Lady’s finger sambar (Benda Kolombo)

(This is my mom’s recipe)

 Ingredients

Lady’s finger                              --  ¼ kg

Tuvar dal                                    --   ½ cup

Onion                                          --   1 medium sized

Grated coconut                         --   2 tbsp

Tomato                                       --   1 or 2

 

For Masala

Grated coconut                         --  2 tbsp

Coriander seeds                        --  2 tsp

Methi   seeds/uluva                 --  ¼ tsp

Jeera/cumin                              --  ½ tsp

Pepper corns                             --  ¼ tsp

Red chillies                                 --  10 to 12

Urad dal                                      --   1 tsp

Turmeric powder                      --   ¼  tsp

Mustard seeds                           --  ½ tsp

Curry leaves     few

Hing                                             --  ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for cooking

 

Method

Wash the lady’s finger and dry them with dry cloth cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces.  Slice the tomato and keep aside.  Slice the onion and pressure cook with the tuvar dal and let it cool for some time.  After it cools down add sliced tomato, lady’s finger and little turmeric powder and cook till done.  

Add 1 or 2 tsp of oil in kadai, add coriander seeds, jeera, methi, pepper corn, urad dal, red chilly, hing  and grated coconut and fry till dark brown in medium flame.  Grind this into fine paste, add this paste to cooked lady’s finger add salt and boil it for  5 to 10 minutes.  Season with mustard and curry leaves.    Serve with hot steaming rice and pappad.

Kakka roast-kerala style (clams or marwai)

This recipe I learnt from a TV show Taste of Kerala in Amritha TV.  This is a little long process but worth making.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients 

·      Clams/kakka                                 1 kg

·      Onions                                            4 medium size

·      Red chillies                                    8-10 no’s

·      Pepper corn                                  2 tsp

·      Garlic                                              5-6 flakes

·      Ginger                                            1’’ piece

·      Coconut pieces                            1 tbsp

·      Garam masala                              1 tsp

·      Coconut  oil                                  1-2 tbsp

·      Turmeric powder                         ¼ tsp

·      Curry leaves few

·      Salt to taste

 

For  masala

Slightly crush 2 onions, red chillies and pepper corns separately and keep aside.

Method

1. Wash clams 8-10 times in clean water.

2. Add little water and boil it for 5-10 minutes

3. Let it cool for some time.

4. After cooling remove flesh from the shells.

5. Chop 2 onions into small cubes.

6. Then finely chop ginger and garlic.

7. Then take a vessel and add onion, clams flesh, ginger, garlic, turmeric and salt.

8. Add little water and cook on a medium flame for 5-10 min( so that clams and onions cook nicely)

 

How to proceed

1. Take a pan. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil.

2. Add crushed onion and fry for 2-3 min.

3. Add crushed red chilli and fry for another 5 min

4. When its colour change add garam masala and fry for a minute.

5. Then add the clams onion mix that you have prepared earlier to this.

6. Add curry leaves, mix it well and fry till you hear dub-dub sound or till the colour change into black.

7.  Add crushed pepper to it, mix it well keep it on a low flame for five min.

8. Meanwhile heat 1-2 tsp of oil in a seasoning pan fry the coconut pieces till light brown.

9. Pour this fried coconut on clams roast and mix it well.

Serve hot with rice and chapatti.

Yummy yummy clam roast ready to eat.