Onion(Eerulli) Sambar

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 liter vessel full of Sambar Onion

4 Tomatoes

1 Green Chilly

3/4 cup grated Coconut

3/4 - 1 cup cooked Yellow Lentils
Small grape sized Tamarind (Optional)

Large grape sized Jaggary

Salt to taste

3 tsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Yellow Lentils

1.5 tsp Mustard seeds (1/2 tsp for Masala, 1 tsp for Seasoning)

1/2 tsp Black Gram seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/3 tsp Cumin seeds

4 - 5 Red Chillies

12 - 15 Curry leaves (Half for Masala and remaining half for Seasoning)

Big pinch of Asafoetida

Pinch of Turmeric powder or small piece of dried Turmeric
4 - 5 strands of Coriander leaves

2 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Remove the outer cover of onion, wash and keep them aside. Cut the tomatoes into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut the green chilly into two halves.

Put red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, black gram seeds, yellow lentils, fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp oil in a pan and heat. Once it starts giving nice aroma, add asafoetida powder, 5-6 curry leaves, turmeric powder and fry them for about 1 min in low flame.(If you are using dried turmeric, add it at the beging along with other ingredients.) Put grated coconut, fried sambar masala, tamarind in a mixer and grind it to smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut use hot water while grinding.)

Put chopped tomato, green chilly, onion in a vessel. Add salt, jaggary, little amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid. Once its cooked add cooked yellow lentils and bring them to boil.
Add the ground masala, mix well and bring them to boil. (Add salt, water if required.) Add chopped coriander leaves mix well and switch off the flame.
Put 1 tsp mustard seeds and oil in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add 5-6 curry leaves and add it to Sambar. It goes well with Idli/Rice/Dosa/Chapathi.

Ambate(Amte) Kayi Uppinakayi(Pickle)

Ingredients:
50 Ambate(Amte) Kayi / Hog Plum / Ziziphus Mauritiana / Ber
3 - 4 cups of coarse Salt
6  cups of Water

3 cups(around 50) Red Chillies 

Grape sized Asafetida or 1/2 tsp Asafetida powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1.5 tsp Fenugreek seeds

10 - 12 Black Pepper

3 - 4 tsp Mustard seeds (Preferred: Small one)

Few pieces of dried Turmeric or 1 tsp Turmeric powder

Recipe:
Clean and wipe the ambates using a clean cotton cloth.

Sun dry the ambates for about 2-3 hours and mash them into pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put around 3 cups of water, 1 cup of salt in a vessel and bring it to boil. Add mashed ambates, bring it to boil and cook well. Put around 3 cups of water and around 2 cups salt in another vessel, bring it to boil and keep it aside until it comes to room temperature.

Drain the water content and spread the ambates in a clean dry cotton cloth as shown in the picture below.

Wash the red chillies and sun dry it for about 4-5 days. Wash the mustard seeds and sun dry it for about 4-5 days.

Put red chillies, black pepper in a pan and dry roast them in medium/low flame for about 3-4 mins. Add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric pieces. (If turmeric powder, add it at the end along with asafoetida.) Fry them for about 2-3 min until they give nice aroma. Add mustard seeds and fry them for about 2 mins until mustard seeds splutter. Add asafoetida and fry them for about 1 min in medium/low flame. Keep this masala aside until it comes to room temperature.

Put this fried masala in a mixer/grinder, add sufficient amount of prepared salted water and grind them to smooth paste as shown in the picture below. (The mentioned ingredients in the recipe will make around 2 cups of ground masala)

Transfer this ground masala to a vessel, add the cooked ambates, required amount of salt water and mix them well. Transfer this pickle to another clean porcelain/glass/plastic airtight jar. Store this pickle in refrigerator for longer use. It goes well with rice, dosas, etc.