Ingredients:

• Mushroom – 1/2 lb diced
• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 1 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 4 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste
• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while.? Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Add the mushrooms and little water and allow to cook. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Optionally, can grind the grated coconut with water to make a fine paste and add to the kozhambu for thickness. Serve with rice.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 medium diced
• Tomatoes – 1 medium diced
• Green chillies – 2
• Carrots – 2 diced
• Capsicum – 1 diced
• Gram Dal – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Vendayam (Fenugreek seeds) – 1/4 tsp
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies – 3
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Grated coconut – 4 tsp
• Yoghurt (curd/sour cream) – 5 tsp
• Rice flour – 2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan, splutter mustard seeds, add fenugreek and turmeric powder. To this add the sliced onions, carrots and capsicum and fry for a while. In a separate pan, heat a little bit of oil, fry the gram dal, coriander seeds, red chillies and black pepper and remove from heat. Grind the fried contents adding grated coconut and little water. Then, add the yoghurt and allow to blend for a minute. Add the ground contents to the onions and veggie mixture. Allow the contents to come to a boil. Then, add diced tomatoes, green chillies and salt with little water. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the contents to thicken.

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal – 1/2 cup
• Tomatoes – 2 medium cut into medium sized pieces
• Onions – 1 medium (sliced long) (if using, Sambhar small onions – around 8-9)
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – a few
• Green Chillies – 2 small
• Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
• Sambhar powder – 2 tsp (if not available, substitute with 1 tsp of Chilli powder and 1 tsp of Coriander powder)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Veggies – can use any veggies that are usually used for the regular toor dal sambhar

Method:

Pressure cook the dal and mash well and set aside.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal and fenugreek. Then, add in the onions, saute for a while. Then, add the curry leaves, tomatoes, green chillies and saute. Then, add the veggies and mix well. Add to this, the sambhar powder and salt and mix well. Add in enough water for the veggies to cook. Once the veggies are cooked, add the cooked dal and cilantro and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Note that you can make sambhar with just tomatoes (and without any other veggies) and also without any tamarind extract and just using green chillies. Each of these methods bring a different flavor to the sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Mango – 1 (sliced into 2 inch pieces – can add the seed too)
• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 1 (small) chopped
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery – 1/2 cup
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while. Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the cut mango pieces and allow to cook for a while. To this, add the tamarind paste and then the jaggery and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top. Serve with rice.

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms – 1/2 lb (diced)
• Onions – 1 big diced
• Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Tomatoes – 2 medium diced
• Oil – 1 to 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, ginger garlic paste to this and saute well.
Then add in the chilli-coriander powders, and mushrooms, tomatoes with a litte water and mix well. Allow the mushrooms to cook well. Oil should start to come out on the top. Goes well with rice and as a side dish for chapathis.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal – 1/2 cup
• Garlic flakes – 2 to 3
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Tomatoes – 2 small (cut)
• Dry red chillies – 3
• Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with garlic flakes, asafoetida, tomatoes and turmeric powder adding required amount of water (for 1/2 cup of dal, add around 1- 1.5 cups of water). Mash the dal well with a wooden spoon.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Add this to the mashed dal. Add salt and mix well. Goes well with rice and rasam. Though this looks like a regular plain dal recipe, adding tomatoes to the mix lends a new flavor to the dal.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Black Pepper – 2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp (optional)
• Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Garlic – 4 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli coriander powder – 1 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method:

Heat about 1/2 tsp of oil, and fry black pepper, cumin and coriander seeds. Grind the fried contents to a coarse mix and set aside.

In a pan, heat the rest of the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a while. Add the ground contents, chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top. Goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 1 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 4 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while.? Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top. Note: To this, can add manathakkaali vathal or any dried veggies – called “Vathal Kozhambu”.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal – 1/2 cup
• Garlic flakes – 2 to 3
• Tomatoes – 2 medium cut into medium sized pieces
• Onions – 1 medium (sliced long) (if using, Sambhar small onions – around 8-9)
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – a few
• Green Chillies – 4
• Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with garlic flakes, asafoetida and turmeric powder adding required amount of water (for 1/2 cup of dal, add around 1.5 cups of water). Mash the dal well with a wooden spoon. If there is a lot of water in the dal, drain it separately and then mash the dal. The water drained can be added to rasam (will give it a very good flavor) or add it later to the sambhar mixture when it is boiling.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal and fenugreek. Then, add in the onions, saute for a while. Then, add the curry leaves, tomatoes, green chillies and saute. Add in the mashed dal with some water and cilantro and bring the whole mixture to a boil.

This is a very light sambhar – almost just like plain dal – except for the tomatoes and green chillies. Can stir in 2 tsps of lemon juice to this to make lemon sambhar. Serve hot with rice and a spicy side dish.

Ingredients:

• Gram Dal – 3/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions – 1 diced
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Saunf – 1/4 tsp
• Cloves – 2
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cinnamon stick – 1 1/2 inch piece
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup

Method:

Pressure cook the gram dal.

In a pan, heat oil, add the garam masala items – cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and saunf. Then add the onions and saute for a while. Add turmeric powder, chilli and coriander powders and fry for a few minutes adding some water. Then add the pressure cooked contents and allow to boil for a few minutes. Grind the grated coconut with some water to a fine paste and add to the kozhambu. An excellent side dish for aapam, idlis or dosas. Also goes well with rice.