Sambar

One of the most popular and well loved dishes from the southern part of India is sambar, and each of the 4 states have their own slight variations of it. I lived in chennai most of my life, so naturally my sambar gravitates toward the tamil version. Here's the recipe:

Toor daal - 1 cup

Shallots - 5 to 6 (else 12 small onions, or 1 big onion)

Green chilis - 4

Carrot - 1

Tomatoes -2

Eggplants - 2

Okra - 2

Bottle gourd or Sorakai - 1/2 small

Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Cilantro - for garnish

Hing - a big pinch

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - 8 cups or more

Cook the daal with about 2 1/2 cups water in a pressure cooker for about 10 whistles, till it is really mushy and smooth. In a pan, add a tbsp oil and add the onions and chilis. Chop all the veggies into cubes. Fry till the onions are translucent and add all the other veggies. Fry till tender. In the cooked daal, add the sambar powder, chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, sugar and some water. Mix well. Now add that to the veggies and pour the rest of the water. Let it simmer for about 10 min. In a seperate pan, add 1 tbsp oil  and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the hing. Once it starts to splutter add the tadka to the sambar. Garnish with cilantro.

Carrot halwa

One of the easier and healthier indian sweets out there is carrot halwa. I remember when we were really young, my mom would make this halwa, but it was such a time consuming process. It would take at least 2 to 3 hours to make this, and would involve constant stirring. Not any more tho, with condensed milk and koya being readily available every where, it take a just a fraction of the time to make. Here's the recipe:

Carrots grated - 4

Condensed milk - 1 small tin

Cardamom  powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

In a heavy bottom pan, heat the ghee and add the grated carrots. Fry till the raw smell is gone, and then add the condensed milk. Add the milk and sugar and stir till it is of the right consistency. If you like your halwa really thick, leave it on longer. Add more milk if you like it more runny. Add the cardamom powder and garnish with slivered almonds. Tastes really good hot or cold. Serve with some vanilla ice cream if you are having guests. 

Tip: I chop my carrots in the juicer of my preeti mixie. If you don't add any water, the carrots are really coarse, just like you grated them. Saves a lot of time.