Chef’s Corner

Method:

Step 1: Soak gram dhal for 20 mins
Step 2: Pressure cook dhal, turmeric powder,
half amount of a) onion (chopped) b) green
chillies (chopped) c) Ginger (chopped) d)
Garlic (chopped) e) little oil
Step 3: Fry appalams and remove extra oil
from appalam and break into 2 x 2 inch pieces
Step 4: Boil potato and smash with huge chunks of pieces.
Step 5: Heat oil in pan and add seasoning add mashed potato and cook for few minutes
Step 6: Blend remaining green chillies, 1/4 cup of coconut, salt and cumin seed into fine watery paste.
Step 7: Add the applams to the pan and add the above mixture.
Step 8: Once cooked add remaining shredded cocunut and remove from heat.
Stwp 9: Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Ingredients
Tamarind – 1small lemon size
Sambar Powder – 3teaspoon
Ullundhu Appalam – 1
For Seasoning
Gingelly Oil – 2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – 1teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds (Vendhayam) – ¼ teaspoon
Channa Dal(kadalai Paruppu) – 1 teaspoon
Red Chilli – 1
Hing – A pinch
Salt – To Taste

Method:

• Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice and keep it aside
• Heat the oil in pan, add mustard seeds and when the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add channa dal, fenugreek seeds, broken red chilli and hing and fry till dal turns golden brown color
• To this add broken ulundhu appalam and fry for a minute
• Add the tamarind extract, sambar powder and salt and allow the mixture to boil till the raw smell of sambar powder goes off completely
• Add required water to make proper consistency
• If the kuzhambu is very dilute in consistency, we can mix 1 teaspoon of rice flour with water and add this to the kuzhambu to make it thicker.
• The mouth-watering appalam kuzhambu is ready to serve with hot rice and a spoon of gingelly oil.

This Sambar recipe is one of the most loved dishes in South Indian cuisine. It accompanies most every meal. In South India,there are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use.

Ingredients
1/2 lime sized ball Tamarind
1 cup Toor Dal (or red lentils)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
5 small dry red chilies (or to taste)
8 Curry Leaves (see note)
1 medium onion (shallots are preferable)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder (see note)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (also known as coriander leaves)
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice like green beans, chopped carrot

Directions:

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 20 minutes. Squeeze it out, adding water little by little to prepare 1 cup of juice.
Choose a heavy cooking pot. Wash and clean the dal. Boil 2 cups of water and add the dal, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of oil. As the dal boils, skim off the foam and discard. Boil until the dal is soft and then mash it coarsely. If needed, add more water as it is boiling but do not let it get too watery. If you use a pressure cooker it will take about 5 minutes.

Ingredients
1 cup Tuvar (Toor) Daal
1 Pinch Turmeric Powder
Salt To Taste
1 Lemons
1/2 tsp Jaggery
1 Pinch Asafoetida
1 tbsp Ghee
2 Dry Red Chillies
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
3 Garlic Cloves

Preparation :

• Pressure cook tuvar dal with sufficient water and turmeric powder.
• Mash the dal, after it has been cooked.
• Chop the garlic cloves finely.
• Heat the ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, dry red chillies and garlic cloves. Fry till they pop up.
• Add the dal with 2 cups of water and salt.
• Cook until the toor daal boils, then add jaggery. Cook for 4-5 minutes more.
• When the tuvar dal is cooled add lemon juice and serve.