PREPARATION FOR THE MEAL

• Soak the dal in water for 5 minutes
• Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes
• Keep the vegetables cut and ready in respective vessels which will fit into the pressure cooker
• Add water, turmeric powder and few drops of oil to the dal. Fill the cooker with water for 2 inches. Keep the vessel with dal on this. Close with a lid. Keep the beetroot without adding any water. Close the cooker with the lid with the gasket on. Put on the weight. Switch on the fire in high mode. Cook up to 4 whistles
• On the other burner, keep the cooker with 2 inches of water. Keep the cut beans in the vessel in this. Close with the lid with gasket. Put on the weight and let it cook for 3 whistles on high
• Now squeeze the tamarind and take out the extract. Keep it in two containers, one for sambar and one for rasam. In the rasam tamarind grind a tomato and add the puree to it. Keep it ready for the rasam to be made.
• Now the beans get cooked faster. So after 3 whistles, I take it off the fire and keep aside and keep the tamarind with tomato puree on fire for rasam
• Add salt, curry leaves and let it boil for 3 minutes
• By now the dal in the other cooker gets cooked for up to 4 whistles and I have taken out the cooker off the fire and kept it aside. Now I have placed a pan to make the curry alongside the rasam
• Now add oil, mustard seeds, red chilly, curry leaves, bengal gram dal and asafoetida and saute till the mustard splutters
• Once it splutters, add the cooked beans and salt and mix well and let it cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes. By now the rasam will be boiling.
• Add the rasam powder and let it boil for another 3 minutes on medium flame
• Now the curry is almost done. Add the coconut scraping, ix well and remove it from fire
• In this burner, now keep the small cooker with the vessel which has rice and the necessary water. Close with the lid with the gasket on. Put on the weight and let it cook for 4 whistles.
• While rice is cooking add some dal to the rasam and let it boil. Add the water to get the required consistency
• Now thatthe rice has been cooked. It is Time for the final dish. Keep a bigger kadai for sambar on the big burner. Add oil, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, green chilly and curry leaves and saute till the mustard starts to splutter
• Now add the cooked beetroot and saute for a minute. Add the reserved tamarind extract.Side by side keep a small pan with ghee, mustard and cumin for tempering the rasam
• Now add salt and sambar powder to the sambar. Let it boil for 3 minutes.
• Pour the tempering over rasam. Add the fresh coriander and keep it closed.
• Now add the cooked dal, mix well and let it boil till for another 3 minutes for the required consistency
• With another 3 minutes to spare the sambar is also ready
• within the stipulated 35 minutes our south Indian meal is ready
• Serve it with a cup of curd and rice with a dash of ghee