The first recipe I would like to share in this blog is that of an extremely easy, yet very special and tasty curry / broth that is very specific to South India. The Kolombu is a very popular dish only cooked by the Iyengar community in South India. You will not find this in any restaurants but will find variations of this prepared at homes.
When I state that it is easy to make, I really mean it. I have explained the process to a couple of my friends that have never cooked before, and they have also gotten it right!
Do try it out and let me know how it turns out... Enjoy!
South Indian Kolombu (a.k.a. Iyengar Kolombu)
Here are the ingredients you will need:
- Two teaspoons (TSP) of Mustard Seeds (available in Indian grocery stores)
- Three TSP of Coriander Seeds (available in Indian grocery stores)
- Half a cup of grated coconut (available in American and Indian grocery stores)
- Twelve (12) full dried red chillies (available in Indian grocery stores)
- Quarter cup of uncooked white rice
- One cup toor dhal (available in Indian grocery stores)
- One packet of Frozen Chopped Spinach (available in American grocery stores)
- Three potatoes, cut into medium-size blocks (not too small)
Here are the kitchen appliances / utensils you will need:
- A grinder / mixer / food processor
- A pressure cooker
Step 1 - Cook the toor dhal, frozen chopped spinach and potatoes in a pressure cooker
Step 2 - Prepare the Kolombu Mix (this is the secret sauce :)
You can start on these activities even as Step 1 is in progress...- Add the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, coconut, red chillies and white rice into the mixer bowl
2. Add half a cup of water to the mixer bowl
3. Grind the contents on the mixer until it has become a fine paste. This will take about 2-3 minutes on the grinder at high speed.
Step 3 - Mix it all and cook!
1. Transfer the cooked toor dhal, spinach and potatoes, along with the water it was cooked in, into a cooking vessel.2. Transfer the Kolombu paste into the same cooking vessel.
3. Add 1 cup of water to the cooking vessel. The resulting contents in the vessel must not be very watery (you can always add water a bit later).
4. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the vessel.
5. Cook the vessel on a stove at high flame with constant stirring.
6. After cooking the contents on high flame for 5 minutes, you can reduce the heat to "low flame" and let the contents simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
7. Turn off the stove and let it cool for 5 minutes.
8. Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
