Quick and easy Sambar anyone?!

You guys have to appreciate my dedication... The things I do for you guys.

I had dinner twice today just so that I could take a picture of today's meal and blog it for you guys. Well what happened was this.. Had the cleaning crew come in to clean the house (the monthly guys who come in to clean the bathrooms and get into the corners and make them all shiny and bright. Well, it does not actually look all that shiny and clean but will rant and rave about that later). So by the time they left it was 7:45 pm, well past my dinner time (for those of you who did not know, I have my dinner at 7pm. Yes, really!) So had to cook something quick. Plus had to feed my son his dinner and believe me that is no easy feat! So did what my mom suggested and made this jiffy sambar in the pressure cooker and made snake gourd fry to go along with it. Now coming to the 2 dinners... My sugar levels were dangerously teetering towards whacking my son or going away to Neverland. Then mum (yes, my savior :-)) suggested that I should just bite the bullet and eat the dinner at her place. So she brought me chapatis, Kofta curry and dhondakai fry. So after having that meal, I was able to see the world in a better light!
But wait a minute I still had to blog! I couldn't possibly leave it undone today after starting yesterday, now could I?! So I had another meal just 5 mins back! I am going to have to pop some antacids before going to bed.

But like I said, the things I do for you people!

Snake gourd fry and white pumpkin sambar with rice

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Jiffy Sambar

Take a cup of washed tuvar daal in a vessel. In another vessel take the juice of a lemon sized tamarind ball, chunks of white pumpkin (250 gms), few curry leaves, 1 tomato chopped roughly, 1 small onion chopped into small chunks, 1 tsp of turmeric powder, salt to taste, 2 tbsps of sambar powder and put the two vessels in to the pressure cooker to cook (for about 4-5 whistles).

In another pan, add a little oil and add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1 tsp of mustard seeds to splutter. Now add a pinch of methi seeds and 1 dry red chilli broken into pieces. Add the cooked daal and the tamarind mixture to this and add water if required for the right consistency. Adjust the salt and let it come to a boil for 5 mins. 

Voila! Sambar is ready!

Snakegourd Fry

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to splutter. Add the chopped snakegourd (about 2 cups - cut them in half lengthwise, clean the insides and then chop them into thin semicircles). Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt to taste and 1/2 a cup of water. Cover and cook till the snake gourd pieces are cooked but yet firm. Now uncover and fry till they turn color and wilt. Add 1 tsp chilli powder and cook for another 2 minutes till the raw smell of the chilli powder is gone. That's it! 

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The sambar came out so well and it took so little time and monitoring that I might just make it this way all the time going forward! Try it and let me know your comments.

Till tomorrow, Sayonara!