Mysore Saaru from Asha's Foodies Hope ~ Blog on SpotLight for March

My spotlightblog idea is well received and the encouraging comments gives the necessary boost to move ahead. This month, March, the spotlight will be on Asha's Foodies Hope/Aroma Hope. Ashakka or her blog doesn't need any introduction here. She is one of the senior bloggers around and she has never failed to encourage her fellow bloggers. She makes it a point to comment on all posts of those blogs which she follow except when she is on a blogging break. Untill recently, her weekly posts will have few pics of the recipes tried from fellow bloggers. Unlike many recipe posts, each post at FH has a minimum of 5 recipes. Don't go by the number of posts in her blog to arrive at the recipe count. Its much, much more. I had tough time selecting recipes even though I was looking at pure veg recipes.

The first is the series is her gramndmother's recipe -Mysore Saaru. This saaru is remotely similar to sambhar but the spices gives it a different flavor and it is very light too. If you have spice powder ready, its very easy to put together this since most of the cooking is done in the pressure cooker and the only thing to be done is the seasoning.

Saaru/Spice powder

Coriander seeds - 2 tblspn
Tuvar dal - 2 tblspn

Poppy seeds, Cumin, raw rice,
mustard seeds and pepper corn   - 1 tspn each

Red chilly - 2 nos
Methi seeds -1/2 tspn
Cinnamon - 1 " stick
Dry coconut - 2 tblspn
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn

Roast the spices in medium heat. This will ensure even roasting of the dals and spices. I didnot have dry coconut/kopra. I roasted the coconut seperate till light brown. Powder the roasted ingredients fine in a mixer grinder. I used only two tablespoon of the spice powder. Store the rest in an airtight container. You can increase the amount of red chillies to suit your spice level.

For the saaru

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup
Pearl onions - 10 nos
Drumstick - 1 no cut into 1" pieces
Tomatoe- 2 nos
Tamarind juice - 1 tblspn
salt to taste
corinader leaves

To temper
Oil
mustard seeds
cumin seeds
red chilly - 1 torn into two pices
hing
curry leaves

Method

Pressure cook tuvar dal, pearl onion and tomato. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the tempering ingredients. Add tamarind juice and 2 tablespoon of saaru powder and salt. Transfer the cooked dal and vegetables to the kadai. Simmer gently and garnish with curryleaves and coriander leaves.  You can add any vegetable that you normally add to sambhar.

Enjoy with hot rice or steaming idlies.