Sambar (Indian Soup)

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetables:

One onion cut to medium sized pieces.

2-3 tomatoes cut to medium sized pieces.

1/2 cups of diced carrots

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup green beans

2 sticks of drumsticks cut to pieces

1 cup of radish or gourd (sorakaya)

1 cup any other veggies like ladysfinger or eggplant or green peppers

2 cups of lentils (toor dal)

For Tadka:

2 tbsp of broken gram/ split peas (channa dal)

1 tbsp of coriander seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

Other Ingredients:

2 tbsp of dhania-jeera powder

4-5 green chillies

Tamarind - size of a small lemon

4-5 tbsp of grated coconut

PROCEDURE:

1. Boil the veggies and the dal in separate dishes in a pressure cooker.
2. Soak a small lemon size of tamarind in water for atleast 10 mins.
3. Heat 2 tsps of vegetable oil in a kadai and add all the tadka items and let these fry till they are golden in color.
4. Squeeze the tamarind and get the juice into the water. Remove the tamarind and add the juice to the kadai and let it come to a boil.
5. To this add the dhania-jeera powder and the grated coconut.
6. To this add the boiled vegetables and 2-3 cups of water to this and let it come to a boil.
7. Grind the boiled dal in a grinder to make a paste.
8. Add this dal paste to the boiling vegetables.
9. Add cut green chillies and salt to taste.
10. Simmer the heat and let the mixture come to a boil.

Lemon Rice

A friend from work really loves this dish and asked me to publish the recipe. Lemon rice holds a special place in Andhra Cuisine. It is prepared on most of the religious festivals, and is considered an auspicious dish. It is known as "Pulihora" in Telugu language. Pulihora actually means, Sour Rice. This can be prepared with tamarind or lemon or even raw mango. Lemon rice or Nimmakaya Pulihora is the easiest of the lot to make, though others aren't as tough either. Serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

Vegetable/ Canola Oil - 3 tbsp

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Lemon juice - 4 tsp or juice from a Big Lemon

Peanuts - 1/2 Cup

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, mustard seeds, chana dal, jeera, red chillies (3-4) for Tadka

1/2 tsp of turmeric

3-4 green chillies - cut

1/2 tsp of dhania-jeera powder

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Soak the rice for about 15 mins and cook it, in 2 glasses of water, preferably in a Rice cooker.

2. Let the rice cool a little.

3. In a pan, heat the oil, fry peanuts.

4. To the pan add, the cut green chillies and all the items for the Tadka. Stir them, till the mustard seeds split. Add dhania-jeera powder to this, and mix properly.

4. Remove tadka and the peanuts and add them to the rice.

5. Add turmeric, lemon juice and salt to the rice and mix them up thouroughly.

Lemon Rice is Ready to be served!

Bhindi Masala/ Okra Masala

This is a great curry that is a good combination with Rotis.

Ingredients:

Cut Okra (bhindi) - 1/2 kg

Tomatoes - 3 (medium)

Onions - 2 (large)

Green chillies - 3

Cinnamon - 1 piece

Cloves - 3

Bay leaf - 1

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp.

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.

Oil - 2 cups

Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp.

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

Procedure:
1. Cut the onions, tomatoes, okra & green chillies.

2. Heat the oil in pan and add the okra pieces. Deep fry.

3. Remove fried okra and place on kitchen tissue or table napkin so that excess oil is removed. Keep it aside.

4. Heat 3 spoons of oil in a pan. Fry the cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf for 30 seconds. Now add onions, green chilli pieces and fry them until onions turn light brown.

5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for one minute.

6.Add tomato pieces, red chilli powder and salt, cover the pan and cook for a few minutes until tomatoes become soft. Stir twice or thrice to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan.

7.Add fried okra and mix slowly. Keep on heat for two more minutes and then remove the pan.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.