Sambar Sadham

When I was young I never liked sambar. But as I grew up my preferences changed and started liking sambar. When I started cooking I tried many variations in Sambar and liked all of them. Weekly twice I make Sambar (Tuesdays and Fridays).M loves sambar but without coconut.
So I mostly make it that way when I cook sambar and rice separately. When it comes to the mixed/variety rice version I indulge in coconut goodness and M doesn’t mind that. I have 2 versions of making sambar sadham. Today I’m making the easy version. It’s the restaurant style one and it tastes yummy.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1cup

Red gram dal/Toor dal – ½ cup

Vegetables of your chice-1 & ½ cup

Tamarind-1 small gooseberry sized

Onion/shallots-1 big/10-15

Sambar powder-1tbsp

Salt-as needed

Jaggery-2 tsp/marble sized block

To Grind:

Coconut-1/4 cup grated

Channa dal-1tbsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp

Onion-1 medium, roughly chopped

Tomato-1, roughly chopped

Green chilies (long, spicy one)-2( i used ripe ones)

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and roast all ingredients one by one. Add tomato last and saute’ for 2 mins. Switch off the flame and cool down. Add the mixture to a blender and grind to a smooth paste by adding enough water.

To Temper:

Oil- 2 tbsp

Ghee -2 tbsp

Mustard leaves-2 tsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Asafoetida-1/2 tsp

Curry leaves-1 sprig

How It Happened:

1. Cut the vegetables, Soak the tamarind in half a cup of water for 30 minutes then extract the juice.

2.  Wash the dal and rice together, add 5 cups of water or just enough to cook and soak them for 15 minutes. Pressure cook them for 2 whistles. Let them cool.

3. Light up a big pan, add oil and ghee, when they are hot, add ingredients given under the ‘to temper’ list. When they splutter add the veggies and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add sambar powder and salt and cook until raw smell goes off. Take care not to burn it.

5. Now add the tamarind extract and add 4 cups of water. Mix well and cook them covered in simmer until the veggies or cooked.

6. Add the coconut paste and cook for another 5 minutes.

7. Add the jaggery and mix well.

8. Finally add the cooked Rice-Dal add carefully mix them without mashing the veggies. Cook for 2 -5 minutes in simmer. Switch off the flame.

9. Add coriander leaves mix well, top it off with a tsp of ghee and serve hot with papad.

Notes:

*Keep stirring as it tends to get burnt easily.

*I added bush beans, carrots, brinjal and potatoes. Radish, drumsticks, broad beans and shallots can also be added.

*I add a lot of veggies but you can adjust the amount of veggies as per your preference.

*The consistency of the rice is supposed to be a little watery/flowy as it tends to get thick once when it is cooled. So don’t get panic after seeing it to be a little runny.