Sambar

Ingredients
Split Red Gram: 2 Cups
Bottle Gourd : 1 Cup
Carrots : 1 Cup
Shallots: 1 Cup
Drumsticks : 1 Cup
Potatoes: 1 Cup
Tomatoes: 1 Cup
Coriander Leaves: 1/2 Cup
Curry Leaves: 1/2 Cup
Red chillies:2
Mustard Seeds: 1 Teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds: 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric: 1/2 Teaspoon
Sambar Powder: 3 Teaspoons *
Sugar: 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil
Pinch of Asafetida
Water


(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Method

Wash the red gram thoroughly and add 4-5 glasses of water and pressure cook until it gets soft.

Put a vessel on the stove add little oil and add Shallots, Bottle Gourd, Drumsticks, Potatoes, Carrots and let them fry till the onions turn little brown.

Now add 3-4 glasses of water to the vegetables and once the water starts boiling add tomatoes, cooked red gram, turmeric, salt, tamarind paste, sugar, red chillie powder, and sambar powder.

Stir well, close it with a lid and let it boil on a low flame , now take a small pan and put some oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida, once the mustard seeds start to splutter switch the stove off.

Now after 5-8 minutes, open the lid mix well and switch off the stove.

Now add the tempering and garnish with coriander and curry leaves and serve hot with rice
.
Note: You can add any kind of vegetables depending on your taste, also can add Split Green Gram instead of Split Red Gram.

You can buy the sambar powder from any grocery shop or can prepare at home.

Onion Stew (Theepi Pulusu / Ullipaya Pulusu)

Ingredients
Water: 1 Glass
Tamarind Juice: 1/2 Glass
Onions: 2
Redchillies: 2
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds: 1/4 Teaspoon
Corinader Leaves: 1/2 Bunch
Turmeric: 1/4 Teaspoon
Jaggery*: 1 (Medium)
Oil: 1/2 Teaspoon
Rice Flour*: 3 Teaspoons
Salt to taste

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Method
      Cut the onions to medium sized pieces,now put a vessel/pan on the stove and put some oil and add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,redchillies.

     After they stop sputtering add the onions and fry till they turn little golden colour,now add thick tamarind juice,jaggery,salt,turmeric,water.

    Mix the rice flour in water and add to the boiling onion stew and garnish with coriander leaves.

    Serve hot with rice and bengal-coconut curry.(http://tastebuds-tabu.blogspot.com/2009/11/split-bengal-gram-and-coconut-curry.html)

* If you dont have jaggery,you can use sugar.
   If you dont have rice flour use wheat flour.

South Indian Soup / Rasam (Chaaru)

Ingredients
Water : 1 Glass
Turmeric : 1/2 Teaspoon
Sugar : 1/2 Teaspoon
Green Chillies : 1 or 2* 
Rasam Powder: 1 or 2 Teaspoons
Tamarind : Small lemon size
Curry Leaf: 1 Stem of Leaves
Salt to taste.

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Rasam Powder Preparation
Coriander Seeds : 100gms
Pepper : 50gms
Cumin Seeds : 2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 10 Stems of Leaves
Split Red Gram : 1 spoon
Red Chillies : 5

Method
Roast all the above ingredients in a pan and powder to a fine powder using mixie.

This will keep well for months in a airtight container.

Rasam Preparation
Put water in a vessel and add Turmeric,Salt,Sugar,Tamarind,Chillies,Curry leaves and Rasampowder.(No need to follow same order).

Boil for some time like about 5 mins and serve hot with rice.

* Depends upon your taste.
Note:Instead of tamarind you can use lemon(one).
You can also add tomatoes,and drumsticks if you want.