simple potato curry

When my husband leaves out of town on a business trip, I prefer eating some kind of tiffin for dinner and this is the time, I can explore some new side dishes. This is something my MIL used to make when nothing is available in fridge. Some how it takes just 10 mts to finish this side dish. I made this day before yesterday for dinner. My girls said, its little bit spicy but for me it was good. (:P) Here goes the recipe. Given quantity may be enough for one person (adult) and two kids :)

Ingredients:-

1. Potato - 2 (thinly sliced)
   
2. Carrot - 3/4 (slice it accordingly)
3. Onion - 1/2 (slice it accordingly)
   
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
6. Salt to taste
7. Red chillies - 1/2 tsp (acc to taste)
8. cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)
10. Coriander leaves - for garnishing
11. Oil - 1 1/2 tsp

Pre heat oil in a pan, splutter cumin and fennel seeds, add sliced onion and saute for few minutes. Add potato and Carrots to it, add turmeric, garam masala and red chillies powder along with salt and sprinkle a hand full of water. Mix everything and let it be there for few mts till all the veggies are cooked. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Enjoy it with roti or with rice.

Pumpkin Dry Curry

This curry is something I tried from Raks Kitchen. It is similar to mathan thoran we make in my mom's place except for the fact that we have to add onion in this recipe. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Pumpkin - 1 1/2 cups (chopped into cubes)
   
2. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
   
3. Salt to taste
   
4. coconut - 1 1/2 tbsp
   
5. Red chillies - 3 (acc to taste)
   
6. Green chillies - 1 (acc to taste)
   
7. Cumin - 1 tsp
   
8. Pearl Onion - 5 or 6
   
9. Oil - 2 tsp
   
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
    
11. Red chillies - 1
    
12. asafoetida powder - a pinch
    
13. Curry leaves - to garnish

Pre heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and fry red chillies and asafoetida powder and add the pumpkin and saute for few minutes. In the mean time, grind, red chillies, pearl onion, coconut and cumin into a fine paste. Now add the ground paste to the pumpkin, add salt, turmeric powder and sprinkle water little bit and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook for few minutes. When everything is mixed with pumpkin and the pumpkin is fully cooked, turn off the stove. By this time, the water should be evaporated fully and it should have become a dry curry. Garnish it with curry leaves

Kadamba Sambar

Kadamba sambar is something which my patti used to make during any special occasion in our house like somebody's birthday, or wedding day or some family get together. I have never seen my MIL make this sambar. She used to combine two or three vegetables and make sambar, but not with more than 6 or 7 vegetables. I made this kadamba sambar for our wedding day couple of days back. Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients:-

1. Potato - 1( chop it into cubes)
   
2. Drumstick - 6 (acc to taste)
3. Tomato - 1 ( chop it into cubes)
4. Eggplant - 1( chop it into cubes)
5. Pumpkin - a small piece (5 cubes)
   
6. Chow chow - a small piece (5 cubes)
7. Onion - 1( chop it into cubes)
8. Okra - 2 (chop it accordingly)
   
9. Tamarind - a small lemon sized (soak it)
   
10. toor dhall - 1 1/2cups
    
11. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsp (acc to taste)
13. Salt to taste

To Grind:-

1. Coriander seeds - 1 1/4 tsp
2. Channa dhall - 3/4 tsp
3. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
4. REd chillies - 3 or 4 (acc to taste)
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
6. Coconut - 3 tsp
7. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Red chillies - 1
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
   
6. Curry leaves - for garnishing

First pressure cook toor dhall with required amount of turmeric powder and keep it aside. Take a pan, fry the ingredients given to grind, to golden brown and grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside. Squeeze juice from tamarind for about one and half cups and keep it aside. In a flat bottomed pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown. Now add the above given vegetables one by one and saute for a minute. Now add the squeezed tamarind juice to the vegetables, required amount of salt, turmeric powder and sambar powder to it and cook it for atleast 7 to 10 minutes ( or till the vegetables are 3/4th cooked). Now add the grounded coconut paste to the vegetables and let everything cook together for another 3 minutes. Now add the cooked toor dhall to it and boil it for another 5 minutes. Garnish it with curry leaves. Serve it hot with rice.