Arachu vitta sambar, Kovakkai (tindora) varuval, Podalangai (padval) poriyal

I have lots of Indian vegetables stocked in my fridge after my last week's Indian grocery shop visit. I had murungakai (drumsticks), podalangai(padval), kovakkai(tindora) and fresh coconut. So decided to make some very Indian (specifically Tamilian) dishes with those vegetables for dinner last night. When I think of drumsticks the first thing that comes to my mind is Sambar. I was bored of making the regular sambar and hence decided to go with arachu vitta sambar. The main ingredient in this type of sambar is the freshly ground masala and it adds a very unique and different taste. Then decided to do something spicy and dry to go with it and hence a varuval. With the fresh coconut I decided to do some poriyal. So the final menu was arachu vitta murungakkai (drumsticks) sambar, kovakkai (tindora) (ivy gourd) varuval and podalangai (padval) (snake gourd) poriyal.

Arachu Vitta Sambar:

Ingredients:

Thur dal (cooked and mashed) – 1½ cups

Drumsticks (cut) – ½ cup

Onion (chopped) – 2

Tomatoes (chopped) – 2

Tamarind extract – ½ cup

Oil - 4 tbsp

Dry ingredients:

Bengal gram dal (channa dal) – 2 tbsp

Coriander seeds (dhania) – 2 tbsp

Red chillies – 6

Fenugreek seeds (methi) – 1 tsp

Coconut (shredded) – 3 tbsp

Powder ingredients:

Sambar powder – 1tbsp (optional)

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric – a pinch

Salt – as needed

Seasoning ingredients:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Split urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method:

Fry the dry ingredients in a pan, adding a tsp of oil and till the coconut becomes a little dry. Let it cool and then dry grind to a powder. Cook drumstick with a pinch of turmeric, with enough water. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Fry till the onions turn brown and then add tomatoes. Once the tomatoes turn mushy add the ground powder and the other powder ingredients. Add cooked drumsticks, dal and the tamarind extract. Add two cups of water and let it cook for 15-20 min on medium heat. Heat oil in another pan, add seasoning ingredients and once the mustard starts to splutter add to the sambar mixture. Turn off the heat and serve with rice.

Kovakai (tindora) (ivy gourd) varuval:

Ingredients:

Kovakkai (tindora) (sliced) – 1 cup

Onion (chopped) – 1

Garlic (chopped) – 3 cloves

Powder ingredients:

Chilli powder – 2 tsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Salt – as needed

Seasoning ingredients:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Split urad dal – 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and then add the seasoning ingredients. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the onion and garlic. Fry the onions till they turn golden brown and then add the chopped kovakkai. Add the powder ingredients and simmer and fry till the kovakkai turns a little crispy and dry.

Podalangai (padval) (Snake gourd) poriyal:

Ingredients:

Podalangai (Snake gourd) (chopped) – 1cup

Onion (chopped) – ½

Coconut (shredded) – 2 tsp

Salt – as needed

Seasoning Ingredients:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Split urad dal – 1 tsp

Red chillies – 3

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and then add the seasoning ingredients. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the chopped onion. Fry the onions till they turn golden brown and then add the chopped podalangai. Add salt, pour one cup of water and let it cook for 15 min till the podalangai is cooked. Finally add shredded coconut and turn off the heat.