Spicy idli sambar

Its time for a spicy something - a spicy sambar maybe. This is a great tasty way to include lentils in your diet. Lentils contain a good amount of fiber which is recommended for diabetics. Mini idli + sambar = A great breakfast. The kids will love the mini idlis. This recipe is my mom's. Every time I have this it reminds me of the lazy Sunday mornings at my parents' house.

When I got married my mom wrote down some of the frequently used recipes in a notebook. It was my cooking bible. I still have that grey spiral-bound heavily used notebook. I used to keep the notebook open on the countertop during cooking. I followed her recipes exactly and didn't dare to deviate. After a few months I became confident and began improvising on the basic recipes. By being creative you can try and include many healthy foods in your diet.

No experimentation today. Here comes my mom's original recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal(split pigeon peas)
1 tomato, chopped
1 green chilli, slit
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal(split black gram)
4 dry red chillies
a small pinch of asafoetida
a small ball of tamarind soaked and extracted

To make into a powder
1½ tsp whole black pepper
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1½ tbsp toor dal

Soak the toor dal for an hour. Dry roast the ingredients under "To make into a powder". Grind it into a fine powder. Cook the dal with green chilli and tomato. Meanwhile add oil to a kadai. Add mustard seeds and urad dal. After the mustard seeds starts to splutter add the red chillies, broken into small bits. To this add the cooked lentils. Add a cup of water. When it comes to a boil add the powdered dal mix and tamarind extract. Let it simmer for 15 mins. Serve it piping hot with mini idlis.