Raddish Poricha Kozhambu

Ther are two ways of making porchia kozhambu. One is Thanjavur style and the other one is Kerala style Poricha Kozhambu.  This is Kerala Style Poricha Kozhambu. I wanted to make eggplant poricha kozhambu, but after finishing the preparations, I realized that there is no eggplant in my fridge. Then wanted to try it with raddish. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Raddish - 1 cup (chopped)
2. Red Karamani (Red Cowpea Beans) - 3/4 cup
3. Tamarind - medium lemon sized (2 cups approx)
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Sambar powder - 1 1/4 tsp (acc to taste)
7. Jaggery - 2 tsp (optional)

To Grind:-

1. Coriander  Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
2. Channa Dhall - 1 tsp
3. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chillies - 1 or 2 (acc to taste)
6. Shredded Coconut - 1 tbsp

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Hing - few pinches
5. Curry leaves - for garnishing

Pressure cook karamani till its done and keep it aside.  In the mean time, squeeze tamarind juice and keep it aside. Take a wide bottomed pan, put the raddish pieces, tamarind water, turmeric powder, sambar powder and required amount of salt and let it boil or 7 to 10 minutes or till the raddish is 3/4th cooked.  Mean time, fry the ingredients given "To Grind" to golden brown and grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside. When the vegetable is 3/4th done, add the grounded paste to it along with required amount of water and let it boil for another 5 minutes. Now add the cooked karamani to it along with the powdered jaggery (optional) and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Now Poricha Kozhambu is ready to serve. It goes really well with white rice. Also with Verum arisi adai.

Mango Sambar

This is another sambar, my grandma used to make. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Ripe Mango - 1 cup (chopped)
2. Tamarind Paste - 3/4 tsp
   
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
5. Jaggery - 1 1/2 tbsp
   
6. Salt to taste
7. Coconut - 1 tsp
8. Coriander seeds - 3/4 tsp
9. Red chillies -1
10. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
11. Toor dhall - 1 cup (cooked)

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Curry leaves - few

First pressure cook toor dhall with a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside. Take a pan, pre heat oil, fry coriander seeds, coconut, red chillies and asafoetida powder to golden brown and grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside.

This recipe is more like regular sambar. First put the chopped mangoes, tamarind paste, Jaggery water, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and let it cook for 10 mts. Add the coconut paste to it and let it cook for another 3 mts. Now add the cooked toor dhall to it and let it mix with mango ingredients. This is mango sambar. This can be eaten with rice.

Sambar - Arachuvitta sambar

This is another sambar which needs some kind of garnishing This one also a simple one. The main ingredients are as follow..
Ingredients:-

1. Toor Dal - 1 cup
2. Tamarind Paste - 1 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsp
5. Salt to taste.
6. Vegetables -Drumstick 2 (cut it into one inch size)
7. Onion - 1/2
8. Fresh coconut - 3 tbsp
9. Coriander - 3 tbsp
10. Channa dal - 1 1/2 tbsp
11. urid dal - 1 tsp
12. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
13. Red chillies - 3
14. Asafoetida powdr - a pinch

For seasoning:

1. oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustrd seeds - 1 tsp
3. fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. curry leaves - 10-15 leaves

First pressure cook the Toor dal with a pinch of Turmeric powder in it. Keep it aside. In a small pan, pour a drop of oil and fry, coriander seeds, channa dal, urid dal, fenugreek seeds, red chillies with a pinch of asafoetida powder, to golden brown. Turn off the stove and now add the coconut to the above said ingredients. Grind it into a fine paste and keep it aside.

Take a pan, mix the tamarind paste with a cup of water, add turmeric powder + sambar powder + salt + vegetables and let it boil for 7 to 8 minutes till the vegetables become tender. Now add the coconut paste to it and let it boil for another 3 mts. Now add toor dal, again let it boil for another 3 mts.

Take a small seasoning pan, preheat oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and Asafoetida and pour it in the sambar. Now sambar is ready to serve. We can also make this sambar with Okra, Eggplant, Winter melon, Pumpkin, instead of Drumstick.