De T(h)ali!

Terribly excited today! Well, unfortunately the excitement is not about the India cricket match. I actually found swimwear that I was comfortable in, covered enough and yet does not look like a grandma's suit!!
Tough feat but I think I have it (well two of them!!). For as long as I can remember, I have never been able to pick just 'one' outfit when I go clothes shopping! I feel a sort of kinship with Sophie Kinsella's heroine - Betty Bloomwood.I don't go overboard like her in terms of budget but I swear I do hear the clothes begging me to take them home!!!
Anyhooo, came back feeling euphoric and tired. So wanted to throw together my favorite comfort food of all times - Mooli Sambar, Tomato Rasam, Bhindi Fry and Appalam - Roasted not Fried(it is like those movie titles where it has a subtitle under the main one!!)

Tomato rasam, Radish sambar, Bhindi fry and Appalam

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Tomato Rasam

4 tomatoes chopped roughly

6-8 cloves of garlic

1/2 inch piece of ginger

2 tsps of cumin seeds

4-5 pepper corns

1 tsp coriander seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

A pinch of turmeric pd

Salt to taste

Few coriander leaves chopped for garnish

Take a little oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds to splutter, add the coriander seeds and whole pepper corns and fry for a sec till they are roasted. Grind this along with the tomatoes, ginger and garlic to a fine paste. Heat this mixture in a pan with a cup of water (add according to your desired consistency) and cook till the tomatoes are well cooked. Add salt and turmeric pd and simmer for another 5 mins. Remove from fire and add a tempering of mustard seeds, dry red chillies (if required) and asafoetida pd. 

This is my version of tomato rasam with no tamarind and no daal. Pure unadulterated tomato rasam!!

For the Appalam - Roasted not Fried - just do what I do if you totally had the taste of dry roasted ones. Dip your finger in oil and rub it all over the appalam on one side. Place it in the microwave with the oiled side facing up and nuke it for a minute. You get roasted appalams that taste pretty close to the deep fried ones and yet have almost no oil!! Our little secret :-)

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Good night everyone! Sweet dreams!