Guest post series: Bachelor's Sambar by Radha Natarajan

My guest today is a blogger who is a very down-to-earth, unassuming person. For those who are unfamiliar with the blogging world, here is a little bit of background. Food blogging is a cut-throat world. People are always trying to find ways and means to increase traffic to the world. Nothing wrong in that. But what this also means is that if you are new to the blogging world, you will see that very few people share with you the tricks of the trade. Then there are those who think they are the best and everyone else is not worth the time of the day! I am blessed to have some good people around me, most notable amongst them being Sonal Gupta from simplyvegetarian777. It was Sonal who introduced me to Radha Natarajan. She blogs from Your Everyday Cook.

She is a woman after my own heart! She is someone who blogs with the genuine intent of helping others, especially working people like me! She is not a part of the rat race. She does not worry about how many people visit her blog or how popular she is on social media! Don't be fooled by her looks. She has an MBA in marketing and advertising and has worked in that area for several years before she gave it up to take care of her daughter. She started blogging in April, 2014 at the suggestion of her daughter, who suggested that she create a blog to archive all the recipes that she shared and were popular in quite a few food groups! That's how "Your Everyday Cook" was born.

I love her recipes! Every recipe in her blog has been made such that it makes cooking easier, simpler and food healthier. It is not often easy to simplify traditional South Indian recipes. But she manages to make even the most complicated authentic recipes simple! Visit her blog Your Everyday Cook, for all the culinary and visual treats!

Today she is sharing with a very quick and simple recipe which is geared towards those who are living away from home or are new to the kitchen: Bachelor's Sambar! Sambar is basically a spicy mixed vegetable stew that is served with idlis or rice. Let us now take a look at Radha akka's post.

Bachelor' s sambar recipe is nothing but a quick way of making a delicious sambar without compromising on taste .A time saving one .

Bachelors who are away form home constantly travelling may have very few utensils for preparing dishes or less time to cook , so this style of making a sambar all in one step comes very handy.

I personally dont think it is limited to bachelors alone, even busy moms and housewives can try this.

Most people living in temporary residences  will have at least one pressure cooker which doubles up as a cooking utensil too. So the washing chore is reduced greatly, no frying pan required.I find sambar tastier as the dals and vegetables get blended well with spices .This is a great way to make sambar especially in bulk.

Serving size: 2-3 

Ingredients:

1 small cup finely chopped onions or small shallots 

1 small cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 /4 cup or 1/2 cup cubed yellow pumpkins, carrots, or any vegetables ( drumsticks, capsicums).I used a mix of bell papers and yellow pumpkins.
1/4 cup toor dal ( keep soaked while prepping )
1 tsp asafoetida powder
2-3 tbsp sambar  powder
1 tsp kashmiri chili powder for the amazing colour ( recommended)
A pinch of turmeric powder if your sambar powder doesnt have it.
1 tbsp powdered jaggery (optional)
3 tbsp grated fresh coconut or dried. ( optional ) but sambar will taste great with little coconut.
1 tbsp tamrind paste ( or add more tomatoes ) if you dont have tamrind )
salt as required
curry leaves 
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds
1-2 red dry chilis
2 tsp oil 

Method:

Take a pressure pan or pressure cooker.Add oil, heat it, add mustard seeds, let it splutter.

Add the methi seeds and  red chilies. add the curry leaves.

Add the chopped onions, or shallots , saute well for few seconds. 

Add tomatoes and saute more.Mash lightly.

Add other vegetables,  stir well. 

Add the fresh grated coconut.

Add 4 cups of water, add sambar powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, salt and  tamarind paste.

Add the soaked dal .

Cover and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.

When cooled, open cooker, lightly mash the dals, but make sure not to mash the vegetables too much.

Add jaggery if you like , garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

For further taste and flavor add 1 tbsp ghee into the hot sambar, stir well, keep covered. 

Serve hot with rice or idlis.

Notes:

Use tomato puree if you do not have tomatoes.
Onions can be skipped,however adding them gives a near restaurant like taste.
Add more tomatoes if you do not have tamarind paste or fresh tamarind.
While adding grated fresh coconut is optional ,adding 3-4 tbsp will give a yummy  taste to the sambar.
Coconut milk powder ( 2 tbsp ) may also be added instead of grated coconut .

Enjoy!!



I am bringing this delicious and useful dish of Radha akka's to all my friends at Throwback Thursday#37, Fiesta Friday#118  and Saucy Saturdays#43! Angie's Fiesta Friday co-hosts this week are Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Chicken Sukka (South Canara Style Chicken in spicy coconut- based sauce)

Chicken Sukka is a specialty dish of where I come from ; South Kanara region of India. This is the coastal region of Karnataka State. This region has a culture that is very unique to the region. Tulu is the local dialect. This region also has the origin of the Bunt ( Shetty) community, to which celebrities like Ms. World Aishwarya Rai and Bollywood stars like Shilpa Shetty and Sunil Shetty hail from. They also have their very distinctive cuisine. Chicken Sukka is a dish that belongs to their cuisine. In Tulu, they would call the dish " kori aajadina". Another famous dish is Kori rotti, where crisp, dried rice crepes are served with chicken curry. While I never cared for kori rotti, chicken Sukka is something I would die for!! Really, it is that delicious! This dish can also be made using clams, mussels, crabs and for vegetarians, using black chick peas and gherkins. While there are several different versions of chicken Sukka, the essential ingredients are the coarsely ground coconut, all the different spices, curry leaves, red chilli, onion, ginger and garlic.

I personally think it is the coarse coconut mixed with all the spices and the aroma of the curry leaves that gives this dish so much texture and flavor.

There are several different recipes and methods to make the Chicken Sukka. The one I am sharing with you today is what I have found to be the easiest and one of the tastiest!

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs: 2 lbs/ 1 kg.
Lemon juice: from 1 small lemon
Coconut oil: 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste:  1 tbsp
Onion : 2 medium
Tomato : 1 large
Curry leaves : a handful
Chilli powder : 1 tsp ( can be adjusted as per individual spice level)
Coriander seeds : 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera): 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder : 1 + 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder (haldi): 1 + 1 tsp
Garam masala powder:  1 tsp
Freshly grated coconut : 2 cups
Salt: as per taste.

Method:

Clean the chicken. Marinate it with salt, lemon juice and black pepper powder. Cover and place it aside ( preferably in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins.

Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a sauté pan or kadai.  Sauté curry leaves lightly and keep aside.

Add 1 cup freshly grated coconut,coriander seeds and cumin seeds to the same pan. Sauté  until i turns light brown. Let it cool down completely. Once it cools down, grind it with  pepper powder,chilli powder and garam masala powder. Keep it aside.

Add  1 tbsp coconut oil to the pan . Add chopped onions and tomato to the same pan. Sauté until lightly brown and oil separates. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes .

Add the ground paste and mix well. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Add one cup water and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked thoroughly ( around 20 minutes).

When the chicken is cooked, add the remaining fresh coconut and cook for 5 more minutes.

Garnish with the roasted curry leaves.

Serve hot with rice/roti or bread!

I am bringing this delicious  dish to all my friends at Throwback Thursday#37, Fiesta Friday#118  and Saucy Saturdays#43! Angie's Fiesta Friday co-hosts this week are Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Cooking made easy:

You can cut the cooking time of the above dish by half if you make it in a pressure cooker. Once you add the chicken in with 1/2-1 cup water, let it come to a boil, cover the lid of the cooker, add the weight/whistle. Cook on medium flame until you hear two whistles. Turn off the flame. Wait for the pressure to be completely released before opening the lid. Add the freshly grated coconut and cook for 5 mins.
Garnish with toasted curry leaves!

Another way to make this dish faster is by using chicken breast instead of thighs. You can cook it in a sauté pan or kadai and the chicken will be cooked in under 15 minutes!

Tip for healthy living:

Always make sure that you marinate the chicken and let it sit in the fridge in a covered container as opposed to on your counter-top. You might think that you are going to cook it right away, but it might take you sometimes longer than you thought. Raw meat can go bad very quickly in hot temperature. It is much safer to leave it in the refrigerator.

Food for thought:

If you wish to reach the highest, begin at the lowest. Publilius Syrus

Sour Mango Chutney; no garlic recipe. Meatless Monday

At our home, we love mango chutneys. We make raw mango chutney, ripe mango chutney. You name it, we make it. This particular one came along by accident. When I went to the grocery store the other day, I saw some yellow mangoes at an inexpensive price. I decided to get  some to eat. When I sliced it and sat down to eat, I was very disappointed! They were horribly sour! Not even salt could help! I decided to salvage them by making chutney out of it. Usually raw mango chutney is made with garlic. However, this one was ripe but sour. Therefore I decided to make it a no garlic recipe. I used asofoetida ( hing) instead, which made it perfect for the Navratri fasting. Here is the quick and easy recipe for a delicious chutney that can be devoured with dosa, idli, chapati or as a side dish with rice!

Servings: makes 2 cups of chutney

Ingredients:

Sour mango: 1 medium sized
Freshly grated coconut: 1 cup
Green chillies: 2-3 medium-sized
Asofoetida: a pinch if using powder, 1/2 tsp if using solution.
Salt: to taste
Water: 1/4 cup

Method:

Peel and slice the mango. Add the sliced mango pieces with all the above ingredients to the blender/ food processor. Blend until it is a smooth, fine paste.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve with dosa, idli, chapati, rice and even in sandwiches.

You can store it in the refrigerator for upto 7 days and for longer in the freezer.

Cooking made easy:

If you think you will not be using all of the chutney in the next few days, freeze half of the chutney in a freezer-safe container as soon as it is made.  To use frozen chutney, just remove it from the freezer and leave it on the counter-top for a few hours to bring it to room-temperature. Alternatively, you can take it from the freezer and keep it in the refrigerator section of your fridge, overnight.

You can alter the mango-coconut ratio to your liking. If you don't wish to use too much coconut, use half the amount of the mango slices that you have.

You can use dried red chillies or red chilli powder if you don't have green chillies.

Tip for healthy living:

Raw mangoes are rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Food for thought:

A charming woman doesn't follow the crowd. She is herself. Loretta Young.