Mixed vegetable sambhar

 

The recipe for the day is a mother in law inspired Tamlilian sambhar, an origin of Tamil Nadu. My MIL usually makes both chutney and sambhar for idiles which is a staple breakfast of tamilians. Until i got exposed to her cooking, i was apprehensive of making a sambhar with mix of veggies. For me it was usually a single veggie sambhar like radish, greens or ladies finger. But for years now I'm following both my mothers, mother in-laws and off course my style of cooking ;). Getting back to cooking our sambhar.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1 cup

Tomatoes -2 

Potato  - 1

Carrot -1

Beans - Few / handful

Drumstick - 2

Garlic - 10 pods 

Sambhar powder -4 tsp

Tamarind extract - 3 tsp

Coriander leaves - handful, finely chopped

For Tempering : 

Cooking oil - 3-4tsp

Mustard seeds

Dry red chillies - 4
Shallots / small onion - 5-6

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - handful

 

 

METHOD :

Wash and chop the veggies lengthwise into big chunks. Add dal, veggies and garlic pods with double the quantity of water into a pressure cooker.Pressure cook the same for upto 3 whistles and switch off.

 

Once the steam cools down, churn the dal and veggie mixture to combine well

 

Boil the churned dal, once it starts to boil, add salt, tamarind extract and sambhar powder. boil the sambhar for about 10 mins on low flame for the dal to absorb all the flavors.

 

While the sambhar is boiling, heat a small kadai / frying pan for tempering. Heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, thrown in red chillies, curry leaves, shallots and fry until brown.

 

Pour the tempering to the boiling sambhar, switch off the flame and add coriander leaves for garnishing.

 

Serve it with hot idlies or steamed rice.

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Bottle Gourd / Sorekayi sambhar with a twist:)

 

I call this a sambhar with a twist because both sambhar and rasam powder is used along with lentils. This gives a different taste and flavour to the usual sambhar. I learnt this from my dad when he happened to cook this at our home one day which I thoroughly loved it. This has a spicy sweet and tangy taste. 

Ingredients: 

1 chopped Bottle guard  

1 cup toor dal 

2 tsp sambhar powder. 

2 tsp rasam powder 

1 tsp tamarind paste  

1/2 tsp of jaggery  

Rock salt 

1 tsp oil 

1/2 tsp mustard seeds   

Pinch of hing / asafoetida 

Pinch of turmeric powder

2 dry red chillies 

Few curry leaves  

Handful of coriander leaves

 

 

Method: 

In a pressure cooker add chopped bottle gourd and 1 cup of toor dal and cook with enough water upto 1 whistle

 

Allow the cooker to cool and steam to escape.  

churn the dal and veggie together 

Bring it to boil, add salt, sambhar, rasam powder, tamarind paste , jaggery and boil for about 10 minutes

 

In a small pan tempter with mustard seeds, add hing turmeric powder, red chilli, curry leaves and sauté for few seconds and off the flame

 

Pour this seasoning onto the boiling sambhar and switch off the flame

 

Garnish with finely chopped coriander and the sambhar is ready to serve

 

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Ladies Finger/ Okra, Sambhar

Ingredients for  Ladies  Finger/ Okra, Sambhar :



1/4 kg Orka 1 cup toor dal and 2 ripe tomatoes.
For seasonings: Cooking oil tsp, mustard seeds, pinch of turmeric, pounded Asofetida, curry and coriander leaves.

Step 1: Wash and pat the okra

Step 2: Chop the crown and tail of okra then cut them horizontally into medium sized pieces.

Step 3: In a pan heat a tsp of oil and fry okra until they cook and become soft.

Step 4: Keep tossing the okra,don't burn them.

Step 5 : Wash the dal and dice tomatoes, cook them in a pressure cooker until 2 whistles.

Step 6: Let it cool

Step 7: Churn the dal with a churner to get a smooth texture.

Step 8: Boil the dal.

Step 9:Once dal starts boiling add fried okra.

Step 10 : Add salt and sambhar powder.add salt, turmeric paste, and little jaggrey if required.

Step 11: For seasonings heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, saute asofetida, turmeric and curry leaves.

Step 12 : Pour the seasoning to the boiling sambhar and off the stove.and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

 Ladies  Finger/ Okra, Sambhar ready to serve goes best with rice, ragi ball.

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Radish Sambar

Ingredients for Radish Sambhar:

                          
  Wash and chop radish like round coin, 1/2 cup of good dal/ pigeon peas, chopped tomatoes, tamarind extract, 3 tsp of cooking oil, mustard seeds, dry red chilies , curry leaves, coriander leaves, turmeric powder,   
sambhar powder ( i prefer a little spicy and TamilNadu taste So i use Aachi sambhar powder, sea salt/ rock salt. 

Step 1 : Wash toor dal, add dal , Radish and tomatoes to a pressure cooker.

Step 2 : Add 3/4th quantity of water and cook up to 3 whistles for dal to get fully cooked.

Step 3 : After the cooker cools, mash the dal by using this kind of churner. This will make the sambhar thick.

Step 4 : Use a griddle to mix the mixture well.

Step 5: Bring it  to a quick boil.

Step 6: Once it comes to a boiling point add salt, tamarind extract  and sambhar powder and boil it for 5 mins.

Step 7: Seasoning in a wok heat oil add mustard seeds and leave to crackle then add red chilies, curry leaves and tomatoes.

Step 8: Add chopped tomatoes(1/2 or 1 tomato since we already used them and tamarind), fry until it leaves the juice.

Step 9: Pour on the seasonings to boiled sambhar ( 1/2 tsp of jaggery can be added to pacify the sourness it any).

Garnish with coriander and yummy sambhar ready to savour with rice for a satisfying meal goes best with rice, chapatis.

   

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