Sambar : the Delicious South Indian Sidedish
published by Muthusamy R on Mar 22, 2009
Sambar is a very popular side dish in South India. Easily you can prepare this recipe. It includes protein toor dal, nutritious vegetables (as per your choice), onion, spicy masla in powder form, tamarind, cooking oil, mustard etc. You will all the ingredients from any Indian grocery store. You may also get sambar masala powder from this store. You can also prepare at your kitchen. There are many methods of preparing sambar. This is one such method of preparing spicy vegetable sambar.
Sambar is the well known sidedish served with the typical South Indian meals. No South Indian meals will be complete without sambar. It is also served as a side dish along with the typical South Indian breakfast food items such as steaming idly or crispy dosa. The tastes and ingredients vary from state to state and region to region.
Sambar is easy to cook and its combination of fresh vegetables with pulses makes it highly nutritious. Sambar ’s unique exciting spicy aroma which make it more special
Ingredients
- Coriander leaves Two teaspoons
- Curry leaves One spring
- Drum stick One number
- Egg plant or brinjal Two numbers
- Green chillies Two-Four.
- Ladies finger Two numbers
- Potato Two numbers
- Salt 1-3/4 teaspoon – Two teaspoons
- Sambar onions ½ cup
- Sambar powder Three – Four teaspoon
- Sugar One and Half teaspoon (optional)
- Tamarind lemon size
- Toor dal One cup
- Turmeric powder Half teaspoon
Seasoning
- Black gram dal Half teaspoon
- Hing powder Quarter teaspoon
- Mustard seeds One teaspoon
- Oil One teaspoon
- Red chilli One number
Method
- Clean the vegetables and slice into long pieces.
- Peel the onion
- Wash toor dal and add turmeric powder.
- Pressure cook toor dal with one and a half cups of water for ten minutes. When cold mash well. Keep it aside.
- Soak tamarind in one cup of water, for five minutes, squeeze well and strain out juice.
- Cook vegetables in one and a half cups of water. Add little turmeric powder.
- When three quarter cooked add slit green chillies, salt and sugar.
- Add tamarind water and simmer till raw smell disappears.
- Add mashed dal, sambar masala powder and curry leaves.
- Simmer till thick, add coriander leaves.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, black gram dal and red chilli.
- When mustard seeds splutter, add hing powder and pour the seasoning over the sambar. Serve sambar hot with steaming plain rice. Add a spoon of freshly melted ghee.
