Chayote Sambar - Chou Chou/Bangalore Kathirikai sambar

Ingredients:

Chayote - Chou Chou/Bangalore Kathirikai sambar - 1 no.
Red gram dal - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 cup
Pearl Onion - Sambar vengayam - 15 nos.
Tomato - Thakkali - 1 no.
Green chilli - Pachai milagai - 1 no.
Red chilli - Kaintha milagai - 1 no.
Capsicum - Kudai milagai - small quantity
Red chilli powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1/2 tea spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - 1 tea spoon
Sambar powder - Sambar podi - 1table spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Tamarind - Puli - lemon size
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - small quantity
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 1 no.
Oil and ghee for frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and extract paste from it. Wash and cut vegetables into small cubes and keep it aside.
2. Wash Red gram dal and add 3 cups of water, turmeric powder, asafoetida and a drop of oil and keep it in pressure cooker. Boil vegetables in cooker or microwave oven and keep it aside.
3. Meanwhile chopp onions, tomatoes and green chillies, capsicum and keep other required ingredients ready. Grind 2-3 pearl onions along with little curry leaves, grated coconut, cumin seeds and garlic. Keep it aside. Sambar powder I have mentioned how to prepare in Podi varieties.
4. Heat ghee in a pan/kadai, add little asafoetida, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly, capsicum, curry leaves, black gram dal, fenugreek seeds, green chilly, onions, tomatoes and sprinkle little water and fry for some time. Add little salt, red chilly powder, coriander powder, sambar powder and fry for some time. Now add tamarind paste and allow it to boil for some time.
5. Once the dal is cooked and the fried contents to the dal and mix well. Add vegetables and water if required. Then add the grinded coconut-onion paste to it. Finally add chopped coriander leaves to it. Mix them well.

Tasty chayote sambar is ready to be served. It can be served along with white rice, idly, dosa or any item of choice. It can be served for 4 persons. It requires some 30 minutes to prepare.

Note: We can use both ordinary big onion and pearl onion, use both green chilly, capsicum and red chilly. Be careful in quantity so that it does not become too spicy. Coconut-onion and curry leaves along with cumin seeds and garlic will give more flavour to sambar.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation
Clementine Paddleford