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)
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – a few
• Green Chillies – 2 small (optional)
• 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
• Tamarind – a pinch (soaked in water) or 1/4 tsp of tamarind paste
• 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 of the following veggies or a combination of some – Carrot, Brinjal, Drumstick, Chow Chow/Bangalore kathirikaai, Radish, Ash Gourd, Greens, Mango, Ladies finger

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. 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 tamarind extract to this and bring to a boil. Finally, add in the mashed 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. Also, each of the veggies bring a unique flavor to the sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Tamarind – 1 marble sized ball (or 3/4 tsp tamarind paste)
• Tomatoes – 2 medium
• Garlic – 2 flakes
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Rasam Powder – 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies – 2
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsp

Method:

Soak the tamarind in little water and squeeze out the juice to make a thick pulp. Add about 2 cups of water to this. Crush 2 flakes of garlic and add in. Crush the tomatoes into this mix; break up the red chillies and add in. Add the curry and coriander leaves. Finally add salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add in the mustard seeds. Once they begin sputtering, add the tamarind water mix to this. When the mix starts boiling, add in the rasam powder and allow to come to a boil. Delicious hot rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice. Note that you can add cooked toor dal to the mix to make paruppu rasam (Dal Rasam).

Ingredients:

• Mixed veggies – 2 cups (diced and boiled) (Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, potatoes, peas)
• Onions – 1 big (sliced)
• Tomatoes – 1 medium (diced)
• Green Chillies – 2
• Ginger – 1/2 inch chopped
• Coconut grated – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Saunf – 1 tsp
• Garam masala items – 1 tsp (cloves – 1, cinnamon stick – 1, bay leaf – 1)
• Salt – to taste
• Oil
• Coriander leaves(Cilantro)

Method:

Grind the ginger, saunf, green chillies, tomatoes with half the onions (with little water) and set aside. Grind the grated coconut with some water and set aside.? In a pan, heat oil and add the garam masala items and then add the rest of the onions. Saute the onions for a while. To this, add the boiled veggies, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder. Bring to a boil after adding a little water. Finally, stir in the coconut paste with some water and bring to a boil. Add the coriander leaves for garnish.

Note that you can make a variation of this korma without the coconut paste also. Another richer flavorful variation would be to add cashew paste (soak cashews in water and grind to a paste) along with coconut paste.

Ingredients:

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

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic (ginger garlic paste) 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: Can also add veggies like brinjals, capsicum, yams, ladies finger, drumsticks, potatoes, etc to the kozhambu.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 8 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 – 1/2 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.? Goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

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

Method:

Grind the coconut gratings with a little water into a paste and set aside. Slit the brinjals lengthwise on 4 sides halfway through.? 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. To this, add the brinjals and allow to cook for a few minutes. 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. Finally stir in the coconut paste and bring the mixture to a boil.

Ingredients:

• Brinjals (small) – 3 to 4
• Onions – 1 medium diced
• Sambhar powder – 1 tsp (or use chilli-coriander powder – 1 tsp)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
• Toor Dal – 1/4 tsp
• Red Chillies (Dry) – 3
• Asafoetida – little (1/4 tsp)
• Tamarind paste – 1 tsp
• Oil – 1 to 2 tbsp
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Salt – to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, add urad dal, toor dal, dry chillies and asafoetida. Add the onions to this and saute well. Add the tamarind paste with a little water. Then add curry leaves, salt, sambar powder (chilli/coriander powder) and allow the mixture to come to a boil. In a separate pan (or in microwave), boil the brinjal (whole). Remove from heat, then peel the skin and mash the rest of the brinjal and set aside. Add the mashed brinjal to the boiling contents and mix it well. Allow it to boil for a few minutes and remove from heat. Goes well with rice and as side dishes for pongal or idlis.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 3
• Onions – 2 small (sliced lengthwise)
• Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise
• Tomatoes – 1 small (diced) (Optional)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Garlic flakes – 3 (optional)
• Gram dal – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli-coriander powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Curry leaves – a few (optional)
• Coriander leaves – 2 tsp (optional)
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and cut into medium sized pieces.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds, add the urad dal and gram dal and fry for a few seconds. Then, add the onions, garlic and green chillies and saute for a few minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, curry leaves, and cooked potatoes. Add the turmeric and chilli powder (if preferred) and about 3/4 cup of water and mix well. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Add in the coriander leaves and mix. Remove from heat.

Goes well with puris, chappathis (when in a gravy consistency). Can slightly allow the mixture to thicken and use as side dish for rice and serve as the masala in between dosas (for Masala Dosas)

Ingredients:

• Yam (Karunaikezhangu) – 1/2 lb
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Green Chillies – 2 or 3 (sliced half way through)
• Onions – 1 medium (diced)
• Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

Peel the outer skin of the yam and slice them into 1/4x 1/4 x 1 inch pieces.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Then add the onions and saute for a few minutes. To this add the chopped yam along with turmeric, green chillies and salt. Add 1 cup of water and allow the yam to cook until done (until the yam is soft and the mixture has a gravy like consistency)

Alternatively, can pressure cook the yam pieces with a little salt and turmeric and add to the pan instead of adding them raw. Might save some stove time.

Ingredients:

• Brinjals – 3 medium (chopped finely)
• Potatoes – 3 medium (peeled and chopped finely)
• Green chillies – 5 slit lengthwise
• Onions – 1 medium (diced)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli-coriander powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions and saute for a while. Then, add the green chillies, turmeric, chilli-coriander powder, veggies and salt. Add 1 cup of water and allow the veggies to cook. When there is gravy like consistency, remove from heat. Makes an excellent side dish for rotis/chappathis, and puris.