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Showing posts with label SAMBHAR VARIETIES FOR LUNCH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SAMBHAR VARIETIES FOR LUNCH. Show all posts

April 13, 2014

VENDAKKAI SAMBAR RECIPE(LADY’S FINGER SAMBAR RECIPE)

This is my mom in law’s basic sambar recipe for rice in which we use lady’s finger @ okra. Last week a reader mailed me to blog basic sambar & vathakuzhambu recipes. So I thought of sharing this recipe which might be useful for Tamil new year lunch menu too. I usually make vendakkai sambar & avarakkai sambar for no moon day and for festivals where we don’t use onions because this sambar tastes good even without onions. My mom also makes vendakka sambar but the procedure is completely different. Do click here to know my mom’s Nellai sambar recipe.

This sambar is very easy to make and flavourful too.There is no grinding part. Hence bachelor’s also can give a try. We usually eat sambar sadam adding a few drops of ghee. It enhances the flavour of sambar and even kids would love to have it.

For this sambar, you can replace lady’s finger with brinjal, Raw mango, drumstick or even Keerai thandu. But the quantity of tamarind varies for each veggie. In this post, lets see how to prepare Tamil nadu style basic sambar recipe with Lady’s finger.


Vendakkai sambar recipe/Okra sambar recipe


Vendakkai sambar recipe/Okra sambar recipe Lady's finger/Okra/Vendakkai sambar recipe - Basic south indian style sambar for rice !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves:3
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
To pressure cook
  • Toor dal - 1/3 cup
  • Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Water -as needed
  • Red chilli - 1 no
  • Curry leaves - few (pinched)
To temper & saute
  • Ghee + oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Red chilli - 1no (pinch into two)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Small onions - 12 nos
  • Green chillies -2- 3 nos
  • Lady's finger/Okra - 12 nos
  • Tomato – 1 no ( small)
  • Asafetida/Hing- 2-3 generous pinches
For gravy
  • Tamarind - Medium gooseberry size
  • Sambar powder- 1.5 tsp
  • Water - 2 cups
  • Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Salt - as needed
Coriander leaves – handful ( chopped,for garnishing)

METHOD


  • In a pressure cooker, take the toor dal, turmeric, red chilli, curry leaves with required water. Pressure Cook in low flame for one or two whistles till dal turns mushy.
  • In the mean time, wash and pat dry the okra in a towel and cut into small pieces of 3-4. Peel onions, cut chillies and set aside.
vendakkai sambar recipe step1
  • Soak tamarind in enough water and take the extract using 2 cups of water. Add sambar powder , turmeric powder, salt, hing and curry leaves. Set aside .
  • In a kadai,heat ghee + oil and temper mustard, methi seeds, red chilli & curry leaves. Add the chopped lady’s finger pieces. Saute for a minute and then add onions and green chillies. Saute till onions turn transparent & lady’s finger shrink and skin turns slightly brown here and there. Then saute tomato pieces till mushy. Add 1 cup of water and allow the lady’s finger to cook well. When it is 3/4 th cooked, add the tamarind extract mixture.
vendakkai sambar recipe step2
  • Add some hing and pinched raw curry leaves (please note we are adding hing & curry leaves two times). Allow the sambar to boil well for 5-10 minutes till raw smell emanates.
  • Now add the mushy cooked dal and boil for 2-3 minutes. Lastly before switching off the flame.
vendakkai sambar recipe step3
  • Add chopped coriander leaves, boil for few seconds and switch off !
  • Cover the sambar with a lid and serve after 30 minutes to 1 hour for all the taste to blend well.
vendakkai sambar recipe step4


Note

  • Please reduce the amount of green chillies based on its size & spiciness. Use minimum 2.
  • Sauting okra is very important else it will become slimy while cooking.
  • Please add less tamarind as vendakkkai has the tendency to absorb all the tanginess.
  • Adding coriander leaves for garnishing gives a nice flavor.
  • Use ghee for tempering as it gives a nice aroma.

Enjoy this sambar with plain rice adding few drops of ghee with papad & poriyal as side dish. Tastes great !


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November 7, 2013

Mango Drumstick Sambar Recipe - Tirunelveli / Nellai Sambar Recipe

Tirunelveli Sambar recipe for rice

I love to taste and try varieties of sambar recipes be it idli sambar or lunch sambar and particularly this raw mango drusmtick sambar is my most favourite among all the sambar recipes. U know why, this is my mom’s Tirunelveli style sambar for rice :) We love to have it with idli, dosa as well. My mom calls this as "Idi sambar". Its a very tasty and flavorful sambar with freshly ground sambar powder. I can have a plateful of rice anytime with this Nellai sambar. We ( me and my sis) fondly call this as "Amma sambar". 


After marriage, when I started cooking, I couldn’t make this sambar often in my kitchen as Sendhil is very much fond of his mom’s Tanjore/Kumbakonam style sambar. So whenever I go to my mom’s house(Salem), she prepares this specially for me. This sambar needs very less dal than the usual quantity. We can add any vegetables like lady’s finger, drumstick, brinjal and raw mango. But our favorite combo is drumstick and raw mango. 

In my family, everybody loves my mom’s cooking very much. She makes authentic Nellai Saiva pillai (Tirunelveli) samayal very nicely.  My amma never used store bought sambar powder in her cooking so far.  Her recipes are mostly with freshly ground powder be it sambar, puli kulambu or rasam. So preparation /cooking time takes little more than my (mil’s) usual method of cooking. So I make my mil’s and mom’s lunch recipes in alternate days and enjoy eating varieties of kuzhambu.


My mom makes Carrot puttu or avial as side dish for this sambar recipe. To me, just a papad/ appalam is enough.
If you are looking to find Tirunelveli style Sambar powder, check THIS LINK

 Nellai Sambar for lunch

Basic Tirunelveli style Sambar Recipe For Rice


Sambar recipeBasic Nellai style sambar recipe for rice using freshly ground sambar powder. U can use any vegetables like brinjal , lady’s finger , drumstick or simply onion.
Cuisine: South Indian Category: Lunch recipes Serves: 2-3 
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 40 Minutes 


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
To pressure cook
  • Toor dal – 1/3 cup
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Cooking oil – a drop
To roast and grind for sambar powder ( use 1 tsp of this powder, store the excess powder for future use. My mom use this powder for idli sambar too.)
  • Oil – 1/4 tsp
  • Methi seeds - `1/2 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tsp
  • Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Red chillies – 3 nos
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 1.5 tbsp
  • Small onions – 3 nos
  • Jeera/cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
To saute
  • Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
  • Big onion – 1 no (slice cut)
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Tamarind – A big gooseberry size
  • Drumstick – 1 no (cut into finger size pieces)
  • Small Raw mango – 1/2no ( 5-6 cubes)
  • Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
  • Salt & water – as needed
To temper
  • Cooking oil – 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – 2tbsp (to garnish)
HOW TO MAKE TIRUNELVELI IDI SAMBAR FOR RICE - METHOD
  • Pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder , salt and a drop of oil for 2 whistles. Mash the cooked dal and set aside.In a mixie jar , grind the coconut , small onions and jeera to a smooth paste adding the required water.
Nellai sambar recipe
  • In a pan , heat 1/4 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients given under “ To roast and grind”. Powder it nicely. U don’t have to use all the powder. Use only 1 tsp. Store the remaining for making idli sambar.
Nellai sambar recipe


  • Take the tamarind extract in a bowl. To this add red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and drumstick. Check for taste.Set apart
  • In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and saute the sliced onions. To this add the tamarind extract mixture. Cover and cook till drumstick is done. After the drumstick is 3/4th cooked, add raw mango pieces. Again cover and cook for sometime. Mango takes less time to cook. So keep checking otherwise it will cook soft & dissolve in sambar.
Nellai sambar recipe
Nellai sambar recipe
  • After the vegetables get cooked, add the mashed dal. Allow it to roll boil. Lastly add the ground coconut , mix well. Let it boil for a minute. Now add a tsp of roasted and ground sambar powder. Allow it to boil till you get a nice aroma. Switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves. Give a standing time of minimum 30 minutes for all the flavors to induce well.
Nellai sambar recipe
Nellai sambar recipe
  • Temper with the ingredients given under “to temper”. Mix well.
Enjoy mixing with hot rice !!

Note

  • Adding raw mango is optional. U can add only drumstick and make this sambar. But increase the tamarind to a small lemon size.
  • Garnishing with coriander leaves gives a superb flavor for this sambar. Please don’t skip..
  • Do not use all the powder to this sambar. Use only a tsp. U can make sambar 2-3 times using this powder. As mixie doesn’t grind very small quantity , amma use this measure. She use this powder for making idli sambar too. So store the remaining powder in a box and use whenever needed.
  • Less dal is needed for sambar as we add ground coconut and channa dal which helps for thickening.

Tirunelveli style sambar


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September 14, 2013

Onam Festival Food | Kerala Onam Sadya Lunch Menu

onam sadya --picture

This is my second post on Onam sadya lunch menu with Onam sadya serving order. Basically I love to try other state recipes a lot apart from my usual Tamilnadu recipes .When it comes to regional cuisine , my first choice is for Kerala food. My dad’s mom (my aachi) is from Nagercoil. As it is in kerala border , my aachi’s cooking was very similar to Kerala style. She makes many coconut based recipes like sodhiAvial, theeyal etc. So right from my childhood, I grown up eating those foods. This may be the reason I have a love towards kerala food. But I have never thought I could make authentic kerala recipes in my kitchen.

I must thank my Ex-neighbor Mrs. Prema for sharing all her yummy recipes & inspired me to cook them. Last year I posted onam sadya recipes for the first time from vanitha magazine with the help of her. I should say that was one of the hit posts in my blog. This year I couldn’t try vanitha magazine recipes as she had changed her house. I really miss her and her recipes very badly :( . She was a caring and good friend of me. This time too, before cooking these recipes, I called her over phone to confirm the methods of making..

I must also thank all our Malayali blogger friends because all these recipes are tried from their blogs. I googled the recipes, chose some best recipes based on the comments and tried it. I have given the source of each recipe under the title. Everything came out very well. I felt so happy when I made this platter. I referred Roshni’s blog for serving order. Hope I have served them in correct order. Thank you Roshni :)

Check out my other Kerala recipes too !


I wanted to try the recipes which I din’t post in my last year’s onam sadya platter. So this year I tried paruppu curry , puli inji , Kerala sambar with freshly ground spices  (without coconut), Kerala tomato rasam , Puliserry , Olan , Avial( my mom’s recipe) , Cucumber kichadi , Vendakka pachadi , Beans mezhukkuppuratti , Cabbage thoran , Channa dal payasam  , Sharkara payasam & Naranga achar ( my mil’s pickle)..

U may wonder by seeing the color of sharkara payasam ;). It has to get a brown shade. As my jaggery is colorless the syrup was very light in color. So I added a pinch of red color to it. I thought it will give a brown paagu effect to the payasam but unfortunately it became orange and also it became very thick like pudding. So friends please excuse. I’ll try to update the picture. But the taste was really great. :L)

I’ve given step by step pictures for all the recipes in a simplified manner.  Hope it will be understandable and helpful :)

I wish all my friends a very happy and great onam celebration :)\

onam sadya---platter



KERALA SAMBAR(WITH FRESHLY GROUND SPICES)

INGREDIENTS
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Pumpkin – 1/4 cup (cubed)
  • Drumstick – 1 no
  • Potato – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
To roast n grind
  • Oil – 1 tsp
  • Dhania / coriander seeds – 1.5 tbsp
  • Urad dal – 1.5 tbsp
  • Red chillies – 5-7 nos
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Hing – 1/4 tsp
Tamarind – Small lemon size
To temper & saute
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Red chilli – 1 no
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Tomato – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt n water – as needed
Coriander leaves – few to garnish

METHOD
  • Pressure cook dal adding turmeric powder and a drop of oil. Mash it well and set aside. Take extract from the tamarind and set aside.
  • In a pan , heat oil and roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast n grind”. Saute well without burning and switch off the flame. Make them to a paste and set aside.
onam kerala sambar tile1
  • In a kadai , heat oil, temper mustard seeds, red chilli , curry leaves and saute the onions , tomatoes & curry leaves. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Add tamarind extract ,salt  and curry leave. Allow it to boil well, add all the vegetable and boil the tamarind extract till the veggies cook well.
onam kerala sambar tile2
  • After the veggies are cooked , add the mashed dal and spice powder. Mix well and boil for 5 minutes.sambar will thicken, add water if necessary .
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
onam kerala sambar tile3
Line a bowl with banana leaf and pour the sambar. Close it with a lid. Serve with rice !
  • Any vegetables like yam, carrot , pumpkin , drumstick , radish, lady’s finger and ashgourd can be used in this sambar..

KERALA TOMATO RASAM
Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS
  • Tomato – 2 (chopped or crushed)
  • Tamarind  – Small gooseberry size
  • Cooked dal water – 1/4 cup (optional)
  • Black pepper corns –  1 tsp
  • Red chillies – 2 to 3
  • Garlic – 6 cloves
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  • Dhania – 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida– a pinch
  • Salt & water – as needed
  • Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
  • Chopped coriander leaves – 1-2 tbsp
METHOD
  • Fry the dry red chilli for a minute. Grind together fried red chilli, pepper corns, garlic, jeera and coriander seeds slightly coarse in texture  OR U can make it to a coarse paste as per the original recipe.
onam kerala rasam
  • Heat oil , fry ground masala for 2-3 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook till tomatoes become soft.
onam kerala rasam tile1
  • Add tamarind extract and salt. Mix well. Add 2 cups of water and coriander leaves. Let it boil, reduce the flame and simmer for 5-7 mins. Add a pinch of hing.Serve hot !
onam kerala rasam tile2

PULISSERY OR MORU CURRY
Source – Pachakam

INGREDIENTS
  • Thick n sour Curd - 1 cup
  • Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
  • Green chillies – 4 nos
  • Garlic pod - 1 no
  • Cumin seeds -  1/2 tsp
  • Small onion – 2 no
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds- 1/ tsp
  • Curry leaves –few
  • Roasted Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Salt - As reqd

INGREDIENTS
  • Grind together coconut, green chillies, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, small onion and turmeric powder into a fine paste.Cook the ash gourd pieces separately. 
  • Beat the curd by adding this paste, salt and sugar. After beating , the mixture should be of medium thick consistency. 
onam pulissery tile1
  • Heat oil in a pan. Temper mustard seeds. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds along with fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and mix it well.
  • Pour the curd mixture  and cooked ash gourd into the pan and keep it on a medium flame, stirring continuously, until it becomes warm.  NEVER ALLOW THE CURD MIXTURE TO BOIL. Remove it from fire and sprinkle roasted fenugreek powder over the Pulissery and mix it well.
onam pulissery tile2
  • Serve hot with rice.
U can also use cucumber , Mango & pumpkin


BEANS MUZHUKKUPURATTI
Source – Spicy chilli

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • French Beans-1 cup ( cut into 1cm length)
To grind to coarse paste
  • Small onions- 6 numbers
  • Garlic – 3 cloves
  • Chilli powder- 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
To season
  • Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
METHOD
  • Chop the beans , add salt and pressure cook it in high flame for one whistle. ( This is for fast quicking & less oil consumption).Drain all the excess water.But make sure beans should be soft yet firm., It should not lose its shape.
  • Coarsely grind the items given under “to grind” without adding water.
onam beans mezhukkupuratti tile1
  • In a pan , heat oil and temper mustard and curry leaves. Now add the beans and saute well in high flame for a minute to absorb all the moisture in them..
  • Now add the coarsely ground paste and saute them till the raw smell goes off. Do it in medium flame.Fry till the beans look dry and shiny..Remove n serve !
onam beans mezhukkupuratti tile2


CABBAGE THORAN
Source – My neighbor Mrs. Prema

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Cabbage - 1 cup
  • Big Onion –2 nos
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
To grind to a coarse paste
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Green chillies – 2 nos
  • Jeera – 1/4 tsp
To temper
  • Coconut oil –2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds –1 tsp
  • Red chillies – 1no
  • Curry leaves - A few
METHOD
  • Grind coconut , green chillies and jeera to a coarse paste without adding water. Set aside. Chop the cabbage and onions. Mix together the finely chopped cabbage, onions, and salt.
  • Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add pinched red chilli and curry leaves to it. Now add the ground coconut mixture, saute for few minutes. Remove and serve !
onam cabbage thoran tile1
onam cabbage thoran tile2


OLAN
Source – Marias menu

INGREDIENTS
  • Black-eyed beans /vanpayar / kaaramani – 1/4 cup
  • Ash gourd -  2 cups, cut into cubes
  • Green chilli – 3-4, slit lengthwise
  • Water – as needed
  • Thick coconut milk – 1/2 - 3/4 cup (adjust)
  • Salt- as needed
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
METHOD
  • Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the beans till it starts to crackle.( This step is not in the original recipe. But I did it for additional flavor)
  • Pressure cook the beans with 1 cup of water in low flame for two , three whistles. Drain the excess water & keep aside the cooked beans. The beans should not be over cooked and it should retain its shape.
  • Cook together ash gourd, green chilli, salt and 1.5 cups of water, till ash gourd becomes tender. Ash gourd also should not be overcooked and it should retain its shape.
  • Add the cooked beans to the ash gourd and mix well. Add coconut milk and curry leaves. Cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. Remove from the fire and drizzle some coconut oil.The curry has a thick consistency.
onam olan tile

No need to soak the beans if u fry in oil. In the actual recipe , maria mentioned that it is not necessary to soak the beans even without frying..


VENDAKKA PACHADI
Source – My neighbor

INGREDIENTS
  • Thinly chopped Lady’s finger – 1 cup
  • Thick curd – 1 cup
  • Green chilli – 2 nos(finely chopped)
  • Salt – as needed
  • Sugar – a pinch
  • Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
METHOD
  • In a kadai , add oil , temper mustard seeds and curry leaves.Then add the finely chopped lady’s finger & green chillies and saute in high flame continuously .Add salt , sugar and saute till it is cooked well.
  • Remove & add curd to it. Mix well and serve !
onam vendakka pachadi


CUCUMBER KICHADI
INGREDIENTS
  • Cucumber – 1 no
  • Thick curd – 1 cup
To grind
  • Green Chillies  - 2 nos
  • Grated coconut –1/4 cup
To temper (optional)
  • Mustard Seeds - ¼ teaspoon.
  • Coconut       - ¼ tbsp
  • Red Chillies- 1 pinched.
  • Curry leaves   - few  
METHOD
  • Cut cucumber into small pieces and set aside.
  • Grind coconut and green chillies to a smooth paste adding water.Mix this paste with cucumber.Temper mustard & other ingredients and add to the mixture.
  • Lastly add the thick curd , mix well & serve immediately.

CHANA DAL PAYASAM
Source- Vanitha magazine

INGREDIENTS
  • Chana dal – 1/4 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 1/2 cup
  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Cardamom – 2 nos powdered
  • Ghee – 1 tbsp
  • Roasted nuts – 2 tbsp
METHOD
  • In a mixie add  1/3 cup of water and take the first coconut milk.Set aside.Again add 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk.Keep aside.
onam payasam tile
  • Pressure cook channa dal adding enough water for two,three whistles in low flame.Open and mash them well. I pulsed it in mixie.
  • In a pan , melt jaggery , make syrup and strain the impurities.Add the mashed dal to the syrup . Add the second coconut milk and ghee & boil till it reduces to half..
onam channa payasam tile1
  • Lastly add the first thick milk , cardamom powder and mix well. Boil in very low flame for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
onam channa payasam tile2
  • Add the roasted nuts n serve !


SHARKARA PAYASAM
Source – Cheenachatti

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Grated coconut –1 cup
  • Raw rice – 1/4 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 1/3 cup
  • Ghee – 1 tbsp
  • Cashew Nuts & raisins – few

METHOD
  • In a mixie , grind coconut adding 1 cup of water and take the first milk. Again add 1/2  - 3/4 cup of water and take the second milk. Set aside.
  • In a pan , melt the jaggery , make syrup , strain impurities if any. Make jel like syrup..
onam payasam tile
  • Wash n soak raw rice for 20 minutes. Pressure cook it adding 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water. Rice should be cooked but it should not be mushy.
  • Add the syrup to the cooked rice and boil well. Add the second coconut milk an boil for 5-7 mins in low flame.
onam sharkara payasam
  • Lastly before switching off the flame, add the first coconut milk. Mix well. Add the roasted nuts. Serve !
onam sharkara payasam tile1
  • This payasam tends to thicken soon. It will become spoonable. Add more milk to get a thin consistency. U can also add 2 tbsp of roasted coconut pieces if you wish.
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August 31, 2013

Paruppu Urundai Kulambu - Chettinad Style Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu Recipe

paruppu urundai kuzhambu chettinad
I got this Chettinad paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe from Aval vikatan’s supplementary. It is also known as Kola urundai kuzhambu. This recipe was given by “Mrs. Revathy shanmugam”. So I tried it confidently. I had already tried milagu kuzhambu/pepper kuzhambu from that book and it was a hit in my home. Usually paruppu urundai kuzhambu is made by cooking lentil balls in tamarind sauce adding sambar powder and other spices. This recipe is also very similar but it has chettinad touch. I’ve used soambu/saunf/ fennel seeds here. 

In Chettinad, people call this paruppu urundai as veg kola urundai. For variations, you can always omit the saunf, use cumin seeds and try it. There will not be much difference in taste & flavor. We loved the urundai a lot. It was soft yet firm. This gravy tastes great when mixed with plain rice adding ghee. I made the gravy slightly thick. Adjust the consistency as per your need.. Do try and let me know how you liked it. Here is my Iyengar style paruppu urundai kulambu.
paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe

INGREDIENTS
For paruppu urundai/Lentil balls : 1 cup - 250ml
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Red chilli – 2-3 nos
  • Asafetida/ Hing – 1/4 tsp
  • Jeera  or fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few (finely chopped)
  • Small onion/big onion – 10/1 no (finely chopped)
  • Garlic cloves – 4 nos (-do-)
  • Coriander leaves – few (-do-)
  • Rice flour – 1 tsp
  • Cooking soda / baking soda - a pinch
  • Salt – as needed

For gravy
  • Tamarind – Medium lemon size
  • Tomatoes – 2 nos
  • Onion – 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
  • Garlic cloves – 8 nos (-do-)
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Sambar powder – 1 tbsp (OR) Red chilli powder – 2 tsp & dhania powder – 1 tsp
  • Rice flour – 1 tsp
  • Salt & water –as needed
To grind
  • Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Fennel seeds  or cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp ( optional)
To temper
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE PARUPPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBU - METHOD
  • Wash & soak the dal for 2 hours. Drain all the water & set aside.
  • In a mixie jar, grind the red chillies, hing, salt, saunf or cumin seeeds & coconut coarsely. Now add the dal & grind it to a coarse, thick paste without adding water.
  • Grind Coconut, fennel seeds, big onion to a smooth paste and set aside.
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu step 1
  • To that paste , add finely chopped onions , garlic cloves , curry leaves, rice flour and coriander leaves. Add a pinch of cookings soda. Mix well and make big gooseberry sized balls out of it. You can either steam the balls in an idli plate for 15 minutes OR you can cook in the tamarind extract as I did. Beginners please choose the steaming method. If you steaming the balls in idli plate, you should add it the end i.e after adding ground coconut paste.
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu 1
  • In  a kadai , heat oil and splutter mustard seeds ,methi seeds , jeera. Then add the finely chopped garlic cloves & onions. Saute well for a minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes & saute till mushy. Add turmeric & sambar powder. Mix well , boil for a minute in low flame.
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu 2
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu 3
  • Then add the tamarind extract , salt with 2 cups of water.Allow it to roll boil for 5 minutes. Now drop the lentil balls one by one into the gravy. Do not stir immediately. Let the gravy boil for 2-3 minutes in low flame. Now stir the gravy carefully so that the balls are not broken.
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu
  • Cover & cook it in medium flame for 5-8 minutes till the balls get cooked & float on top.Take a ball, break it & see whether it is cooked completely. Now add the ground coconut paste , stir well & allow it to boil for 5 minutes. This gravy thickens as time proceeds. So add water accordingly..
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu

Transfer to the serving bowl & enjoy with plain rice adding a drop of ghee !

NOTE
  • For variations, you can add  1/4 tsp of jeera instead of fennel seeds while grinding along with coconut.
  • Beginners who dont want to cook the lentil balls directly in the tamarind sauce can steam the balls in an idli pot and add them at the end.

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu


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