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October 17, 2016

Garlic Murukku/Poondu Murukku Recipe - Easy Murukku Varieties

Poondu murukku recipe
Recently when I went to Salem - Tamil nadu, we visited Lakshmi sweet stall to buy some sweets and snacks for Sendhil’s friend.There I saw some interesting murukku varieties like Onion murukku, Poondu murukku, butter murukku and many more. As I had already tried butter murukku and vengaya murukku, I wanted to prepare garlic murukku at home. I browsed few recipes and came across this one. This is the first time I am trying a murukku recipe with garlic.The combination of rice flour, besan and butter worked out very well. It came out white, crispy and mildly spiced with a nice garlic flavor. Its a great teatime snack and we loved it very much.Friends, If you are looking to try a flavored murukku recipe for this Diwali, do try this easy murukku variety and enjoy with your family! Lets see how to make yummy poondu murukku ( Garlic chakli) at home with step by step photos and a video !
Do check out my Ribbon pakoda , Garlic Karasev , other murukku varieties too !


Poondu murukku recipe

Garlic murukku / Poondu murukku recipe


Garlic murukku / Poondu murukku recipe How to make easy garlic murukku with rice flour, besan flour, hot oil and butter
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Snacks
Serves: 12-15 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 2 Minutes
Total time: 12 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Rice flour/Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
  • Besan flour/Kadalai maavu - 1/3 cup
  • Softened butter -  3/4 to 1 tbsp (Unmelted)
  • Hot oil - 1 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp ( optional)
To grind
  • Garlic cloves - 5 nos
  • Red chillies - 2-3 nos ( I used 2 spicy chillies)
  • Water – 1 tbsp ( To soak)
METHOD

  • Peel garlic cloves.Soak garlic and red chillies in 1tbsp water ( you can use hot water too).Let it soak for 10 minutes. Then grind it to a paste adding the soaked water.It won’t grind to a smooth paste as the quantity is less. So grind it continuously for a minute, wipe the jar and grind it till it turns smooth.Don’t worry , it looks watery after grinding. But make sure there are no garlic pieces or chilli seeds. It may block the chakli nozzle while squeezing.
    Poondu murukku recipe
    Poondu murukku recipe
  • In a wide bowl, take the rice flour, besan flour, salt and sieve it. To this, add softened butter.Heat oil in a mini pan and add 1 tsp hot oil to the murukku mixture. Add ground garlic paste. Mix well to spread the butter and oil with the flour. Check for salt. Add more if needed. Then add water little by little and make a smooth dough. No problem if the dough is slightly sticky.
    Poondu murukku recipe
    Poondu murukku recipe
  • Take the star mould and keep in the murukku press/Chakli press. Fill the mould with the dough and squeeze it to make a round, concentric circle. You can press the murukku in a butter paper or polythene sheet. Cover the remaining dough with a wet cloth or a plastic cover. This dough may tighten over time.So if needed, sprinkle some water, mix well and press it.
    Poondu murukku recipe
  • Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated, drop a pinch of dough and if it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Drop 2-3 murukku in hot oil and cook both the sides till bubbles cease. Remove in a tissue paper. You can also squeeze the murukku directly in oil, cook them and break into pieces just like butter murukku. Either ways would do. In Lakshmi stall, I saw it as pieces/Thool murukku and not as whole ones. So I made a batch in that way too. 
  • Store in an airtight box after cools down. Enjoy for weeks ! This murukku takes time to lend all its flavor. So try to consume the murukku after few hours of making.
    Poondu murukku recipe
    Enjoy !

Note
  • I am not sure about using ghee instead of butter. The color of murukku may vary.
  • You can use red chilli powder instead of red chillies. But grinding garlic would become difficult. In that case, grind garlic as much as possible and strain it adding some water. Add the garlic water to make the dough.
Try this easy, garlic flavored murukku for this Diwali and enjoy !

Garlic murukku recipe

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October 13, 2016

Gulab Jamun Recipe With Milk Powder

Last year I shared Gulab jamun recipe with khoya. As it came out very well, I got the confidence to try Gulab jamun with other options. Khoya is not easily available in many places. So Milk powder is the best replacement for khoya to prepare Gulab jamun. 

Recently my reader friend Harini asked me to share milk powder gulab jamun recipe and Gulab jamun with Instant store bought mix as well. As I had bookmarked this recipe already, I tried it yesterday. Milk powder, Fine semolina ( Chiroti rava), maida, milk are the major ingredients used in this recipe. Its easy to make too. It came out really well in my first attempt itself. 

The author of this recipe had given the instructions very clearly which helped me a lot to make perfect Gulab jamun. Thank you so much Savita for the great recipe. I was very happy to see my soft, crack free, well soaked Gulab jamun in sugar syrup. I don’t say it doubled in size but it did puff up. I have shared step by step photos, tips for trouble shooting and a cooking video for beginners understanding. Hope you will try it for this Diwali and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make yummy Gulab jamun recipe with milk powder & semolina.

Check out my Gulab Jamun with khoya and Jamun Kofta gravy recipes too !

Gulab Jamun With Milk Powder


Gulab Jamun With Milk Powder How to make gulab jamun with milk powder & semolina
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: 20 - 25 nos
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
For Gulab jamun dough : 1 cup - 250 ml
  • Milk Powder - 1 cup ( I used Everyday brand)
  • All Purpose flour - 1 tbsp
  • Fine Semolina / Chiroti Rava - 1 tbsp ( Must use fine rava)
  • Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Unmelted Ghee - 1 tbsp ( thick ghee)
  • Cooking oil - 1/2 tbsp ( Use flavorless oil)
  • Milk - As needed ( I used 1 tbsp)
  • Water - 1.5 tbsp ( To soak semolina)
  • Cooking oil – To deep fry
For Sugar syrup
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Water - 1.5 cups
  • Saffron threads - few
  • Crushed Cardamom seeds - 2 nos Or Rose essence - few drops
METHOD

  • Take the fine semolina ( Chiroti rava) in a small bowl and add 1.5 tbsp water to cover it. Let it soak well for 10 minutes. No problem if there is excess water slightly. Mix well and keep it aside. In a wide bowl, take the milk powder.Add ghee and cooking oil. Mix well with your fingers. Make sure fat is well distributed with the milk powder.

  • To this mixture, add baking powder, maida and soaked semolina. Mix well with your fingers. Do not give too much pressure. Just mix gently. Now the mixture will resemble Pea sized granules. Then add boiled, room temperature milk little by little and try to gather the mixture to resemble a dough. Do not use your palm and knead it. Use your fingers alone(  I added 1 tbsp milk). Dough would be very sticky at this stage. Do not panic. Just cover the dough with a cloth ( Dry cloth, not wet ones) and rest it for 10 minutes.

  • In a mean time, lets prepare the sugar syrup.In a deep bowl or kadai, mix sugar + water. Mix well in high flame till sugar melts completely. Then reduce the flame to medium and let the syrup roll boil for 5 minutes. Add cardamom powder or rose essence and saffron thread in the middle. Sugar syrup will become sticky to touch and resembles oil in consistency. Switch off the flame and keep aside. It will become warm.

  • Now take the gulab jamun dough. It would be non-sticky to touch. Make small pinches roughly to make balls. Then shape the balls smoothly without cracks( This point is more important to get crack free gulab jamuns) Cover it with a cloth till use.
  • If you think, dough sticks much to your hand, grease your palm with ghee OR wash your hands in water, wipe it dry and roll it. It will come out well. Just make sure there are no cracks. Do not roll it tightly. Do it gently. If you roll it too tight, jamuns may become hard.
  • Heat oil in a kadai and keep the flame low to medium. When it gets heated, drop a pinch of dough, it should rise slowly and come to top without browning in a count of 5 ( I followed Savita’s instructions and counted up to 5. If the heat of oil is too less, gulab jamun will disperse in oil. If the temperature is high, its color would change quickly but it remains uncooked inside.So please be careful) Now stir the oil once and add the jamun balls. ( If you are a beginner, do a small test. i.e Heat little oil in a mini tadka pan and drop a small peanut sized dough ball. Check whether it disperses in oil, comes out hard etc. Deep fry it, open and check it is properly cooked. After doing this test, proceed for further deep frying) .Do not disturb the jamun for 10 seconds. Then stir the oil without breaking the jamun. Keep stirring the oil  and toss the gulab jamun so that it will get cooked evenly with a nice golden color. Keep the flame low to medium. It should be soft after frying and not too hard. Please refer the video for better understanding.
  • Remove the cooked gulab jamun in a tissue paper and drop it in the syrup. Syrup should be warm not too cold. Let it soak for 2-3 hours to enjoy its best taste ! It looks shiny and soft after soaking well. This Gulab jamun stays good for 2 days without refrigeration. Enjoy !

Note
  • Gulab jamun will disperse in oil if the oil temperature is too low.
  • Gulab Jamun will become chewy if you add less baking powder.
  • No need to add soda for this recipe.
  • Fine semolina is a must. Do not use coarse ones.
  • Beginners try with half the quantity of ingredients mentioned to avoid wastage.
  • I have not used lemon juice in the sugar syrup as I have added more water. It won’t crystallize.
  • If  you have leftover fried gulab jamun, try this Jamun Kofta gravy
Try this easy, yummy Gulab jamun at home for special occasions and enjoy !
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October 11, 2016

Easy Potato Murukku – Potato Chakli Recipe - Murukku Varieties

Potato murukku

Murukku recipes comes to my mind only when Diwali is nearby. Thenkuzhal murukku is a must & should Diwali snack in my home.We prepare other murukku varieties too based on our interest. This year I have a big list of murukku recipes to try. To begin with, I started my Diwali Snack/Savories recipes with this crispy, all time favorite potato murukku recipe ( Urulai kizhangu murukku) also known as Potato chakli/Aloo chakli in Hindi. I tried it last week by referring Sharmi’s passions. Actually I asked her for using ghee instead of butter but then I tried it with butter as per her recipe.It came out really well and crunchy. Raksha and Sendhil loved it a lot. Its very easy to make without using urad dal powder or fried gram powder.I have heard about Gulab jamun made with potato but murkku with potato is really a new thing to me. When I saw its results, I became very happy. Butter and potato does the magic in this recipe.Soon I will try this recipe with ghee and update the results.Now, Lets see how to make this simple and easy potato murukku recipe with step by step photos and a video !
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October 9, 2016

Kadalai Paruppu Sundal Recipe – Bengal Gram Sundal–Sundal Varieties

Kadalai paruppu sundal
For this Navratri, I din’t  try any new sundal variety. As I have kept Golu in my house, I was busy in inviting guest, giving thamboolam and other household works. So I prepared Green gram sweet sundal, Green gram masala sundal, Badam burfi, Black chana sundal, sweet corn sundal, Rava kesari and Sweet pongal in these 7 days. This morning I prepared Kadalai paruppu Sundal keeping Saraswathi Pooja/Ayudha poojai celebration in mind. 

My MIL usually makes Chana sundal i.e Konda Kadalai sundal (In Tamil) along with 5 rice varieties and Vada whereas my mom makes Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram sundal adding more coconut. As my dad is not fond of chickpeas sundal, mom makes either Kadala paruppu sundal or paasi paruppu sundal(Moong dal sundal) for neivedyam.  Its a very easy, quick and no soaking sundal variety. When we forget to soak the legumes, this kadala paruppu sundal will come to rescue. Its healthy as well.You can use the cooked dal water to make rasam or drink it as a soup. Fine, lets see how to make South Indian style Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram sundal with coconut.

Do check out my other Sundal varieties in this link !

Bengal gram dal sundal

Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram dal sundal recipe


Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram dal sundal recipe How to make Kadalai paruppu/ Bengal gram dal sundal recipe - Easy, no soaking sundal variety for Navrarti !
Cuisine: South Indian
Category: Sundal varieties
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Bengal gram dal / Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Green chillies - 1 no ( slitted or finely chopped)
HOW TO MAKE KADALAI PARUPPU SUNDAL - METHOD

  • Wash and take the dal in the cooker base. Add enough water ( I used 2 cups) and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles in very low flame. Kadalai paruppu won’t become mushy very easily. So It would be perfectly cooked in low flame in just 2 whistles. Remove the lid after the steam is released. Check whether it mashes in your finger. Drain the excess water if any and use it for making rasam or dal soup. Make sure you keep 1 tbsp of water in the dal.
    Kadalai paruppu recipe
  • In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds. Add slitted or finely chopped green chillies, curry leaves & hing. Saute for a minute. Add the cooked dal along with the little water in the cooker. Add the required salt, Mix well & boil till all the water evaporates. Mix it gently without mashing the dal. Lastly add the grated coconut, give a quick stir & switch off the flame. Remove from the kadai & transfer it to a vessel. Offer to God & serve ! This sundal will become grainy once it starts to cool down. So do not panic if it looks slightly mushy while hot.
    Kadalai paruppu recipe
    Kadalai paruppu recipe
  • Enjoy !
  • Do check out my other Sundal varieties in this link !

Note
  • Use finely chopped chillies for spicy taste. I use slit chillies.
  • You can also use finely chopped ginger if you like its flavor.
  • Optionally, you can garnish this sundal with coriander leaves.
  • Add more coconut for rich taste.
Easy, quick and healthy Kadalai paruppu sundal is ready to offer GOD and serve !
Kadalai paruppu sundal recipe
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October 8, 2016

Guliyappa Recipe – Karnataka Paddu Recipe - Paniyaram Varieties

Guliyappa recipe
Paddu recipe was the first street food I tasted in Bangalore, Karnataka after my marriage. Sendhil took me to NR colony Davangere Benne Dosa stall and there we tasted a plate of benne dosa and this paddu. It was very soft, spongy and super round in shape with a golden tint. After that, I have tasted it in V V puram food street too. I thought its made with the leftover dosa batter instantly just like my mom's Tamilnadu style Kuzhi paniyaram. This dish is prepared in all the states with slight changes in the recipe and its named in different languages as Guliyappa or paddu in Kannada, Guntu Punugulu in Andhra, Kuzhi appam in Kerala. 

When I asked about paddu recipe to my School mom’s group friends, they told it can be made as an instant paddu recipe with leftover dosa batter or with a special Paddu batter. I got tempted when they told about it and immediately got the recipe from my friend Lakshmi (Anu and Lakshmi /Lakki are the newly added gems in our School moms group). I tried her recipe and it came out very well. Sendhil loved it a lot. I made my watery Pottukadalai ( Hurigadale chutney) chutney with slight changes as a side dish for this paddu. It was a nice combo and we relished it a lot. Thank you so much my dear Lakshmi. I have learnt Karnataka’s one of the traditional breakfast recipes just because of you.

 Friends, do try this recipe in a weekend and enjoy it. Ok,  Lets check out how to make Karnataka style Guliyappa/ Paddu at home with step by step photos !
Guliyappa recipe

Guliyappa recipe - Karnataka style Paddu recipe


Guliyappa recipe - Karnataka style Paddu recipe One of the most popular Karnataka delicacy - Guliyappa/ Paddu recipe with homemade special paddu batter. 
Cuisine: Karnataka
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 20 
Prep time: 15 Hours
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 15H 5Mins


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Dosa rice / Normal rice – 1 cup ( Low cost Raw rice OR use Idli rice)
  • Round white Urad dal – 1/4 cup  ( To make soft paddu, use 1/3 cup)
  • Thick Poha/ /Beaten rice/ Avalakki – 1/4 cup ( Thin poha can also be used)
  • Methi seeds/ Menthya – 1/2 tsp
  • Chana dal / Kadala bele – 1 tbsp
For tempering
  • Cooking oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Green chillies – 1 no ( finely chopped)
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Coriander leaves – Little
  • Asafetida / Hing – a pinch
Side dish for Paddu / Paddu chutney :

Hurigadale chutney/Fried gram dal chutney – I added few curry leaves and a sprig of coriander leaves while grinding and served for paddu.

HOW TO MAKE KARNATAKA PADDU / GULIYAPPA - METHOD

  • Wash and soak the rice, urad dal, methi seeds and chana dal together in required water for 3-4 hours. Wash and soak the avalakki /Beaten rice separately in enough water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. ( I am not sure on why to soak avalakki seperately. I just followed what my friend told)  Thin avalakki can also be used.
    Paddu recipe
  • Grind Rice and dal mixture first. While it is half done, add the soaked Avalakki/Poha and grind it further to a smooth paste. Add the required salt while grinding. Make sure batter is smooth and not too watery. Remove the batter in a big bowl and let it ferment over night or for 8 hours.

  • The next day morning, batter would have raised slightly and not doubled. Mix it well with a ladle and check its consistency. It should be like dosa batter and not like thick idli batter. So add some water if needed.
    Paddu recipe
  • Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Urad dal and chana dal. Saute until golden. Add  finely chopped big onions, sliced or finely chopped green chillies, curry leaves and saute well. Add this to the batter and mix well. Add coriander leaves if you wish. Mix well and set aside.
    Guliyappa recipe
  • Pour 2 tsp of oil in each hole of paddu mould/Appe pan. Pour a small ladleful of batter. Cover and cook in medium flame. Open the lid and flip the other side with a spoon or steel stick. Cook the other side and remove in a plate. Serve hot with hurigadale chutney/Roasted gram dal chutney. Tastes great !
    Karnataka paddu recipe
    How to make paddu at home

Enjoy !
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October 6, 2016

30 Idli Sambar Recipes – South Indian Idli Sambar Varieties – Sambar For Idli, Dosa, Pongal

Idli sambar varieties
In this post, I have shared a list of 30 Idli Sambar recipes / Sambar for idli. We call it as idli sambar vagaigal in Tamil. These South Indian sambar varieties is served as the best side dish for idli, dosa, pongal and many other tiffin recipes. I hope this collection would help you all in choosing the side dish for breakfast. I got the habit and passion of trying varieties of Idli sambar, chutney recipes from my Mom. In my home, My mom makes around 10 different types of sambar recipes for idli, dosa along with some chutney recipes for everyday breakfast recipes. We used to relish the same for breakfast and dinner.

After marriage, I learnt even more simple and easy idli sambar recipes from my MIL as well. In most of the South Indian households, especially in Tamil nadu, Idli is the staple breakfast. Sambar is the most popular and the best side dish for idli, dosa and pongal. Every family have their own version of Idli sambar recipe and follow it for years. If you are looking for a change from your usual idli sambar, this collection would surely help you.

I have categorized these sambar varieties as Dal sambar varieties ( hotel style recipes), Tomato sambar recipes, Brinjal sambar recipes and Kurma varieties for idli, dosa, idiyappam and rava idli. In that, you can find varieties of moong dal sambar, toor dal sambar recipe, hotel idli sambar, easy restaurant style sambar, ghee idli sambar( mini idli sambar), Instant tiffin sambar, Easy vegetable sambar, Easy besan sambar, 6 tomato sambar varieties, 4 types of Kathirikai sambar recipes with and without tomato, Idli sambar without dal, Idli sambar with and without coconut and some Kurma kind of side dish for idli dosa like Parotta Salna, Vadacurry, Cauliflower gravy, tomato kurma etc.

Apart from this, you could also find some of the most popular South Indian speciality idli sambar recipes like Kumbakonam Kadappa, Saravana bhavan Idli Sambar, Chidambaram Brinjal Gosthu and Thanjavur Tomato gothsu for pongal and idli.For making hotel style idli sambar, we need to add roasted and ground idli sambar masala powder. So I have shared an easy, idli sambar powder/podi recipe which can be prepared and stored for weeks together. This helps you to make hotel style idli sambar instantly.

 Apart from our Tamil nadu style sambar recipes, I have also shared the links of idli sambar recipes from other states like Kerala Ulli Sambar and Udupi Hotel style sambar, Karnataka. I am yet to try Bangalore style and Andhra style idli sambar recipes. I will post them after I get a perfect recipe. Most of these recipes are learnt from my Mom, MIL and magazines. I have also shared some tips for making perfect idli sambar. Do check them out and try your favorite Idli sambar ! Share your feedback too. Ok, Lets see the collection of South Indian Idli sambar recipes below.
Check out my

50 chutney recipes

15 Idli Varieties

Idli sambar varieties - Breakfast sambar recipes


Idli sambar varieties - Breakfast sambar recipes A collection of 30 sambar recipes - Side dish for Idli, dosa
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sambar varieties
Serves: Serves 2-3
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 50 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Moong dal
  • Toor dal
  • Tomato
  • Brinjal
  • Roasted gram dal
  • Onion
  • Tamarind
  • Coconut
  • Green chillies
  • Red chillies
  • Dhania seeds/ powder
  • Chilli powder
  • Sambar powder
  • Salt & water
  • Mixed vegetables
To temper
  • Cooking oil / ghee
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urad dal
  • Cumin seeds
  • Hing/Asafetida
  • Curry leaves
  • Coriander leaves - to garnish
TIPS TIPS
  • Generally Idli sambar should be less tangy. So use less tamarind, may be small gooseberry size to make sambar for 2-3 persons OR you can use just 2 tomato instead of tamarind.
  • We should add more dal for idli sambar ( Say 1/3  - 1/2 cup for 2-3 persons) if you don’t add roasted and ground fresh powder ( Idli sambar powder).If you add Idli sambar powder, 1/4 cup dal is enough.
  • Idli sambar should not be too spicy.It should be drinkable.So use less chillies.
  • Toor dal or moong dal used in the sambar should be cooked really well, soft and mushy. Use 1:4 ratio of dal and water, add a few drops of cooking oil in the pressure cooker. If you wish, you can soak the dal for 20 minutes at the time of chopping other vegetables like onion, tomato, carrot, potato etc.
  • Cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Mash the dal with a whisk once the pressure is down. The base of sambar lies in how well the dal is cooked. Suppose if the dal is not mushy, sambar will become watery and dal looks separately in the sambar. To trouble shoot this problem, u can mix 1-2 tsp of besan flour with 1/4 cup of water and add to the dal while boiling. It will help you to give a good base to the sambar. But remember to boil the sambar till the raw smell of besan emanates.
  • Vegetables like Drumstick and Pumpkin is essential for Dal based idli sambar. In hotels, they do add drumstick in small pieces. But you should not cook drumstick along with dal. It should be cooked separately. I usually cook few drumstick pieces in a small tiffin box without adding water. It will get cooked well without losing its shape. Few pieces of pumpkin is added to give natural sweetness to sambar. But do not add more. Just 2-3 chunks would be enough for 1/2 cup of dal. Apart from these vegetables, you can add few pieces of Potato & carrot too. I feed the carrot & potato pieces to my daughter.
  • If you don’t have pumpkin in hand, you can use a small berry sized jaggery ( Sundakkai alavu)
  • Use small onions/sambar onions for best taste.
  • Try to temper the sambar in ghee. Ghee gives a great flavor to the sambar especially if its dal based. For making brinjal sambar, you can use sesame oil/Gingely oil/Nalla ennai.
  • If you don’t like to temper in ghee for dal based sambar recipes, do it using cooking oil and add a tbsp of ghee over the sambar at the end, close it with a lid and rest for 30 minutes to one hour before serving.
  • Generally idli sambar tastes the best when you give a resting time of an hour. For guests, I usually prepare the sambar well in advance and reheat it at the time of serving.
  • To make hotel style sambar, freshly roasted and ground spice powder should be used. To make this powder, use more chana dal than dhania/coriander seeds OR equal quantity of chana dal and dhania. Never forget to use methi seeds while roasting spices. Some people add curry leaves and even coconut for variations.
  • For tomato sambar recipes, adjust the number of chillies based on the ripeness of tomato.Generally Tamil nadu tomato ( Naatu thakkali) tastes sour than Bangalore tomato.
  • For brinjal sambar recipes, adding tamarind is mandatory because brinjal has a slight bitterness naturally.To avoid this, tamarind should be added but in a minimum quantity based on the recipe.
  • To make Kurma style side dish for idli, dosa you can either grind coconut + whole spices and add to the tomato, onion, vegetables base OR saute the whole spices before adding onions, tomato and proceed without coconut paste.
  • Last but not the least, add a tsp of gingely oil while serving the sambar especially for tomato sambar and brinjal sambar. It adds a great taste to the sambar.
  • Hope you find these tips useful. Ok, Lets move on to the collection below 
    DAL SAMBAR VARIETIES
    Hotel idli sambar Saravana bhavan idli sambar
     Mini idli sambar Kerala Ulli sambar/ Onion sambar
     Udupi hotel style sambar Hotel sambar - Easy version
     Carrot sambar for kids Instant tiffin sambar 
    Toor dal sambar A2b style sambar
     Tirunelveli style sambar  Easy moong dal sambar
       Vegetable idli sambar Besan sambar/ Kadalai maavu sambar
    Toor dal + Moong dal sambar


      BRINJAL SAMBAR VARIETIES

        Easy brinjal gosthu Chidambaram brinjal gothsu
       Brinjal sambar/ Kathirikai kichadi Tomato brinjal sambar

    TOMATO SAMBAR VARIETIES

     Tomato sambar with coconut Tomato sambar for dosa
     Thanjavur tomato gosthu Thakkali sambar for idli - Mom's special
      Spicy tomato sambar for dosa
    KURMA VARIETIES

    Kumbakonam Kadappa - 2 versions Parotta salna
    Vada curry Cauliflower gravy
     Tomato kurma Kurma for idiyappam, rava idli

    IDLI SAMBAR POWDER
    Idli sambar powder for hotel style sambar

Try these idli sambar recipes at home and do share your feedback with me. Thanks for visiting this page !
Check out my

50 chutney recipes


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