Bachelor Food..Quick Sambar Bhath / Huli Anna

Many bachelors living in the US and other places far away from family especially if they are from South India crave a simple good Huli anna or Sambar Bhath or Sambar Saadam. And this is one dish you dont get in restuarants. Of course, you do get the famed Bisi Bele but it is too spicy for an everyday huli anna. So this post is for all those youngsters and olders . This is also good for families after a tiring day and you dont feel like an elaborate dinner. It is equal to khichdi chawal..maybe tastier.

Rice 1 cup
Tur dal 1/2 cup
Frozen mixed vegetables...like some peas and carrots, papdi lilva, drumsticks, beans, cluster beans and whatever.
Tamarind paste or soaked tamarind mixed with water...1/4 cup
MTR sambar powder 2 tablespoons
salt
oil 1 tablespoon
mustard 1/2 teaspoon
urad dal 1 teaspoon
red chillies 2
hing

• Wash tur dal and rice together and cook it together with the vegetables, add 3 cups water and cook in a pressure cooker
• Heat oil, add mustard, hing, urad dal, and red chilllies
• Once urad dal is light brown, add tamarind juice and sambar powder and allow to boil well for 5 minutes
  
• Add another 1/4 cup water to this and add the rice-dal-veg mixture and salt
  
• Mix very well, if mixture is too dry , add some water.and cook well.
• Sambar bhath is ready. Have it with the pumpkin raitha for a comforting dinner that will remind you of home.
  

Very Simple Pumpkin Raitha

This is one very tasty , healthy nutritious dish that will have you smacking your lips and craving more. Gone will be those fruity sugary yoghurts and in is this mildly spicy yoghurt. And NO SUGAR too! Have this as a pure snack or as an accompaniment to chapathis or bhaths.
Here is how...
Serves 2
Finely chopped pumpkin about 2 cups.
green chillies 2
red chilli 1
mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
urad dal 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
asafoetida a sprinkle
salt
oil 2 teaspoons
coriander leaves or cilantro, as much as u like or 2 tablespoons
Finally Yoghurt or Dahi 1 1/2 cups

• Heat the oil. Add asafoetida, mustard, cumin urad and red chilli
• when urad turns a light brown, add the green chillies and pumpkin. Stir
  
• Cook till pumpkin is tender but not squishy. Add salt and allow to cool.
• When it is at room tepmperature, add the well beaten yoghurt, mix well
• Finally add cilantro and serve cold.
  

Low Fat PUMPKIN AMBAT BHAJI

Ambat bhaji meaning sour vegetable is a staple among deshastha marathi madhwas or smarthas. This dish is made with spinach, pumpkin, cabbage or any leafy vegetable and relished with curd chillies and a separate bowl of prepared seasoning of rai, urad dal and hing.

SERVES TWO:
Finely chopped Pumpkin 2 or 3 cups
Tur dal 3/4 cup
tamarind or Thai fruit..lime sized soaked in water.
Sambar powder-2-3 tsps
2 to 4 green chillies
sprig curry leaves
kothmir or coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 red chillies broken
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp methi seeds
2-3 tsp oil
dash of asafoetida
salt
Boil the tur dal and keep ready
1. Heat oil.
2. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, urad dal and the red chillies.
3. When this splutters, add curry leaves and slit or cut green chillies
4. Add the pumpkin and cook till tender
5. Now add the tamarind juice and sambar powder and allow to boil
6. Add the tur dal, salt and let boil well
6. mixture should be thick. garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice or roti

PEACH GOJJU

Returned after a lovely 4 week vacation in India. Even as we were driving back from the airport decided to pick up some grocery staples..bread milk and you have it. Also picked up some lovely peaches, all golden with the lovely pink blush on them that I so love. But alas, they only looked good..they were so sour I almost got a toothache! And there was born my Peach Gojju on the very first week after my return accompanied by jet lag and all!

PEACH GOJJU

6-7 peaches, sour if they may be
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
2 red chillies
2 green chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
2 to 3 cups of water
2-3 tsp sambar powder
Lime sized piece of jaggery
1 tsp oil
salt to taste.

Chop these to 1 inch pieces. Heat the oil and add to it seasoning of mustard seeds, urad dal, 2 split red chillies and methi seeds(fenugreek).
When the mustard seeds spluter and the urad dal turns reddish, add 2 green chillies, curry leaves and the peach pieces.
Allow to cook, adding very little water if necessary.
Once the peaches are tender and assimilated, add 2 cups of water to it.
As it boils, add 2-3 tsp sambar powder, salt and a big piece of jaggery .
Let cook very well and Enjoy.

Spinach or Methi Dal

Another wholesome food for a weeknight dinner is this dal, which is a good combination of leafy green vegetable with split peas or Tur dal and the tang of green mangoes. This along with pumpkin raitha and rice is a complete meal . This is very tasty made with methi or fenugreek leaves and equally good with spinach. It may not be so easy for working people to work with methi on weekdays, when frozen spinach is a better option.

SPINACH/ METHI DAL

1 packet frozen spinach or 1 bunch fresh methi or spinach, chopped finely.
1 cup boiled tur dal /split peas
1/4 cup diced raw green mango or a nugget of thai fruit or tamarind soaked in water.
2 or 3 tsps of oil
3 green chillies sliced vertical
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp gram flour (besan)
2 or 3 red chillies, broken
1/4 tsp methi seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tablespoon peanuts
1 sprig curry leaves
Salt as required
Asafoetida a pinch


Method:
1. Boil the greens along with the green chillies with very little water till tender . If using green mango, add this too.
2. Once the greens are cooked, add the dal and turmeric to it.
3. At this stage, if using tamarind or thai fruit add that and let boil.
4. Now, mix the gramflour in a little water and add, stirring all the time.
5. add salt and allow the mixture to thicken and take off fire.
6. Finally the seasoning.... Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and peanuts. Once urad dal and peanuts turn reddish, add the curry leaves and pour over the dal. Enjoy with cooked white rice and pumpkin raitha.