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Sambar and Rice

Recipe by Chitra Ahluwalia Pal of New York, US

First attempt of homemeade sambar, this came out really well.

Ingredients vegetarian 8 servings


    • 2 cups of tuar / arhaar daal soaked in water for 30 minutes
    • Salt to taste
    • Different vegetables 3 cups ( carrots,beans, brinjal, kadu, petha, tori, plantain (hara kela), potato, okra /bhindi)
    • 1 Onion chopped
    • 1 big red tomato chopped
    • Salt to taste
    • 4 tbsp of sambar masala (any brand)
    • 1 ½ of amchoor / mango powder
    • 1 cup of kadi pata
    • 2 cups of plain white boiled Rice
    • 1 tbsp of sarso seeds
    • 2 whole lal mirch / red chili
    • Water
    • Oil

    Directions

    1. If you don’t have sambar masala you can make your own by roasting some dry spices. Take ½  cup coriander seeds, ¼ cup cumin seeds, ¼  cup chana daal (large split yellow lentils), ¼  cup urad daal (black gram), ¼  cup fenugreek seeds, ¼  cup black peppercorns, ¼ cup dry red chilli flakes, ¼  cup grated dessicated coconut, ¼  cup mustard seeds, 20 dried curry leaves, 2 tbsp tumeric powder, 2 tsp asafetida powder. Roast all the ingredients except the asafetida on a hot griddle till they begin to release their aroma. Cool on a tray. Add the asafetida and grind into a fine powder. Store in an air-tight container.
    2. Boil the daal in pressure cooker or pan till it is turned into soup with pinch of salt and turmeric powder and ½ tsp of oil.
    3. In the mean time boil water with 1 tsp of salt and add your vegetables to it. Boil them until they are cooked.
    4. Till the vegetables are cooking make tadka for sambar. Add oil in non stick tadka pan add sarso seeds, when they splutter add kadi pata, whole lal mirch. Cook for 1 minute and add onions. When the onions turn golden brown add tomato and sambar masala, salt and amchoor powder.
    5. Now add vegetables and tadka to the daal . Cook for 10 minutes.
    6. Serve hot with white rice with onion rings dipped in lemon.
    Note:- While Boiling rice add 2 tsp of Lemon juice which will give rice nice flavor and each grain will be sepearted.

    Comments

    Chitra Ahluwalia Pal

    Chitra Ahluwalia Pal

    Thanks Veny, actually this was my first attempt to make sambar, I will surely try with your way.

    Veny Malik

    u shud have added some tamarind pulp to make it tastier. and why to cook veggies separately?? u can boil them with dal.