Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu / Onion Vatha Kuzhambu ~ Day 80

This spicy, tangy and lip-smacking gravy is one of the authentic and traditional dish of Tambram household.  Onions cooked in tamarind gravy along with roasted peanuts and spices.  It is best paired with paruppu thogayal (toor dal chutney) or Keerai masiyal (mashed spinach) and sutta appalam (toasted papad).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking rime: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

• Tamarind Juice - 1 cup (Soak golf ball sized tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes, squeeze the juice and discard the pulp)
• Onion (red or yellow) - 3, roughly chopped
• Sambar powder - 2 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1-inch piece
• Salt - to taste
• Curry leaves - few
• Water  2 cups

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Ajwain / omam - 1 tsp
• Raw peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Sesame oil - 4 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wide bottomed saucepan.  Splutter mustard seeds.  Add ajwain /omam, fenugreek seeds and peanuts. Fry until peanuts are roasted, about 2 minutes.
2. Add curry leaves, asafoetida and onions.  Fry the onions until soft and translucent.
3. Add the sambar powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder.  Saute for 30 seconds, over low heat.
4. Add the tamarind juice along with 2 cups of water, jaggery, and salt.  Mix well and let it boil for 20 minutes, over medium low heat, until gravy thickens.  Gravy should be of a pouring consistency.
5. Remove from the heat and drizzle some sesame oil for extra flavor.  Add some more chopped curry leaves.
6. Serve with hot steamed rice, drizzled with ghee or sesame oil and sutta appalam / toasted papad.

Radish (Mullangi) and Onion Pachadi / Raita ~ Day 29

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

• Curd / yogurt - 2 cups or more
• Radish - 1 medium, peeled and shredded
• Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies - 2, small, finely chopped
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Curry leaves - 3, thinly sliced
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add urad dal, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry until urad dal turns golden brown, about 10 seconds.
2. Add the onions and saute for a minute and add radish, turmeric powder and salt.   Saute for another 2 minutes.  Let it cool.
3. Whisk yogurt and add the radish mixture.  Mix well.
4. Serve with curries, plain or variety rice, roti, chapati, cooked quinoa or just plain.

Arachuvitta Vengaya Sambar / Onion Sambar with Ground Spicies

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:
Toor dal / Thvaram Paruppu - 1/2 cup
Small / pearl onions / Shallots - 15 -20, peeled
Tamarind extract - 3/4 cup or 2 TBSP tamarind paste
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - few springs
Salt - to taste
To grind:
Coriander seeds / Dhania - 2 TBSP
Channa dal / Kadalai Paruppu - 1 TBSP
Dry red chillies - 2
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Shredded coconut - 2 TBSP
Shallots - 2
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash toor dal and pressure cook with 1 1/2 cups of water til soft.
2. Fry the ingredients listed in to grind (except coconut and shallots) list till golden brown.  Turn off the heat and add coconut and shallots. Mix well.  Let it cool and grind to a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan.  Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
4. Add shallots,curry leaves and asafoetida.  Fry till golden brown.
5. Add the tamarind extract.  If using paste, add the paste and 1cup of water.
6. Mix in sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt.  Boil for 10 minutes on medium heat.
7. Add the ground mixture along with 1/2 cup water.  Mix well and boil for 2 minutes.
8. Add the cooked dal and mix thoroughly.  The consistency should be little thicker than a soup.  So adjust the water accordingly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a minute. 
9. Serve hot with rice with a dollop of ghee and spicy potato roast.

Here are some of my recipes for potato roast.
http://www.apeekintomykitchen.com/2010/03/spicy-potato-roast.html
http://www.apeekintomykitchen.com/2011/03/methi-aloo-with-badam-potatoes-with.html