AMMA’S HULI

This one is similar to the regular South Indian sambar but it does not have veggies or even the mandatory sambar powder.It is served with plain rice[sometimes drizzled with sesame oil/ghee] but the taste is beyond this world. We[dad and me] also like to have it as a side dish with idli / dosa

This ‘Huli’ my fav dish. I miss mom’s cooking so much these days that I am keen to get her recipes, cook and of course blog about them.

Whenever we were bored with the same old sambar or we didn’t have veggies for sambar, mom prepared this one.

One more occasion that calls for this dish to be prepared is when we return home late after shopping and need to prepare something quick and tasty for dinner or come home from a vaction. Yes,we are not too fond of restaurant take-aways and we prefer amma’s[mom] huli to anything else.

When this is served with rice, drizzled with a little sesame seed oil and with a few crispries,I cannot ask for any other meal.

I asked mom for the recipe and its sooo simple but how can something with so little ingredients and no veggies turn out so tasty!!I guess it’s the loving heart & hands that turn out the simple dish into a real treat…

This is actually called ‘Oggarnay Huli’,[meaning seasoned sambar] but I prefer to call it ‘Amma’s Huli’ and here is mom’s recipe for the dish…

You need:

Toor dhal- 1 cup
Tamarind- marble sized ball
Mustard seeds -1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 a teaspoon
Red chillies- 6
Curry leaves- a few
Asafoetida-a pinch
Turmeric powder a pinch
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste.

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract thick juice, about ¼ cup and keep aside
2. Pressure cook the toor dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder and enough water. .[15-20 minutes or till done],Mash lightly and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard,fenugreek seeds,asafetida powder,red chillies and curry leaves.[Don’t forget to switch on the kitchen exhaust else you will be coughing away]
4. When the mustard splutter,add the tamarind extract and salt.
5. Let it come to a boil and simmer till it reduces [almost to half the quantity].Stir once in a while
6. Now add the cooked dhal and let it come to a boil.
7. Simmer for a few more minutes [around 5 minutes] and serve hot with piping hot rice…..

I love to just drink this sambar like a soup-spoon by spoon- biting crunchy pappads!!Delicious….