Drumstick Sambar and Raw Banana Curry

So many things that I have posted are one dish meals. But Mallugirl’s post made me think. Amma always made a full breakfast and a full lunch before leaving for work. In fact, at dinner time, all we had to do was make fresh rice. Nothing is as difficult as we make it out to be. We live in better times to some extent than our mothers did. We have access to hygienically packed, processed foods. Although we had a food processor and a cooking range at home, a microwave came only ten years ago into Amma's kitchen. I remember Amma making paruppu usli by grinding the soaked dal on an ammi made of stone. I have trouble bringing my Ultra Grind out and Amma made Idli and Dosa batter on a stone kal oral. Then she got a wet grinder. For all its automation, it was still what I'd consider cumbersome.


A lot of people ask me why I don't hire a cook or just eat out. A friend asked me about a month ago, "Why are you so bullish about cooking your own food? I leave all that to my maid. Stop being so adamant and finicky about cooking. You're a working woman. Learn to enjoy life."




Enjoy. The word can convey so many feelings at once. I don't like dancing and I've been told I don't know how to enjoy life. What is this thing about doing a particular thing in order to enjoy life? Should it not be about doing what I want? I've been a full time working woman for 8 years now. Eight complete years as of today. And in all this time I've cooked my own meals. I have a LOT of support from Amma. I get ready made sambar and rasam powders, tamarind paste, scraped coconut, vangi bhat masala, bisi bele bhat masala, ginger, chilli and garlic pastes, paruppu podi, thengai podi, yellu podi, karuveppilai podi, milagai podi, yennai katrikkai podi, pitti chitni and loads of other things from her. No kidding! And with so much that she untiringly does for me, what I do with the things she lovingly makes for me is almost nothing. But what is more important to me is the fact that I enjoy cooking.

My lunchbox during my school days used to be an elaborate 4 container tiffin carrier. Top most for the vegetable, then sambar-rice, rasam-rice and curd-rice. Amma was a working woman. Yet, she didn't make the kind of stuff that I do (put everything in a cooker and forget it!) She didn't have the luxury of frozen cut vegetables or ready made ginger-garlic pastes. Yet she dished out one healthy meal after another for as long as I've known her. And she continues to do so.

This morning's meal, I owe entirely to her (as I do almost everything.) It is during such rushed mornings that I am especially thankful for the 5 cookers I have received as gifts from her over the years. There is no waiting for the pressure to release so you can cook the next item.

A trip to the I.N.A. market allows you to not only buy exotic ingredients, but ordinary things that you crave. Drumsticks, raw bananas, shallots, sweet potatoes, amaranth leaves, taro leaves... the list is endless. Our trip on Sunday was successful. We brought back a lot of much missed vegetables.


Today being a working day, our meal had to be ready in 30 minutes. And it was. So, this is a totally unplanned entry to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge. The picture was taken just when I sat down to lunch. (I am working from home for the moment.)


The meal comprised:


Drumstick Sambar (Murungakkai Sambar)
Raw Banana Curry (Vazhaikkai Karumadhu)
Rice
Curd
Papad


Ingredients:


Drumstick Sambar:




1/2 cup Toor Dal
1 tbsp Sambar Powder
1 Drumstick, cut into 3-inch long pieces
3 Onions, sliced
2 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 Green Chilli, slit
1 Red Chilli
4 tbsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to Taste


Rice:

1 cup Ponni Rice
3 cups Water


Raw Banana Curry (Vazhaikkai Karumadhu):



4 large or 6 medium Raw Bananas, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Sambar Powder
Salt to taste


How do you put it all together in 30 minutes?

Get the bananas out and peel and chop them.

Cook the rice and dal in a pressure cooker using 2 vessels. Add 3 cups of water to the rice and 1 cup of water to the dal.



When the rice and dal are getting cooked, proceed with the sambar.



Heat oil in a pressure pan. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, red and green chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry for a minute and then add the drumstick pieces. Add the sambar powder and fry for a couple of minutes more. Add a little water and cover and cook with the weight for 1 whistle. When the pressure is released, add the tamarind paste and salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cooked dal and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

When the drumstick is getting cooked, you can get the raw banana curry going.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal begins to change colour, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the raw banana pieces. Add the chilli, turmeric and sambar powders. Mix well and cover. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the pieces to crispen on all sides.

To proceed, place 2 appalams (papads) in the microwave on high for 40 seconds. Bring out the curd from the fridge. Set everything on the counter or the table. Then bring the appalams out. Eat like there is no tomorrow. Just kidding.

So, this goes to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge as my final entry. My earlier entries to this event have been

Taro-Rice Balls and Yogurt Dip

Kabuli Pulao and Raita

Achari Aloo

Usal Pav

Among my 100+ entries so far, a significant number would be quick meals. Maybe it is a sign of the times we live in, maybe it is a sign of my laziness. Here's a list of quick meals on The Singing Chef that didn't become a part of Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge:

Macaroni and Vegetables in White Sauce

Kothu Roti

French Bread Pizza

Muttai Dosai

Mixed Vegetable Semia Upma

Mixed Vegetable Upma

Paneer Paratha

Aloo Paratha

Macaroni in Tomato Basil Sauce

Conchiglie Mushroom Saute

Fusilli with stir fried Vegetables

Eggless Masala French Toast

Corn Vegetable Salad