South Indies: Sambhar with Drumstick & Potatoes

Life can't be more beautiful at the moment. Today, we celebrate our Wedding Anniversary & it is all the more special because it is one of the many Firsts with  Baby K. It's almost midnight & We are just back from our Anniversary Date. But I stayed up to write this post, because If I don't find time write this today, I might just not do this post in a long time

 

The way we view Marriage & Relationships has changed (changed for the better) in the past few years. There are these little things about each other, that we love, for instance, How I wait for this  Special Masala Chai that Shankar makes for me on weekends or a quick Bread Poha that he makes when I feel lazy to fix breakfast.  It's always small things that makes relationships work, isn't it?

When it comes to food, Shankar & I are different as chalk & cheese. Hailing from the south, his food preferances are predominantly South Indian. Even though our palate has expanded to different cuisines across the world, Its mostly South Indian food he craves for, mostly.

This Drumstick & Potato Sambhar that I am going to share with you is Shankar's all time favorite dish is a staple at home. It  is slightly spicier than the regular ones & takes a little more effort at your end But, its well worth the effort.

 

 

You Will Need:
 

• Toor Dal/Split pigeon peas - half a cup
• 1 large tomato - chopped
• 2 large onions - chopped into big chunks / 10 - 12 pearl onions
• 3 - 4 drumsticks - cut into 3 inch pieces
• 2 large potatoes - scrubbed clean & cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup grated coconut - fresh/frozen
• Juice of a lemon sized tamarind ball soaked in warm water
• A pinch of turmeric
• 2 tsp oil
• A small piece of jaggery
• 1 tsp Dhalia/Roasted Gram/Hurigadale (optional)
• Salt as per taste

 

To Temper

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A few curry leaves
• 2 Byadagi chillies (optioal)
 

How To:

 

• Pressure cook Toor dal along with chopped tomatoes with a pinch of turmeric
• Heat a small pan, & roast the ingredients mentioned in the list in a tsp of oil
• Gring the roasted ingredients along with grated coconut & Dalia into a smooth paste along with little water
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds & curry leaves, when they splutter, add the onions & saute until the onions turn transparent.
•  In a pan, add chopped drumsticks & potatoes with enough water for the vegetables to cook. Cover the pan with a lid
• When the vegetables are fully cooked, add cooked toor dal & tomatoes & the ground Sambar paste.
• Add a small piece of jaggery, Tamarind juice & salt to taste. Add some water, if necessary to get the desired consistency of a sambar
• Bring it to a boil & turn off the stove.
• Temper with mustard seeds & red chillies & transfer to a bowl.

Serve HOT with Rice/Idli/Dosa .. Enjoi !!!

NOTE:

• To make Sambar powder, roast all the ingredients mentioned in the list. Add roasted desicated coconut & powdered Dalia to this mixture & store in air-tight jars. Just add about 3 tsp of this powder to cooked vegetables & lentils & bring it to a boil. The sambar will thicken as you boil. This saves quite a bit of your time.
• Add copped Brinjal/Eggplant for enhanced flavors

Also, Enter for a chance to win a Cookbook  or a Gift Voucher from Flipkart Here. Giveaway ends on March 20, 2013