Kadamba sambar (Vegetable medley sambar)

A fantastic way of making sambar without sambar powder. It can take as many as 4-5 different vegetables and the choice is yours.

You need
Vegetables (choice of any 3-4 veg) - white pumpkin, carrots, chow chow, okra, eggplant, drumsticks, pearl onions.
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoons
Channa dal - 2 tablespoons
Urad dal - 1 tablespoon
Red chillies - 2-3
Coconut - 2 tablespoons (grated)
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon
Salt
Cilantro
Oil
Tamarind paste - 1 teapoon
Toor dal (boiled) - 1 cup

Method

• In a pan add some oil and roast the coriander seeds, channa dal, urad dal and red chillies.
• Grind the above roasted ingredients along with coconut and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan start by adding oil followed by mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, vegetables, asafoetida and saute for few minutes.
• Add the tamarind paste, water and allow the vegetables to cook until they are almost done.
• Add the spice paste made earlier to the vegetables, salt and mix well.
• Allow to boil for about 4-5 minutes, stirring in between.
• Add the boiled toor dal and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add cilantro
• Serve warm over rice.

Simple sambar

A quicker easier way of making sambar for everyday cooking. 


You need

Vegetable (Okra/white pumpkin/yellow pumpkin/Green pepper/pearl onions) -1 cup (diced)

Cooked toor dal - 1 cup

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Methi seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Green chilly - 2 (slit)

Curry leaves

Tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon

Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon

Salt

Oil

Coriander leaves - finely chopped

All purpose flour (optional) - 1 tablespoon

Method

• In a deep pan add oil and splutter mustard seeds, add methi seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, Asofetida, vegetables and sauté for a minute.
• Add tamarind paste followed by water, sambar powder and salt and allow it to come to a boil.
• Boil until vegetables are cooked. Now add the cooked toor dal and mix well.
• Boil for about 5-8 minutes.
• If the sambar is too runny, mix all purpose flour with water and add it to the sambar.
• Garnish with corainder leaves and serve hot over steamed rice.

Pearl onion sambar

Another ultimate dish for a food lover. Gets irresistible if you like it, you will end up making it every weekend.


You need
Pearl onions - 6
Choice of other vegetables - Radish, Capsicum, Okra, Drumstick
Cooked toor dal - 1 cup (mashed well)
Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon
Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilly - 2(slit)
Asafoetida - a pinch
Tamarind paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Oil

For paste

Coriander seeds- 1 tablespoon

Red chilly - 1

Coconut - 2 tablespoons (grated)

• In a separate pan add oil followed by red chilly, coriander seeds and coconut and sauté until the coconut turns slightly brown.
• Cool and grind the above into a fine paste with needed water.

Method

• In a deep vessel add oil and splutter mustard seeds followed by methi seeds, green chillies, curry elaves, Asafoetida, pearl onions and sauté until the onions becomes translucent for about 1 minute
• Add the tamamrind paste with required water, sambar powder and salt.
• Allow to boil well until the onions are cooked.
• When the onions are done, add the cooked toor dal followed by the above paste and boil for about 5-8 minutes.
• Garnish with corainder leaves and serve over a bed of steamed rice.

Sambar from the South

One deccan dish relished by everyone is Sambar. It is made in different ways in different regions of the southern plateau. I am going to pitch in the way I normally make sambar at home, which is so close to the way it is served in hotels in Chennai. So this is going to be a little elaborate than the simpler way of making sambar.