KADHAMBA SAADAM
Ingredients
1 cup rice
1/2 cup Bengal gram (channa dal)
1 cup toor dal
1 tbsp tamarind paste
3 cups of assorted vegetables (sweet potato, ladies finger, drumstick, white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, eggplant, beans etc)
1/2 – 1 tbsp Sambar powder
Salt to taste
Few sprigs of curry leaves, coriander and 1 tsp of sesame oil/ghee for garnish
Method
Cook the rice with three cups of water. Also, cook both the lentils together until they are thoroughly done. Now, boil all the vegetables partially for about ten minutes. In a separate dish, mix the tamarind paste with three cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add salt, sambar powder, curry leaves and vegetables and let it cook for five minutes. Now, add the lentils to the mixture and cook for another five minutes. Now, add the cooked rice and mix gently without disturbing the vegetables (make sure you don’t mash the vegetables). Garnish with coriander leaves and sesame oil/ghee and serve hot with appalam.
ULUNDHU VADAI
Ingredients
1 cup – Urad Dhal
1 medium size onion (finely chopped)
1 green chili (finely chopped)
½ inch ginger (finely chopped)
2 table spoons curry leaves (finely chopped)
2 pinches baking soda
Salt to taste
Oil as required for frying
Method
First, soak urad dhal in water for 5 hours. Grind the soaked urad dhal into a fine paste (not grain). Add water to the batter little by little so that the batter. Make sure the batter doesn’t become watery (It should not flow freely from the spoon when you pour it down).Mix onion, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and salt together. Add them to the batter and mix well. Now, add the baking soda and mix further. Heat required oil in a kadai and dip your hands in water. Scoop the batter in size of a small ball in your palm and pat it to form a circle. Dip your index finger in water and make a small hole in the center of the patted batter. Now, gently drop it in oil and fry till it becomes golden brown. Apply the same method for all vadais. Serve crispy vadais with chutney or soak them in sambarfor the ‘sambar vadai’ effect.
SAKKARAI PONGAL
Ingredients
3/4 cup rice
1/4 cup moong dal
1-1/2 cups jaggery
2 tbsp ghee
2 nos cardamom
6 cashew nuts
10 raisins
Saffron
Method
Cook the rice and dhal in a pressure cooker. Finely chop the jaggery and mix it with half cup water and cook in medium flame. When the jaggery melts, strain it to remove impurities. Now, place the jaggery back on heat. Stir the jaggery until the mixture comes to a thread consistency. Now mash the rice and dhal nicely and add the ghee. Add the mashed rice to the jaggery mixture and cook in low flame. Continue cooking till the rice is nicely blended with the jaggery. Roast the cashews and raisins in ghee. Throw them into the mixture and garnish with cardamom and saffron.