The Sumptuous Paal Pongal and Anumulu Sambar

Some comfort foods are best prepared traditionally. This combination of paal pongal and anumulu sambar is a suprising combination that will delight you with its lipsmacking taste. Anumulu is a seasonal bean so it is best now to buy it fresh to prepare this recipe.

Paal Pongal
Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw rice
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash rice properly and soak it with 2 cups water for 30min.After 30 min discard the water fully and keep aside.
In a thick bottom pan boil 2 cups milk and 2 cups water once it starts boiling add the soaked rice and cook in a medium to low flame till rice becomes soft. During the whole process stir the rice nicely for every 3 mins interval so that it will not stick to the bottom.Once rice become soft, switch of the flame and add the salt and stir properly. Your paal pongal is ready

 Note:
1.By soaking the rice the cooking process will be faster.
2.Add more water while cooking the rice if required.


Anumulu Sambar
Ingredients:

• 1 cup anumulu/mochai seeds/field beans
• 1 cup chowchow chunks
• a lemon size tamarind
• 2 tbsp channa dal
• 1 tbsp coriander/cilantro seeds
• 4 red chillies
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp musterd seeds
• a pinch of turmeric
• a few fenugreek seeds
• a pinch of hing
• salt to taste

Boil the mochai/anumulu and chowchow with 1 cup of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles and keep aside.

Soak tamarind in water for 10 min then extract the pulp and keep side.

In a pan heat 1/2 tsp oil then add coriander seeds,channa dal and red chillies and fry in a low flame till dal become light golden brown.Then add curry leaves and fry for a while till become crispy ,shift this to a blender and make a fine powder then add coconut and little water and make a fine paste ,keep aside.
Heat a tsp of oil in a deep bottom pan add mustard seeds,cummin seeds,fenugreek seeds and once mustard seeds start to splutter add hing and curry leaves and stir for a min then add cooked mochai seeds and chowchow without the water and reserve the water . Stir it properly then add the above prepared paste and stir for 1 min . Add the tamarind pulp, reserve water,turmeric,salt and let it boil for 5 min ,check the consistency if required add some water .

Once its boils nicely switch off the flame and garnish with cilantro.Serve warm with paal pongal.


Note:
1.You can make the spice powder of coriander seeds,channa dal n red chilli much before also n can store it in container and use how much you need  but preferable make it fresh when you need .

2.If you add more powder then sambar will become thick so add carefully.

3.Any excess spice powder can be used for stuffing for brinjal

4.Instead of chowchow you can use onions

5.If you do not have fresh anumulu/mochai/field beans then you can soak the dried field beans for 3 hrs and use in this sambar 

The Unbeatable Chittoor Sambar

Sambar is an authentic dish in south india.Sambar is prepared with different vegetable combinations for different purposes. Also the sambar which we serve with idli or dosa is different from the sambar which we serve with rice.This chittoor sambar is best to serve with steamed idlis. It has a unique blend of ingredients and a unbeatable flavor that is a perfect accompaniment for idlis but can also be had with rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toor dal
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 1/2 cup diced radish
• 4 diced baby corn
• 1 cup 2 inch long sliced drumsticks
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 2 green chillies cut length wise
• 1 medium lemon size tamarind soaked in hot water for 15 minutes.
• Remove the pulp and keep the tamarind paste aside.
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp sambar powder
• 1 tbsp rasam powder
• 1 tsp poppy seeds(khus khus)
• a pinch of sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 6 fenugreek seeds
• a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil

Cooking Procedure:
Pressure cook the toor dal with 2 cups of water and once it is done then beat is nicely to make a smooth paste and keep aside.
Make a smooth paste of sambar powder,rasam powder,grated coconut and poppy seed with some water and keep aside
Take 2 cups of water in a sauce pan then add radish ,corn ,drumsticks and onion and cook till they become tender.
In the mean time add turmeric powder,salt,sugar and the grounded paste to the above .
Once the veggies are cooked add tomato,tamarind pulp and bring it to boil.
Now add cooked dal and add extra water according to your consistency and bring it to boil and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds,methi seeds, hing and when musterd seeds starts to splutter add the curry leaves and add this to the above sambar.Your sambar is ready and you are ready to serve it with steamed hot idly