Of all the different styles of cooking dal, Varn is my favorite. As coconut is a staple part of the Konkani diet, we end up adding it to our dal too :) This is one of the most simple dishes to cook and for me its my comfort food.

In Mangalore, Varn is only made during mourning occasions but we have no such rules in North Karnataka where I come from.

This is the perfect comfort food for me and eating Varn with a spoonful of warm ghee and rice with some pickle makes my day. I am sure you will like it too. Very hard to go wrong with this recipe.

Here is my mom's Varn Recipe.




Ingredients
Toor dal  - 1 Cup
Coconut - 2 tbsp 
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilly - 1
Turmeric - a pinch
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - a sprig for seasoning
Salt

Method

1. Pressure cook Toor dal with turmeric and 2.5 cups water for 2 whistles. Remove from the gas and keep aside
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan. When hot, add Cumin seeds and chillies. When the cumin starts popping, remove it from heat and grind it with coconut  and little water to make a coarse paste.
3. Add the paste to the cooked dal (mash the dal if needed) and bring it to boil. Adjust the salt and turn of the heat.
4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a seasoning pan and when oil is hot, add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add curry leaves and let it splutter.
5. Add this to the dal and cover with a lid so that the aroma from the seasoning is absorbed well.
6. Serve hot with rice and add a dollop of ghee for extra flavor and richness.

I have many complaints that I dont publish many vegetarian dishes. So here is one specially for my vegetarian friends.
Matar Paneer is a popular North Indian recipe and is one of my staple cooks when I have vegetarian friends over.  Its a very simple recipe and doesnt need much fine chopping and saves a lot of time.




Ingredients
250 gms paneer/cottage cheese cut into triangular 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
3 medium sized ripe red tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
5-6  garlic chopped
5-6 cashews

4 to 5 black peppercorns
2 to 3 cloves
½ inch cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp kasoori methi
½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp cream
½ tsp sugar 
2 to 2.5 tbsp oil or ghee
Coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add 1 inch cinnamon, cloves, pepper corns, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and saute. 
2. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute for 5 mins till translucent.
3. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic and saute for another 2-3 mins. 
4. Now add tomatoes and cashews and saute till the tomatoes are mushy. Keep this mixture aside to cool and then blend it in a blender to get a coarse paste.
5. Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and when hot add ½ tsp cumin seeds.
6. When the cumin splutters, add the paneer and saute it for a bit.  You can add the paneer pieces directly later into the masalas too if you dont liked it sauteed in oil.
7. Now add the masala paste and mix well. 
8. Add the frozen peas and mix well
9. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and mix well.
10. Cover and cook till a good boil. Add salt according to taste and add water if you find the gravy too thick. I add a pinch of sugar to this - however you can decide based on your taste.
11. Garnish with 1 tbsp cream (or more based on your taste) and a 1/2 tsp of crushed kasoori methi and cook for 2 mins.
12. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve this hot with chapatis

Note: In case you are using fresh peas, you may have to cook the peas separately in water till cooked and then add it to this gravy as frozen peas is almost cooked and doesnt need much cooking.

There is a new place in town called Simply South by Chef Chalapathi Rao. We went there recently and had their heavenly Kerala stew with Appams and fell in love with this dish. The coconut milk was light and aromatic and the taste of the dish still lingers.

Here is my version of the stew. 

Method

1. Slice 1 carrot, 1 potato, 12 beansinto cubes of equal sizes and keep aside
2. In a pan, heat 1 tsp coconut oil.
3. Add the spices - 3-4 cloves, 1 cinnamon, 2 cardamom and 1/2 tsp black pepper and saute till for 2 mins.
4. Add 1 finely chopped onion to it and saute it. Add finely chopped 1 inch ginger and 5-6 garlic flakes and saute till the onions become transparent. Don't let it become brown.
5. Add 1 handful of curry leaves and 2-3 finely chopped green chillies and saute it for a few more minutes.
6. Add the sliced vegetables and saute well.
7. Now add 1 cup of thin coconut milk *, salt and bring it to boil.
8. Lower the flame, cover and cook it till vegetables are soft for around 10 mins.
9. Now add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of thick coconut milk * and cook for another five more minutes.
10. Garnish with curry leaves fried in coconut oil.
11. You can serve this vegetable stew with chapatis, appams or rice.

*Thick and Thin Coconut milk

1. Take 1/2 coconut and grate it. Blend it in the mixer with water and a pinch of salt to a fine paste. Strain the first batch and this gives you thick coconut milk
2. When the same leftover coconut is again blended in the mixer with more water and strained, you get a batch of thin coconut milk.

I am fortunate to stay next to a hotel management institute (NITHM Hyderabad). They have recently started cooking classes on Saturdays and I got to attend the basics of Italian cooking class. The classes were well conducted and I got some good recipes to try. Made this soup on a windy evening and it was the perfect comfort food one could have asked for.





Method

1. For this recipe all the veggies need to be cut with the Brunoise cut. Cut 1 cup of cabbage, 1/2  red capsicum and 1/2 yellow capsicum, 10 beans and 1 small carrot into cuboid pieces.
2. In a deep bottomed vessel, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. When hot, add 4-5 cloves of finely chopped garlic and saute. 
3. When the garlic is sauteed add 1 medium sized finely chopped onion and saute till the onion is pink and translucent.
4. Now add cabbage, beans and carrot and capsicum and saute for 5 mins till they are all well coated with oil.
5. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes (deseed and then cut into cubes) and saute well till the tomatoes are soft. Add 1 tbsp of tomato paste.
6. Add 2 fistfuls of macaroni pasta and 2-3 cups of water to cover all the vegetables and the pasta.
7. Add pepper, salt according to taste and a pinch of sugar.
8. Mix well and let it cook till the pasta is cooked. Adjust water and spices according to the consistency you want.
9. Make cheese pesto balls with grated parmesan cheese and finely chopped basil. Add this to the soup just before serving.

Grate some parmesan cheese over the hot soup bowl before serving

Wanted to cook a good vegetarian side dish for a party the other day. Wanted to try out some recipe with bell peppers and hence decided to cook this one. The spice mix in the recipe gives it a unique rustic taste. 

Method

1. Heat a pan. Dry roast 9- 10 pepper corns, 5-6 dried red chillies, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds  till the kitchen is full of the aroma from the spice mix. Add a pinch of  fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) and saute for a few secs and then let the spice mix cool down. Grind it to a coarse powder. Keep 2 tsp aside for garnishing.
2. Heat 2 tsp of butter in a pan. When the butter melts, add half of the above powder mix and fry well.
3. Add 1 onion cut into cubes into the pan. Fry it for some time and add 1/2 a red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow pepper. Fry well. 
4. Blanch 2 tomatoes and then puree them and add it to the pan and cook till the raw smell of tomatoes goes off.
5. Then add 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, salt to taste, pinch of sugar, and mix well.
6. Add 250 gms of paneer cubes and mix well. Sprinkle 2 tsp kadai masala and add pinch of crushed kasuri methi and mix well.
7. You can add cream and coriander leaves too but I skipped it.
8.  Serve with roti

A simple baked starter for parties. Easy to cook and full of flavor.



Method
1. Clean and par boil baby potatoes in salty water till they are about 50% cooked. Remember to take care that the potato skin should not shrivel. Strain the potatoes and keep aside to cool
2. Make a mixture of 2 tbsp olive oil with 5-6 pods of crushed garlic, rosemary, pepper, sea salt and chilli flakes.
3. Preheat an oven for 15 mins at 160 degress Celsius. 
4. Add the potatoes to a baking dish. Add the marinade on top and then bake it in the oven for around 30 mins. Midway through stir/rotate the potatoes so that they are evenly cooked. Check with a fork at the around 20 mins and adjust the timings of the oven accordingly.
5. Remove the potatoes from the oven when golden in colour and tender


A very good step by step approach is given here 

Have always been a fan of the Maharashtrian misal. Today we tried cooking the matki misal. The sweet and sour taste of this dish is balanced well by the chilli to give a healthy lentil soup. Ideal for breakfast or evening snacks. This can also be eaten with a pav to make it more filling.




Method
1. For matki sprouts,  Soak 100 gms of matki(moth beans) in water overnight. Drain the water the next morning and tie this in a fine muslin cloth so that it starts sprouting,
2. Soak some 2 small marble sized  tamarind in water and then squeeze it well to make 2 tbsp of tamarind water and keep aside
3. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil . When hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add handful of curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. To this add 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and a pinch of haldi and saute for a few minutes on a low flame.
4.  Add the matki sprouts and water to get a gravy with very thin consistency, Add 1 small marble sized ball of jaggery (or according to taste) and the tamarind water. Add salt according to taste. Bring it to a good boil and then turn of the flame.
5. Serve with farsan and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Never get tired of paneer dishes. Was looking for something new to cook today when I came across this dish on VahreVah.com...Simple to cook and goes well with rotis.

Method

1. Take 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. When hot, add 2 finely chopped onions and saute it till light pink. To this add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder. Mix it well put the lid on and let it cook for 15 mins in a slow flame (2-3 whistles) till cooked well. This paste can be used as a base for your gravies. You can store this in the fridge for future use.
2.  Heat 2 tsp butter in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp of nicely crushed kasoori methi. Saute it for a minute. Add 1 cup bell peppers (red , yellow) and 1/4 kg paneer cut into cubes.
3. Add onion florets to this mixture and saute well in the butter till the capsicum is cooked. 
4. Now add 2 tbsp of the above onion gravy and saute well. Add some water and put the lid on and cook till the gravy reaches a boil.
5. Add 1 tbsp cream to the gravy and mix well.Cook for a few mins and then turn off the flame.
6. Garnish with coriander and Serve with hot rotis.

Though Yash and me are both GSBs, I am amazed at how recipes and the food we eat differ so significantly even though the distance between our hometowns must be less than 200 kms. 
Puli Koddel is one such dish which we had never cooked at our home but is a delicacy for Yash's family. So I decided to learn this one and cooked it the other day. Turned out pretty much like it is cooked at Yash's home in Dakshin Kanara.

Method

1. Roast 3 tsp coriander seeds, 3 tsp till seeds,  2 tsps black gram dal, 2 tsps bengal gram dal, pinch of turmeric, pinch of asafoetida (hing), 1 tsp raw rice, 3 tbsp grated cocounut, 8 dried  red chillies with a little oil till brown.
2. Grind all ingredients with 1 marble sized tamarind to a coarse paste
3. In a vessel, boil deskinned ash gourd(I used about 1/4 of an ash gourd)  cut into 1 inch pieces with sufficient water. Add 1 lime sized jaggery while boiling.
4. Now when the ash gourd is sufficiently soft, add the ground masala. Adjust the salt and bring it to boil.
5. Remove from flame.
6. In a small pan, give tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add it to the koddel and cover for the flavors to assimilate in the curry.
7. Eat with hot rice.

As usual I love my one pot dishes for Sunday cooking - something that is easy to cook and tastes good too. Wanted to try something different today and came up with this recipe. Its my own creation and the combination of spices and vegetables my own too. Needless to say, yummy it was ;) - total comfort food for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Method

1. Soak 1 cup of chickpeas overnight and pressure cook it in the morning for 3-4 whistles.
2. Wash and soak 1 cup of Basmati rice in water for at least 10 minutes.
3. Make a powder of 1 tsp aniseed, 3-4 cloves, 2 inch of cinammon and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tsp butter and 2 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker. When hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds. When the start crackling add the aniseed powder mentioned above. Add grated 1 inch ginger and 3-4 pods of garlic. Add 2 finely sliced green chilies and mix well
5. While sauteing, add 2 finely sliced onions and continue sauteing. Add some salt and saute till pink in color
6. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup of blanched spinach and cook for 2 mins. 
7. Add 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well.
8. Let it cook for 2 mins, till the raw taste of the masalas is gone.
9. Add rice and chick peas and add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. After 2 whistles, let the pressure cooker cool before you open it.
10. Sprinkle some  chaat masala while serving.
11. I served this with Cucumber Mint raita, the recipe for which follows.

Cucumber Mint Raita

1. Grate 1 cucumber; place it into a sieve and drain out the excess water
2. Add 1 handful of finely chopped mint. Add 1 finely chopped spring onion(both whites and greens). Add 2 small green chillies finely chopped. 
3. Now add 1 cup curd, salt, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp chat powder and 1/2 tsp rock salt. Add normal salt while adjust for salt and mix well.
4. Refrigerate before serving

Recently we grew our own mushrooms thanks to Yash's uncle (Here is his website http://swethamushroom.wordpress.com/) who gave us a mushroom kit. All we had to do was sprinkle some water every day to the pre- prepared kit that he had made and in 3 weeks we had these awesome mushrooms. This variety is called Milky mushrooms and tastes much better than the normal button mushrooms which I was used to buying. 




 

  






































Here is the recipe of the sauteed mushrooms which we cooked with these mushrooms.


Method

1. Shred the mushroom into thin strips. This gives a much better texture to the dish than cutting it with a knife...almost like the texture of chicken
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a pan. 
3. Add finely minced garlic (7-8 flakes) and fry it. When soft, add the mushrooms and stir
4. You need to cook this on high flame as the mushroom tends to release water
5. Saute for 5- 10 mins till the mushroom is well coated and looks cooked. Add salt according to taste.
6. You can garnish it with red chilli flakes and some dried herbs like rosemary. You can dribble some extra virgin olive oil too, to add to the flavor.

I was not a fan of hummus until we went to UK. I ate some store bought ready to eat hummus for breakfast and started developing a taste for it. Cook it often  these days as a starter or even as an evening snack. Like to eat it for breakfast too.

Here is my recipe ...

Method

1. Soak 1 cup of chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook in 3 cups of water for 3 whistles. Cool it and keep aside
2. Take 2 tsp til (sesame seeds) in a grinder. Add 4 pods of garlic, 2 tsp curd and the boiled chickpeas and grind to a coarse paste.
3. Remove from the grinder and adjust the salt, Add juice of half a lemon, 2-3 tsp olive oil 
4. Sprinkle ground red chilli flakes and serve with Pita bread.

I also like to eat it as a spread with whole wheat bread for breakfast. This also tastes as a good dip to eat with freshly cut cucumbers and carrots.

I love bhindi !! Though I have cooked this recipe many times, I realised I had never put it on the blog. So her goes.


Method

1. Wash and dry 1/2 kg okra and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Trim the ends and cut them into 1 inch pieces and keep aside.
2. Wash and pat dry 2 medium sized potatoes, peel off the skin and again cut into cube sized pieces.
3.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and saute the okras and the potatoes till almost cooked. Add some salt while sauteing.Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan. Remove the okra and the potatoes and keep aside
4. In the same pan, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida. Add some grated ginger and fry for a minute. Now add 2 onions chopped into thin longish slices and sweat them till they are nice and pink. Add a pinch of salt while doing this. Now add 1 tsp till seeds. Add 1 tsp chilli powder, pinch of haldi, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp amchur powder and 1 tsp garam masala and mix well and fry for 2 mins. Now add the okra and potatoes. I also threw in 1 onion chopped into  4 pieces with the florets separated. Now mix well, cover partially and allow to cook for 10 mins on a slow flame.
5. Adjust the salt and serve with chapatis. 

Try this healthy pulao recipe which is yummy too - dont get mislead by the spinach in the recipe :)


Method
Wash 2 cups of rice and soak it in water for about 20 mins. After 20 mins, drain the water and keep aside
Blanch 2 cups of spinach (palak) in hot water, drain and keep aside. Mix it in a mixer to a fine paste with 5 pods of garlic, 1 inch ginger and 2 green chillies and keep aside
In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp ghee. When it is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp shahi jeera seeds. Add  2 finely chopped onions and saute well till it is brown. Add pinch of salt while sauteing the onions. Once the onions are brown, add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and saute.
Add the spinach puree and 1/2 cup of frozen peas, 2 carrots chopped into 1 inch cubes. 
To this mixture add 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala and saute well. To this add the rice and mix well. Now add 5 cups of water. Adjust the salt and then close the lid on the pressure cooker. After 2 whistles, cook for 5 mins on a slow flame and then switch off the gas. Keep the cooker closed for 10-15 mins before opening the lid to allow the rice to firm up.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with raita.

This is another all time favorite among the easy to cook dishes. Falls in the day to day cooking category and takes less than half an hour of cooking time including the chopping :)





Method
1. Cut 250 gms paneer in to 1 cm cubes. I use paneer from Punjab Sind and they are melt in your kind variety - any dish you cook with them turn out good.
2.  Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
3. Add 1 big onion finely sliced and saute well. Add salt to the onions. Add 3 finely chopped chillies and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and saute well till the onions are brown. 
4. Now add 1 finely chopped tomato and 1 capsicum chopped into 1 cm cubes and saute well
5. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy
6. Now add 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp kitchen king masala (you can add garam masala as an alternative), 1 tsp chilli powder and pinch of turmeric. Mix all this well
7. Add the paneer pieces, mix well without crumbling the paneer and then cover and cook for  a few mins
8. Garnish with 1 tsp crushed kasoori methi and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Came across this recipe on Tarla Dala's website and decided to try it. The ajwain seeds and the pav bhaji  masala give a distinct flavour to this dish. Did not take me even 30 mins to cook including cutting time. Of course, I had to add my own minor variations to the dish.

Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp of ajwain, 1 tsp of cumin seeds and saute them till the cumin seeds splutter.
2. Add 1 finely chopped onion and saute till it is translucent. Add 2 small finely chopped tomatoes and cook till its mushy
3. Add 1 tsp pav bhaji masala, 1/2 tsp rock salt, a pinch of turmeric, 1 red chilli powder to the tomatoes and cook well.
4. Add 250 gms of grated paneer and mix well. Cook for 2-3 mins.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis

I love the Usal Pav made by my mom. It was always a special breakfast /snack option at home. Wanted to replicate that the other day but did not have the white peas at home. Decided to just go ahead with dried green peas and it turned out as good - guess the masala does the magic for me.


Method
1. Soak 1 1/2 cup of dried white peas (I have used green peas here) overnight in water. Boil it in the morning (I cooked it in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle and then simmered for a few mins) and keep aside.
2. Take 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan and when hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds when the mustard seeds start spluttering. Add 3-4 split red chillies, 1 inch of cinnamon and some 4-5 cloves and saute. I also added 2 green chillies finely chopped.
3. Add 2 finely chopped onion and saute. Add a little salt while sauteing the onion. Saute the onion till its translucent.
4. Add 5-6 pods of garlic finely chopped and saute. Add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) , pinch of turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and saute for a few mins
5. Now add 3 finely chopped tomatoes and saute well. You can cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.
6. Now add the boiled peas. You can also mash some 3-4 tsp of boiled peas and add it to add some thickness to the gravy. Add water according to the consistency you want. Bring to a good boil.
7. Serve with finely chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped onion and squeeze some lemon on top
8. Tastes best with pav but you can also add farsan to the usal and eat it just like that.

Tasted this dish for the first time at Sahana and Vijay's place in Leeds. Loved it for its simple flavors. I like Beetroot for the unique color of the dishes and have cooked this dish many times after coming back from our UK holidays.
Here is Sahana's recipe for the dish

Method
1. Boil 1/2 cup of toor dal in pressure cooker. Along with Dal, you can also boil 2 beetroots by keeping them in separate vessels.
2. Grind 1/2 cup grated coconut with 2-3 tsp sambar powder with very little water to a fine paste. I used store bought sambar powder. I added 1 small piece of tamarind and some pieces of beetroot while making the paste.
3. Cut the boiled beetroot into pieces and keep aside.
4. Boil 1 glass of water in a vessel and while boiling add 2 green chillies and leave it for 5mins.
5. Add the beetroot pieces, boiled dal and of coconut and sambar powder and cook. Add 1 tsp of jaggery for some sweetness and a pinch of asafoetida and let this cook on a slow flame for at least 10 mins. You can adjust the water according to the consistency you desire.
6. For the tempering/tadka, take a small pan. Add 2 tsp coconut oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds when the oil is hot. When the seeds start  to splutter, add 2 dry red chillies, 1 sprig of curry leaves and a pinch of urad dal. 
7. When the sambar is cooked, add the tempering/tadka and cover with the lid so that the flavor is absorbed.

Serve hot with rice.

My blog is heavy on non-veg dishes so decided to cook some veg dishes today to balance it out :) 

Last time when I cooked paneer butter masala, I realised that the taste of methi, tomato and paneer is a very good combination. So decided today to cook with original methi(fenugreek) leaves and not kasoori methi. This dish is absolutely tasty - has a bitterness imparted by the methi and the tangy taste from tomatoes.

Method

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. When hot, add finely chopped 2 medium sized onions and saute till brown.Add a pinch of salt to the onions for flavor
2. Add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and 2 finely chopped green chillies and saute for 2 mins. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and saute. Sprinkle some water in case you feel the masalas are getting scorched.
3. Add 1/2 cup of methi leaves and saute for 5 mins till methi is completely cooked
4. Now add 3 finely chopped medium sized tomatoes  and cook for 2-3 mins
5. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and well cooked.
6. Now add 200 gms of paneer cut into cubes and mix well
7. Add 1 tsp amchur powder and mix and cook for another 5 mins and your dish is ready.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chappatis

Had an unused bunch of spring onion lying in my fridge for a week now..wanted to use it for my cooking today was in no mood for Chinese.Hence went online and googled for spring onion recipes and came across this nice Sambar recipe.
The sambar came very close to what is offered in udupi restaurants.

Method

1. Chop  around 20 stalks of spring onion along with the green leaves and keep aside. Finely chop 2 tomatoes and set aside.
2. Boil 1/2 cup of toor dal and keep aside.
3. Grind 1/2 cup of coconut, 2 tsp of cumin seeds, 2 tbsp of sambar powder,  pinch of turmeric powder, 1 marble sized ball of tamarind  and 1 tsp of jaggery powder to a fine paste with water and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and add 2 tsp of mustard seeds. When they splutter add pinch of asafoetida and 1 sprig of curry leaves. 
5. Add the chopped Spring Onions &  tomatoes and mix well. Cook till the onions and tomatoes are soft.
6. Now add the ground paste, toor dal and 2 cups water and let the gravy boil for 5 mins. You can adjust the jaggery and salt now.
7. Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

I guess I can just replace the spring onions with onions, add more water and get a good sambar to go with hot idlis.