A Delicious and Easy Sambhar

I am waiting for the day when the Internet has a smell option.   If it were possible for you to smell the vadaa sambhar pictured above, I could probably get rich offering to sell you the recipe.  The day I made this sambhar,  my whole house had a warm, spicy smell that made my nose tingle and my stomach rumble!

A local bookstore is, unfortunately, going out of business and all their books are currently 50% off.  I picked up a cookbook titled 660 Curries  by Raghavan Iyer.  The same day I purchased the book, I came home, randomly opened it up and made the first two recipes that caught my eye.  This sambhar was one of them.  (Yes, my sister will ridicule me, but I had all the needed ingredients in my superbly stocked kitchen and didn't have to run out for anything!)

I will admit that Indian cooking can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated.  They do such creative things with their food!  Especially the vegetarian cuisines.   But if you take the time to read the recipe through and understand the steps, you will see that it really isn't as hard as it would seem at first glance.  Some procedures are time consuming; such as making your own cheese or yogurt or making dumplings out of lentils.  But again, these procedures are lengthy, but EASY since most of the time required is sitting time where the cook is not active; such as soaking or fermenting.

If you want to try a delicious recipe that is almost as simple as boiling water, follow this link to my Examiner article on the Taj Mahal Grocery and Gift store and try the recipe for stewed potatoes with yellow split peas.  It is amazingly simple and amazingly delicious!  If you are feeling just a bit more adventurous, try this recipe for vadaa sambhar (lentil dumplings in a vegetable stew.) 

For the Dumplings

ingredients:

1 cup skinned split black lentils (urad dal)

1 1/2 t sea salt

Canola oil for deep frying

method:

1.  Place the dal in a medium-sized bowl.  Rinse in several changes of water until water is no longer cloudy.  Cover the dal by several inches with clean, fresh water and let soak from 1 to 4 hours.

2.  Drain the dal.  Place 1/2 cup water in a blender.  Add dal and puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until a paste is formed.  Dump paste back into medium-sized bowl.  Add 1/4 c water to blender and swirl around.  Add this water to the paste and stir it in.

3.  Pour about three inches of oil into a wok or medium-sized pan.  Heat until a drop of water dances across the surface (350 degrees on a thermometer.)  Drop the batter into the oil by large tablespoons and fry, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown all over.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Do this in several batches being careful not to crowd the pan. 

4.  When all the batter has been fried, set the dumplings aside and make the stew.

For the Stew

ingredients:

1/4 c. oily toor or toovar dal (skinned split yellow pigeon peas)

1 T tamarind paste or concentrate

1 T sambhar masala

1 1/2 t coarse kosher or sea salt

1/2 t asafetida

1 medium-size red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

20 fresh curry leaves

1 T canola oil

1 t black mustard seeds

2 T finely chopped cilantro

method:

1.  Place the dal in a small saucepan and rinse in several changes of water until the water is no longer cloudy.  Drain.  Add 3 cups fresh water to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, whisk the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Add the masala, salt, asafetida, bell pepper, onion and curry leaves.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables are fork-tender (about 15 minutes.)

3.  When the dal is done cooking, pour it into a blender and blend well.  Pour this thin broth into the stew pan with the vegetables.

4.  Heat a small skillet over high heat.  Add the oil and sprinkle in the mustard seeds.  They will pop, much like popcorn (you might want to cover the pan during this process.)  When the popping stops, scrape the seeds into the stew along with the cilantro.

To Serve

Place a couple of dumplings in a bowl and ladle some of the hot stew over.  Eat and enjoy!

Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes

I've been gone so long, it's doubtful I have any followers left at all, but just in case......   I've come to share the promised recipe for stuffed mushrooms.  But before I share the recipe, I must make my excuses!  Firstly, I just returned a few days ago from a trip to Haiti, where I went for days and days without an Internet connection making it impossible for me to blog!  You can read about my visit to a Haitian kitchen by clicking this link.  Secondly, shortly before leaving on my trip, I began writing articles for an online magazine called Examiner.com.  My articles are food focused (surprise! surprise!) with a local connection.  If you are interested, you can read my articles by clicking this link.

Now, back to the mushrooms.  I found this recipe in a book called Crescent City Collection.   It's a fabulous cookbook that I purchased in New Orleans when Eddy and I where there celebrating our 20th anniversary.  If you can get your hands on this cookbook, I recommend you purchase it!  So far, everything I have tried from its pages has turned out delicious!  These mushrooms are very easy to make and always bring me compliments when I serve them to guests.

Here is my edited version of the recipe for spinach-stuffed mushrooms:

Ingredients:

1 recipe Red Wine Vinaigrette (see below)

6 large portobello mushroom caps

Olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

a squeeze of lemon juice

3 tightly packed cups of spinach,

8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and and chopped

hot sauce to taste (I prefer a habanero sauce over Tabasco)

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1.  Marinate the mushroom caps in the vinaigrette for several hours

2.  Heat a swirl of olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender.

3.  Add the lemon juice, spinach, and tomatoes and continue to saute until the spinach wilts.  Season with s&p and hot sauce.

4.  Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and broil (or grill) for about 6 minutes per side.  Let cool.

5.  Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet and sprinkle half the Parmesan over the insides.  Mound the spinach mixture equally into each cap.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  (the recipe can be made ahead to this point.)

6.  Just before serving, broil the stuffed mushrooms until cheese is golden (about 5 minutes).

For the Red Wine Vinaigrette

Combine and whisk until well mixed:

2 T red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

3 t Dijon mustard

1/2 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 t chopped chives