SAMBAR

Sambar is the staple in the main coruse menu in all South Indian homes.  This sambar recipe is the same recipe in my sambar rice recipe. During my interaction with a marriage caterer for the recipe of vendakkai puli mandi, he told me few tips also and one among them is cooking the spices for the sambar in ghee. I have tried out few times after and it was a super duper hit at home. Varun, my little one who always eats idli | dosa with molagapodi loves this sambar a lot and he drank the remaining sambar in the bowl. Since this sambar is with toor dal, it goes well with rice and tiffin items too.  This exactly tasted like the hotel sambar. If you skip the onions it will taste more like kalyana sambar. Try it out at home and let me know how it turned out. I added mullangi | radish to the sambar.                     

SAMBAR RECIPE

  Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 35 Mins |Serves: 5-6

     Toor dal   1/3 cup
     Radish | Mullangi  2 small
     Shallots | small onion  10
     Ghee  1 tsp
     Tamarind   a small lemon size
     Green chili  1
     Coriander seeds 1 tblsp
     Channa dal   1 tblsp
     Methi seeds | venthayam  1 tsp
     Coconut   3 tblsp 
     Red chili   2
     Oil   1 tsp
     Mustard seeds   1/4 tsp
     Jaggery   a small piece
     Salt  as needed
     Turmeric powder   1/4 tsp
     Sambar  powder  2 tsp
     Curry leaves  few
     Tomato   1/2
     Asafoetida  a pinch 
     
     

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Method:

• Soak tamarind in hot water and extract 1 and 1/2 cup of thin tamarind extract from that. 
• Cook the toor dal and cut the radish into thin roundels. Peel the skin of the shallots and keep aside. 
• In a pan add ghee and roast the channa dal, coriander seeds, methi seeds, red chili and green chili. 
• When it is 3/4 the roasted, add in 4 shallots | chinna vengayam and saute for 2 minutes in a low flame. 

• Add the tomato and cook for few minutes and switch off the flame. Add coconut to this. Allow this to cool completely. 

• Grind this into a smooth paste and keep it aside. If needed add little water while grinding.

• In a pan add oil and add in the mustard seeds. Add in the remaining onions and saute for 5 minutes till the onions become translucent.
• Add in the radish and saute for few minutes. 

• Add in the tamarind water, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida. 

• Let this boil for 7-8 minutes or till the veggies become soft.

• Add the cooked toor dal to this. Mix well.
• Add in the ground paste and mix well. 

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• Mix well and add the jaggery to this. Boil this well for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Add in the curry leaves. 

• Sambar is ready . Serve this with rice or idli | dosa| pongal. 

Notes:

1. Adding ghee is the key in this recipe. So do not skip that portion.
2. Jaggery enhances the taste and also equalises the spiciness of the red chili, green chili and sambar powder.
3. You can add chopped coriander leaves for garnishing too. 
4. You can add veggies like pumpkin, drumstick,ladies finger, brinjal, capsicum and carrots too.

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