Sambar is essential in tamilnadu cusine. You may choose your vegetables like  Ash gourd,lady's finger,carrots,potatoes,beans,capsicum . My favourite is capsicum and ash gourd.  You can also make kadhamba sambar with potatoes,carrots,beans.

Toor dhall - 200 grams cooked

Tamarind - lemon size

Fenugreek

turmeric

Asafoetida

vegetable of your choice (mine: capsicum cut into cubes)

Water

Salt

Soak Tamarid in hot water and when cool extract  tamarind juice and store aside

In a thick bottomed  pan add a teaspoon of oil and fry the capsicum once done add tamarind  paste /juice and bring to boil ; now add sambar powder,dhall,turmeric powder and salt and cook for 10 minutes until the raw smell leaves and the capsicum sambar aroma fills the kitchen.In a small pan add a teaspoon of oil , add mustard,1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek ,1/2 teaspoon of Asafoetida,curry leaves and add to the sambar and remove from stove.

Here's the receipe for sambar powder which you can store for a couple months,this powder can also be added to sabzi's like lady's finder,potatoes,colacasia for added taste.....

Red chilli round - 500 grams

Dhaniya /Cillantro - 500 grams

Toor dhall - 200 grams

Pepper - 2 spoons

Fenugreek - 2 spoons

Jeera - 2 spoons

Asafoetida  powder - a teaspoon

curry leaves  - few

Turmeric - 4 to 5 pcs

Dry all the contents in sunlight or dry roast all the ingredients seperately or microwave all ingredients except chilli for 2 minutes  and powder. store in air tight containers. I just made a batch this morning.

My tried and tested karadai & uppu adai will post pics this saturday. Here goes my receipe

Sweet Adai or Vella Adai

Ingredients
Rice flour – 1 cup
Water – 1 ½ cups
Jaggery – 1 cup
Karamani – 2 tbspn
Cardamon powder – ¼ tspn
Coconut pieces or grated coconut – 2 tbspn

Method :
Roast the rice flour in a heavy bottomed kadai till you get the aroma and set to cool.

Pressure cook Karamani for 3 whistles.

Heat ½ cup water in a pan, dissolve jaggery ; filter and bring to boil and keep aside.

Boil 1 ½ cups water and slowly add rice flour to avoid lumps keep stirring until it forms a thick consistency now add jaggery cooked karamani, a pinch of salt, coconut , cardomon powder and keep stirring till it forms a thick dough remove from fire and allow to cool.

If the mixture is still gooey continue cooking while stirring until you get the chappati kind of dough.

Grease your hands ,take lemon sized dough to make patties and make a hole in the centre.

In an idly tray/ steamer plate arrange the adai and cook for 10 minutes.

Kara Adai or Uppu Adai

Ingredients
Rice flour – 1 cups
Karamani – 2 tbspn
Coconut pieces or grated coconut – ¼ cup
Salt – 1/2 tspn
Chilli Green – 2 nos
Mustard – 1/2 tspn
Ginger – 1 inch( finely chopped)
Asafoetida - a pinch
a sprig of Curry leaves (chopped)
Oil – 1 tspn

Method :
Heat oil in a kadai add mustard,allow to splutter then add chilli,gingerand curry leaves.

Pour 1 ½ cups water to the seasoning and bring to boil add a pinch of asofoetida & salt.

Slowly add roasted rice flour to avoid lumps and keep stirring till it gets gooey to this add karamani,coconut ; stir till it becomes like chapatti dough and allow to cool.

Grease your hands ,take lemon sized dough to make patties make a hole in the centre.

In an idly tray/ steamer plate arrange the adai and cook for 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
Rava ( Semolina ) – 1.5 cups
Sugar – 3 cups
Water – 2 cups
Ghee – 1 cup
Cashew – 10- 15 nos:
Raisins – 10 nos:
Cardoman – 6 pcs (powdered)
Kesari Powder – a pinch

Method :

In a hard bottomed vessel roast the rava until it turns golden brown add water and kesari powder and cook on low flame , once cooked add sugar , cardamom powder and keep stirring while adding ghee slowly. In another pan add a tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashew suntil it turns golden brown and add to the kesari .Finally add raisins and serve.

Try this : You may also use pineapple cubes instead of Raisins

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Moong dhall – 1 cup
¼ inch Ginger - chopped
Ghee – 2 tbspn
Salt – ½ tspn
Whole black pepper – 1 tspn
Cumin Seeds – 1 tspn
Turmeric Powder – a pinch
Cashew Nuts – 10 – 15 nos:
Curry Leaves
Asafetida – a pinch

Method :
Soak Rice and Dhall in 4 cups water and pressure cook for 6 whistles.In a hard bottomed vessel add 2 tbspn of ghee to fry pepper,cumin seeds, ginger , turmeric ,asofoetida , cashew and curry leaves to this add the cooked rice ,dhall salt and mix well simmer and leave for 2 minutes . Serve hot with chutney.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
Coconut ( Grated)– 2 cups
Green Chillies – 5 nos:
Ginger – ¼ inch piece
Salt – 1 tspn
Water - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - chopped – 1 tbspn

Seasoning :
Oil – 1 tspn
Mustard – ¼ tspn
Asafetida – a pinch
Heat oil add mustard allow to splutter and then add asafetida

Method:
Grind the entire contents to a fine paste except coriander. Add water to the paste and mix well and season . finally add chopped coriander leaves

Do try and leave your comments.