Sunundallu or Minapa Suni - Black gram ladoo

Ingredients:

• Black gram- 1 cup (Potu manapa pappu)
• Jaggery grated- 1/2 to 3/4 cup 
• Ghee melted- 1/8 cup
• Milk- 1/8 cup (If required)

Method:

1. Dry roast the black gram till they turn crisp and release a beautiful smell. We cannot see much difference in color, but the shade will get darker.
2. Now turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. It need not cool down completely because that might again affect the texture of the powder.
3. Grind it into a fine powder. TO this add the grated jaggery and grind again.
4. We get a sand like mixture. Just like the base of cheesecake.
5. Transfer to a bowl and rub the mixture between the fingers. 
6. Add ghee gradually and try to make ladoos.
7. If it does not hold proper shape, you can add more ghee or add milk one spoonful at a time.
8. Milk makes it easier to form ladoos, but will reduce the shelf life. Consume in 4-5 days. 
9. In that case you can divide the mixture before hand and store some of it in an air tight container. 
10. The mixture will stay fresh for a month. Just add some ghee & milk to it and make ladoos whenever you want. 
11. Yummy, healthy and easy minapa suni ready to eat. 

Sambar

Ingredients:

• Moong dal- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (Pesara pappu)
• Carrot- 1 cut into 2 inch pieces
• Potato- 1 cut into 2 inch pieces
• Beans- 4-5 cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• Onion- 3-4 small, as whole (We get sambar onions, can use those tiny ones)
• Bottle gourd- 6-8 inch piece, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• Pumpkin- 5-6 inch piece, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• Tomato- 1 cut into 8 pieces
• Tamarind- a small handful
• Water 2 cups
• Coriander leaves- a small handful
• Jaggery- a small piece (optional)
• Salt- 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

For Sambar Masala:

• Oil- 1 tsp
• Corinader seeds- 1 1/2 tbsp (Dhaniyalu)
• Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp (Methi)
• Black peppercorns- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Dry red chilies- 5-7 broken into pieces
• Coconut pieces- 1/8 cup (dry or fresh)
• Garlic cloves- 5-6 unpeeled

For Tempering:

• Oil- 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chilies- 2-3 broken into pieces
• Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- 7-9 leaves

Method:

1. Cook the moong dal in one cup of water. Meanwhile wash, peel and cut the vegetables.
2. Add the vegetables to the cooked dal (except tomatoes), add another 1/2 cup of water and cook. Keep the heat on medium. 
3. Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water.
4. Heat little oil in a smaller pan and roast the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns. Once these change shade, transfer to a plate to cool and add coconut to the pan. No need to add any oil.
5. Roast the coconut pieces until they are brown and let those cool.
6. Now grind the roasted spices along with coconut and garlic cloves into a fine powder. Add some water to the powder and grind again to a smooth paste. 
7. Once the veggies cook, add the spice paste, tamarind pulp and some water. Mix well and let it cook. 
8. Heat oil in the same smaller pan for tempering. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies and asafoetida.
9. As the mustard splatters, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. 
10. Add this tempering to the boiling sambar and let it cook together to infuse the flavors.
11. Add coriander leaves and tomato pieces. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes and turn off the heat. 
12. Serve with rice, idli, dosa or appe. 

Tips:

1. Add a small piece of jaggery for the slightly sweet taste. You can add a spoonful of sugar as well.
2. The vegetables is completely your choice. Some add okra (lady's finger) as well.
3. I noticed that the vegetables in sambar tend make the kids at least give those a try. So it is an added advantage. 
4. You can prepare the sambar masala in larger quantities and store in air tight box in room temperature.
5. Just add some water to the powder, mix it and pour into the cooking dal. 
6. Increase the quantities of the spices accordingly. 

Brinjal Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

• Brinjal- 1-2 (long thin ones)
• Onion- 1 small
• Tomato- 1 small
• Garlic- 2 peeled
• Green chilies- 2-3 slit
• Coriander leaves- a small handful
• Tamarind- 2-4 pieces
• Salt- 1 tsp or more
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Oil- 3 tbsp
• Water- 1/8 cup or more

For Tempering:

• Oil- 4 tbsp
• Urad dal- 1-2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp (jeera)
• Dry red chilies- 2 broken into pieces
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and cut the brinjal into two inch pieces and soak in water.
2. Chop onion, tomato and garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add onion, tomato, brinjal pieces, garlic, green chilies and coriander leaves. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix once.
4. Pour water and cover with lid. Let it cool till the brinjal becomes soft and water evaporates.
5. Meanwhile heat oil in a smaller pan and prepare tempering with urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies and asafoetida.
6. Let it cool along with the cooked brinjal.
7. Add 70% of the tempering into the mixer jar with washed tamarind and grind once.  
8. Now add the cooked brinjal and grind to a coarse paste. If you want a smooth paste grind again and add some water.
9. Next ad the remaining tempering and mix. 
10. Transfer to serving dish and serve with rice, dosa or roti.

Notes:

1. This tastes good when fresh so do not save for next day, hence prepare in smaller quantity. 
2. This chutney is a good option when you have only 2-3 brinjal left in the house or are falling short of an item for lunch or dinner. 

Black Chana Salad

Ingredients:

• Black Chana- 1 cup (Black chickpeas)
• Cucumber- 1 finely chopped
• Onion- 1 finely chopped
• Tomato- 1 finely chopped
• Coriander leaves- a small handful, chopped
• Salt- to taste
• Ground Black pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Lemon Juice- 1/2 tsp or more 

Method:

1. Soak the black chana overnight or you can soak those in hot water for an hour with the lid on.
2. Once soaked, boil in cooker for 3 whistles or directly in a dish.
3. It takes 12-15 minutes to boil.
4. Meanwhile wash and chop the cucumber, onion and tomato. You can add julienne of carrot or beetroot as well. 
5. Drain any excess water from the chickpeas and let those dry for few minutes.
6. Water turns the veggies soggy.
7. Next add the chopped pieces to the chickpeas and mix once.
8. Now add salt, ground pepper and squeeze a lemon. Mix again to incorporate the flavors. Finally add chopped coriander leaves. 
9. Let it sit for a 5-10 minutes and it is ready to eat.