SAMBHAR

SAMBAR

Sambar is the main South Indian Dish in every household.  You can have it with Idli, dosa, medu vada, rice some people eat with chapati too, like me.  It is a delicious dish can be made in various styles.  Today I am presenting my way of making it.  Yesterday we had conducted Bhagawati Seva Pooja which is performed by every South Indians one day atleast in their house in the month of Karkidagam  (Aadi month) (Aashad) starting from July 17 till August 16 mostly except the day of Amavasya.  

I love the Padmam, rangoli made by the Vadyar (Priest), then the vilaku (lamps ) decorated with flowers and the japam (chanting of Devi's stuthi).  I cannot post the pictures of the pooja as our Priest did not allow us to click the pictures of padmam and the pooja afterwards.  We make nei payasam, medu vada for the neivedyam which is mouth watering.  

coming to the point of making sambhar.  Normally i make the sambar without tamarind pulp and it equally tastes good as we make with the tamarind pulp.  Once my brother in law and family had come to our place.  I made the sambar following the below mentioned method without tamarind pulp.  My brother in law said, sambar is excellent.  I told him that i have not added one ingredient in it, can you find out?  He said no.  When i told them that the sambar is without tamarind pulp, my sister in law could not believe it.
By the way, instead of tamarind pulp, you can add amchur powder or kokum also but i did not use even this.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced vegetables (red pumpkin, white pumpkin (ashgourd), capsicum, drumstick, colacasia)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 Cup tuvar dal (tuvaram pariuppu, arhar dal, toor dal)
salt

For the Masala

1/4 cup coriander seeds

5 tsp chana dal

1 tsp methi seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

6-7 red chillies
3 green chillies
2 sprigs of curry leaves
3/4  cup grated coconut
Asafoetida
1 piece of jaggery
2 tsp oil

Optional

1/4 cup thin tamarind pulp  ( I did not use.)
6-7 shallots (on auspicious days, we do not use). you have to shallow fry the same in oil and grind along with the masalas.

Tempering:

1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
few curry leaves
2-3 broken red chilli

garnishing

chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Cook the vegetables by adding salt and turmeric powder. (if you are using tamarind pulp, add this too)
pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
Now heat oil in kadai, add the coriander seeds, chana dal, red chilli saute for a minute. now add the methi seeds, black pepper, cumin seeds and fry the same, do not burn it.  now add the curry leaves, green chilli and the coconut and fry for another one minute and switch off gas. add the asafoetida powder in it.  when it cools down, grind to a fine paste by adding water in it keep aside.

Now check the vegetables, if they are cooked, add the mashed toor dal bring to a boil.  now add the ground paste, jaggery,  mix well and bring to a boil, switch off gas.

temper with the ingredients mentioned under tempering and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Sambar is ready to serve with idli, dosa, rice, vada etc.

Note:  my mother in law grind the curry leaves with the masala as it is good for health.  normally, we throw the same without knowing the medicinal value of it.

enjoy the sambar.  Yesterday, when i served with idli, and vada, everyone was  praising stating that it tasted like the hotel sambar.  so whey are u waiting.  you too enjoy, banao, khilao or khud khao or do not forget to give me the feed back.


Note: you can skip tamarind pulp, instead use tomato, amchur powder or kokum. without all these, the sambar tastes good.