4. Onion sambar

Onion Sambar
Hot rice, ghee, onion sambar with fried potatoes or deep fried appalams are the best combo.
Best side dish for dosa, idli and upma.
Along with onions other vegetables used for sambar can also be used for a different taste.
Ingredients:
Sambar onion - 1/4kg
Toor dal - 1cup
Tamarind - Lemon size
Hinge - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - 2tbs
Grated coconut -2tbs
For roasting:
Channa dall -2tbs
Daniya - 2tbs
Methi seeds - 1/2tsp
Red chilli - 8
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1tsp
For tempering:
Gingely oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli - 1
Curry leaves

Method:

1.       Peel off the skin of onion. (If you soak it in water and peel, your eyes may not water while peeling). Trim out the top and bottom portion of onions.

2.       Soak toor dal in hot water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

3.       Roast all the items given under for roasting till channa dal turns brown. Keep it aside.

4.       Fry onions in ghee till the aroma come and onions turn transparent.

5.       Grind the toasted items with grated coconut and 2 or 3 fried onions into fine paste.

6.       Soak tamrind in hot water and get 2 cups of extract. Add turmeric powder, salt, hinge and onions. Allow it to boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off and onions are cooked well.

7.       Add ground paste and cooked and smashed toor dal to the tamrind extract. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes.

8.       Temper all the items given under tempering in gigngely oil.

Kosmari or carrot salad

Ingredients:

Fresh carrot - ¼ Kg
Green chili - 1
Ginger - a small piece

curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt - ½ tsp
Lemon - ½

Sugar - a pinch (optional)

Grated coconut - 1tsp (optional)

For seasoning 

Urid dal - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Oil - 1 tsp 

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp 

Method:

• Wash and remove black spots from carrot as it may have mud particles and bacteria and grate it using carrot grater.
• Add salt, sugar, grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. 
• Squeeze lemon.
• Heat oil on the pan and add mustard seeds. After it splutters, add the rest of the ingredients we have for seasoning. Finally add the curry leaves. Add to the grated carrot mix. Stir well.

 

 

 

Vegetable side dish -Podimas

Vegetables like potato and vazhakai can be used for podimas.

Urulai kizhangu (potato) podimas:

Method: 1
Ingredients:
Potato - ½ kg
Green chillies -2 or 3
Ginger - a small piece
Curry leaves
Lemon -  ½

Mustard - ½ tsp

Oil - 1tsp

Urid dal - ½ tsp

turmeric powder - a pinch

salt - 1 tsp

1.     Wash well and pressure cook the potatoes.
2.          Peel the skin and smash.
3.          Heat the pan, add oil, mustard seeds and asafoetida.
4.          Add urid dal after the mustard seeds splutters.
5.          Add chopped green chilies, chopped ginger and curry leaves after the urid dal turns brown.
6.          Add turmeric powder to the oil and then the smashed potatoes
7.          Add salt. Stir well. Keep it on the fire for 2 minutes.
8.          Squeeze lemon after it gets little cooled.

Method:2

Ingredients:

Potato - ½ Kg

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Urid dal - ½tsp

Red chili - 1

Chili powder - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - 1tsp

Asafotida - a pinch

Method:

• Follow step 1 to 4 from the 1st method.
• Follow step 5 except the green chilies and ginger. Instead add red chili pieces along with urid dal.
• Add salt and red chili powder finally. Sir well.

Vazhakai podi(mas)

Ingredients:
Vazhakai (Raw banana) - 2
Coconut oil -1tsp
Cooking oil - 1tsp
Mustard - 1/2  tsp
Urid dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 1
asafoetida - a pinch
Ginger -  small piece
Green chili - 2
curry leaves
Grated coconut -2 tbs
Salt - 1tsp
Method:

• Remove a small portion of the top and bottom of the raw banana. Cut it into two pieces. 
• Place the pieces in the pan and add water till the pieces immerse. Boil the water. Turn the pieces after sometime.
• When the raw bana is half boiled (Do not cook too much), remove it from fire. Leave it to cool.
• Peel the skin and grate it using carrot grater.
• Grate giner and chop the green chilies.
• Heat the pan add cooking oil. Add mustard followed by urid dal, asafoetida and red chili pieces. Fry till urid dal turns brown. Add cocnut oil, green chilis, ginger and curry leaves and fry for a second.
• Add grated raw banana and salt. Stir well in low flame. Add grated coconut and stir well.

 Note: If the raw banana is over cooked the dish will become lump. So it should be half cooked. Once the skin turns dark, you can just poke with a knife and check.