Alasande Kaalu Huli (Cowpea sambar)

I am putting this recipe here as I love the taste of this dish and have been cooking & eating this almost 15 days a month, for the last few years.
Ingredients:
Cowpea (half cup)
French beans-200 grams
One medium size potato, one carrot, can also be added if you like to have more vegetables in the sambar.


(Cowpeas sambhar can also be made with  one medium size egg plant and potatoes instead of beans and carrots. you can mix and match with any vegetables of your choice)


For grinding:
Green chilli-5
Dried red chilli-5
Garlic-one clove
Tomato-2
Salt-one table spoon(according to your taste)
Coriander seeds-one table spoon
Cinnamon stick- one inch by half cm piece
Clove- two or three
Fresh coconut- about 50grams(less than quarter of a whole coconut)
Coriander leaves-a few sprigs


For seasoning:
cooking oil-two-three table spoons
 curry leaves-one sprig
onion-one, medium size 
mustard seeds,-half tea spoon
cumin seeds-one tea spoon


Soak cowpeas for one day(8 hours or more). Cowpeas absorb water and more than double in quantity. Boil the cowpeas in a cooker in 4 cups of water with salt. It helps if the salt is absorbed by the cowpeas when in cooker. Switch off the stove after the cooker has whistled  5-6 times.   the Cowpeas should be  soft and fully cooked.
Boil the beans in a bit of salt water in cooker(one whistle is enough).
Roast on low to medium heat the green and red chillies, garlic, cinnamon, clove, coriander seeds and put into grinder along with tomatoes, coriander leaves, and coconut.
Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves and after two minutes, add cut onion. When the onion is done, add the gravy from the grinder and heat on low heat for two minutes.
Then add the cowpeas and vegetables i.e. French beans and potatoes and carrot or whatever vegetables.


Heat on low heat until it boils for ten minutes and then sambar is ready.
This can be eaten with rice, chappatis, dosas, idlis. However, it tastes the best with hot ragi mudde!
This sambar tastes better after two to three days.


I love this sambar and make it almost every alternate week. I feel I get greater energy eating this when compared to the Toor dahl sambars(To-ga-ri bae-le) which means this has greater protein than Toor dhal.
I don't use the ready sambar powder but I grind the spices needed.
The same recipe can be used and the cowpea can be substituted with Kadale kaalu. The Kadale kaalu also needs to be soaked and boiled in cooker with salt and for a long time. Brinjals and potatoes go well with kadalekaalu; carrot and potato can also be used in this sambar.


The Kannada names of the ingredients are:


Cowpea -Halasande kaalu
French beans-Hurulikai
Potato-Aalugedde
Carrot-Carrot
Eggplant-Badane-kai


Green chilli-Hasi mena-sina-kai
Dried red chilli-Vana-mena-sina-kai
Garlic-Bell-ulli
Tomato-Tomato
Salt-Uppu
Coriander seeds-Ko-tum-buri-beeja
Cinnamon stick-Che-kke
Clove- Lavanga
Fresh coconut: Hasi-Kobari
Coriander leaves: Kotumburi soppu


For seasoning:
cooking oil-Yenne
 curry leaves-Karibevu
onion-one-Eerulli
mustard seeds-Sa-sa-ve
cumin seeds-Jeer-ge