieces.

2. Grind tomatoes to a smooth puree.

3. Take garlic pods, whole black pepper ( 1 tsp), cumin seeds ( 1 tsp) and grind them to a coarse mixture without adding any water. 

4. Now in a bowl, add the tomato puree, pineapple puree, salt, turmeric powder, rasam powder, also add 1/2 of the garlic pepper coarse paste which you made in step 3. Remianing half you can add it , when you do the seasoning. Also add some water to make it little watery. 

5. In a pan, add ghee or oil. Add mustard, dry red chilli , fenugreek seeds , curry leaves. Also add the remaining coarse black pepper garlic mixture which you prepared in step 3. Also add chopped pineapple pieces and stir for a minute or two.

6. Now add the mixture which you prepared in step 4. Allow it to boil for 7 minutes for the raw smell to go.

7. Now add the cooked toor dal and add some water to adjust your consistency. When it starts to boil and turns frothy , switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves and also sprinkle some asafoetida powder. Remember, after adding toor dal, you should not boil the rasam for too long . 

8. Pineapple rasam is ready to serve ! It taste best when it is hot and taken along with quinoa or white rice. You can also drink it as a soup !

Quinoa, Pineapple Rasam, Spinach dal, Bitter gourd fry and Tofu