Probably this can be called as South Indian Chole . Few days ago, my friend Aruna sent me this recipe. She tried her best to reach to the origin of this dish. She mailed the person who had introduced this recipe to her. Finally we came to know this recipe is a Salem special .
This is a very interesting combination of chickpeas, eggplants and drumsticks, spiced up with sambar powder. So it is like a very dry sambar with chickpeas. V is not very fond of chole , so I was a bit skeptic to try this. But this was very delicious. We both enjoyed it a lot. Eggplants and drumsticks give a very good flavor to this. Kudos to whoever came up with this recipe.
Do you like the photo of this dish? I do. V spent a lot of time to take this shot. I think this is one of my favorite pictures so far. We have been struggling with our camera for a long time now. Then last week, Cynthia from Tastes like home , gave me many inputs to take good pictures. I am a great fan of her pictures. She was very kind to send me a detailed mail when I asked for tips. Thanks a lot Cynthia.
See my other recipes with chickpeas – chole bhature recipe and chole biryani .
Also check out Indira’s Baingan chole , some more chole recipes .
Ingredients: 2/3 cup chickpeas soaked overnight 10-12 big pieces of eggplant(brinjal) 8-10 pieces drumsticks 1/2 cup onion 1/3 cup tomato 4-5 curry leaves 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 1/2 tea spn chili powder 1 tea spn sambar powder ( Use any brand you like. I used homemade ) 1/4 tea spn tamarind extract or 1-2 pieces of tamarind 3-4 strands coriander leaves Oil Salt
Method: Soak chickpeas overnight and cook till they are tender. (you can also use canned chickpeas. Make sure to drain off all liquid and give a good wash). Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves and onion. Fry till onions are slightly brownish. Add tomatoes and salt. Fry for a min till tomatoes soften (salt helps in cooking tomatoes faster). Now add eggplant and drumsticks, pour in half a cup of water. Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat till they are done (do not overcook). Add chili powder, sambar powder, chickpeas. Mix well. Add the tamarind extract/juice. Cook for another 3-4mins. Take off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves. (Remember, this is a dry dish unlike any other sambar which is like gravy). Serve hot.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 30mins (if you use canned chickpeas, it takes much less time).
Most of us Indians have one or the other kind of favorite sambar which we like to go back again and again. I have an undying love for any type of sambar . So I feel I can never have enough recipes for this dish. Just change the spices and vegetables used and you get a whole new comforting meal.
I have some categories of sambar. – Our favorite Konkani sambar(Kolmbo) that goes well with rice. Whenever I make this, I make it in huge quantities and go on for about 2 days. It helps a lot when I am really tired after a busy day. – Rajma sambar is what I make when I want to leave out vegetables and use some red kidney beans( rajma ). – When I am making for idlis , I prefer this no-coconut version with home made sambar powder.
One day when I asked my routine question – “what do you want for dinner?” to V, he said he wants a new kind of sambar . I went through many recipes and finally zeroed on this version in my collection of Kannada magazines. It became an instant hit. My usual sambars are hot, but this one had a hot, sweet and tangy taste. We absolutely loved this dish. It is making a regular appearance on our table these days. This goes well with rice, idlis or dosas .
Ingredients: 2 cups vegetables – like green beans, cauliflower, carrots, eggplant, drumstick, potato, ivy gourd( tendli ) etc 2/3rd cup toor dal 1/4 tea spn fenugreek seeds 1 tea spn urad dal 1 tea spn coriander seeds 2 tbl spn coconut A pinch asafoetida 4-5 curry leaves Oil 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 1/2 cup tomato 1/2 cup onion 1/4 tea spn tamarind 1 tea spn jaggery 3-4 red chilies 3-4 strands coriander leaves A pinch turmeric Salt
Method: Heat oil and fry fenugreek seeds, urad dal , coriander seeds, red chilies, coconut. Grind to a smooth paste. Cook toor dal with turmeric and vegetables (keep dal in lower container and veggies on topmost one). Heat oil and fry onion. When they are translucent, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida. Fry for sometime and add tomato, one cup water, close and cook. When tomato is cooked, add cooked dal , tamarind and salt. Cook for 2-3 mins. Add the ground paste, vegetables, jaggery and cook for about 7-8mins. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.
Serves : 4-5 Preparation time : 30mins
