The Best Of Samaithu Paar (3 page)

Prepare 2 cups of tamarind juice. (See
Rasam recipe
) Cook the red gram dhal dhal till very soft. (See
Sambar recipe
) Prepare 4 cups of ‘dhal water’. (Add enough water when cooking the dhal. Decant the water to prepare ‘dhal water’.) Keep the cooked dhal and ‘dhal water’ aside separately.

Heat 2 tsp of oil in a frying pan. Fry the coriander seeds, Bengal gram dhal and 8 red chillies till they turn light brown. Powder these with the peppercorns.

Pour the tamarind juice in a vessel. Add salt and asafoetida. Add a few pinched curry leaves. Cover the vessel and place on fire. Bring to boil. If using tomato, cut into four pieces and add to the boiling tamarind water before adding the dhal. Add the cooked dhal and boil well. Add the ‘dhal-water’. Wait till rasam froths up. Remove from fire. Add the prepared powder. Mix well with a spoon. Heat the ghee and 1 tsp of oil in a frying pan. Fry mustard and remaining red chillies. Pinch the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. When the mustard splutters, remove from fire and season the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ingredients

Tamarind
A lump the size of a lime

Red grant dhal ½
cup

Oil
3 tsp

Coriander seeds
1½ tbsp

Bengal gram dhal
2 tsp

Dry red chillies
10

Black peppercorns
5-6

Salt
1½ tsp

Asafoetida powder
A pinch or to taste

Curry leaves
2 tbsp

Tomato
1 (Medium) (Optional)

Ghee
1 tsp

Mustard seeds
1 tsp

Coriander leaves
4 tbsp

To serve
4 persons

Add the tamarind, salt and rasam powder to the water. Coarsely grind the dhal in a mixie/food processor. Add along with the cumin seeds and crushed pepper. Add a few pinched curry leaves. Cover the vessel and place on fire. Boil well till the smell of rasam powder goes. Add a further ½ cup to 1 cup water. Wait till the rasam froths up. Remove froth.

Heat ghee in a pan. Fry mustard, red chillies and curry leaves. Season the rasam.

Ingredients

Tamarind
A lump the size of a lime

Salt
1½ tsp

Rasam powder
½ tsp

Water
1 cup

Red gram dhal
1 tsp

Cumin seeds
¾ tsp

Black peppercorns
(Crushed) ½ tsp

Curry leaves
8-10

Ghee
2 tsp

Mustard seeds
1 tsp

Dry red chillies
2

To serve
4 persons

Fry coriander seeds, 1 tsp Bengal gram dhal, ¾ tsp black gram dhal, 6 red chillies and grated coconut till golden brown in 1 tsp oil. Grind to a paste (which should not be very smooth). Keep aside.

Prepare 2½-3 cups tamarind juice. (See
Rasam recipe
) Cook the red gram dhal till very soft. (See
Sambar recipe
)

A variety of vegetables like Bangalore brinjal, brinjals, drumstick, cluster beans, sabre beans, yam or potatoes may be used in making ‘pitlay’. If brinjals, Bangalore brinjal or drumsticks are used, wash and cut the vegetable into small pieces and boil in the prepared tamarind water, with salt. If cluster beans are used, cut and fry lightly before boiling in water. When cooked, add the tamarind juice. In the case of sabre beans, cut the vegetable and add to boiling water with salt. When cooked, add tamarind juice. If using yam or potato, cut and boil separately and then add to tamarind juice.

To the cooked vegetable in the vessel, add the cooked red gram dhal and the prepared paste. Bring to boil. Thicken with rice flour, mixed in water, if necessary. Boil for a few seconds. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Fry mustard, ¾ tsp black gram dhal and 2 dry red chillies. Add the fried seasonings to the ‘pitlay’. Garnish with curry and coriander leaves. Add asafoetida water. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Coriander seeds
1½ tsp

Bengal gram dhal
1 tsp

Black gram dhal
1½ tsp

Dry red chillies
8

Coconut
(Grated) 6 tbsp

Oil
1 tbsp

New tamarind
A lump the size of a small lemon

Red gram dhal
½ cup

Vegetable
150-200 gms

Salt
3-4 tsp

Rice flour
¼ tsp (Optional)

Mustard seeds ½
tsp

Curry leaves
(Broken) 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves
(Chopped) 2-3 tbsp

Asafoetida water
1 tsp

To serve
4 persons

Cook the dhal till very soft. (See
Sambar recipe
)

Shred cabbage. Cook in water with salt till tender. Fry the green chillies lightly and add to the cabbage. Add cooked dhal. If the preparation is a little watery, thicken with rice flour mixed in water. Boil for a few minutes. Remove from fire. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry mustard, chopped ginger and cashewnuts. Season the cabbage. Garnish with curry and coriander leaves. Add lime juice and asafoetida water to enhance flavour. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Red gram dhal ¼
cup

Cabbage
175 gms

Salt
2 tsp

Green chillies
6

Rice flour ¼
tsp (Optional)

Oil
2 tsp

Mustard seeds ½
tsp

Ginger
1"-2" piece

Cashewnuts
6

Coriander leaves
(Chopped) 1 tbsp

Curry leavves
5-6

Lime
1

Asafoetida water
½-1 tsp

To serve
4 persons

Photograph

Scrape the skin off the carrot. Cut into fine pieces. Cook the carrot in water with salt and turmeric powder. When well cooked, drain water. Heat ½ tsp oil in a frying pan and fry the anise seed. Powder the fried anise seed and keep aside. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Fry the mustard and black gram dhal. To this add the cooked carrot, chilli powder and anise powder. Fry well and serve.

Alternatively, cook the red gram dhal till very soft. Cook the cut carrot along with salt and turmeric powder. Add the cooked dhal and grated coconut to the cooked carrots. Heat 4 tsp oil in a frying pan. Fry mustard and black gram dhal and season.

Ingredients

Carrot
350 gms

Salt
1¼ tsp

Turmeric powder
¼ tsp

Oil
4 tsp

Anise seeds
1 tsp

Mustard seeds
1 tsp

Black gram dhal
2 tsp

Chilli powder
1 tsp

Red gram dhal
½ cup (Optional)

Coconut
(Grated) ¼ cup (Optional)

To serve
4 persons

Cook the red gram dhal till vey soft. (See
Sambar recipe
) Prepare tamarind juice. (See
Rasam recipe
)

Scrape skin from yam and cut into small pieces. Wash thoroughly. Put in ½ cup to 1 cup boiling water and cook well, then drain. Baking soda may be added, if necessary, to soften the yam. Mash yam by hand. Mix tamarind juice, salt and turmeric powder with yam. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry mustard and black gram dhal. Add green chillies and chopped ginger and fry. Add mashed yam and tamarind mixture. Add cooked red gram dhal. Add asafoetida and boil. Add coconut milk and pinched curry leaves. Bring to boil twice more. Remove from fire. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Ingredients

Red gram dhal
¼ cup

Tamarind
A lump the size of an arecanut

Yam
175 gms

Baking soda
A pinch (Optional)

Salt
1¼ tsp

Turmeric powder
¼ tsp

Oil
4 tsp

Mustard seeds
¼ tsp

Black gram dhal
1 tsp

Green chillies
5-6

Ginger
1"-2" piece

Asafoetida
A pinch or to taste

Coconut milk
⅕ cup

Curry leaves
8-10

Coriander leaves
2 tbsp

To serve
4 persons

Soak the red gram dhal. Wash and drain off water. Grind with the red chillies, asafoetida and salt. Do not add too much water. The paste should be smooth and firm.

Heat water in an idli vessel or a pan. Use a single idli tray. Smear a plantain leaf with oil. Keep it on the tray. Spread the dough on that. Cover with a lid. Steam for about 20 minutes. Open the lid and insert a fork into the dough. If the dough does not stick to it, it is cooked. (If it sticks, keep it covered and cook for some more time.) Remove the cooked mass. Cool and crumble into a powder.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add mustard and let it splutter. Add the crumbled dhal with curry leaves. Turn four or five times. Remove from fire and serve.

Ingredients

Red gram dhal
2 cups

Dry red chillies
10-12

Asafoetida powder
A pinch or to taste

Salt
2 tsp

Oil
7-8 tsp

Mustard seeds
2 tsp

Curry leaves
8-10

To serve
4 persons

Split open the brinjals into two and cut into bits of medium thickness. Wash and drain out the water. Mix the salt, chilli powder and ghee with Bengal gram flour. Mix asafoetida water with the washed and cut vegetable. Prepare a thick tamarind juice. Sprinkle this juice over the cut brinjals and mix well. Divide the brinjals and Bengal gram flour into four portions. Now, mix each portion of the brinjals with each part of the Bengal gram flour mixture. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Put in a small lump of tamarind and when the oil is heated properly, remove the tamarind lump. Take one part of the mixed brinjal and flour and fry it in the oil, turning often. Remove when crisp. Repeat with the second part. Put a small tamarind lump in the remaining oil, remove as before when oil is heated and fry the brinjal bits till crisp. Repeat for the rest of the portions.

Ingredients

Tender brinjal
700 gms

Salt
2 tsp

Chilli powder
2½ tsp

Ghee
2 tsp

Bengal gram flour ½
cup

Asafoetida water
½-1 tsp

Tamarind
A lump the size of an arecanut

Gingelly oil
1½ cups

To serve
4 persons