SAMBAR
Fenugreek Sambar
Tuvar dhal 3/4 cup
Chopped fenugreek leaves 1 cup
Cooked cubed potatoes 1 cup
Slit green chillies 4
Dry red chillies 2
Tamarind the size of a large lemon
Ghee 2 tbsps
Jaggery powder 1 tbsp
Rasam or sambar powder 2 1/2 tsps
Salt 2 tsps
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Asofoetida 1 tsp
Split black gram dhal 1 tsp
Asofoetida powder 1/2 tsp
Cook the dhal with 1 1/2 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Churn till smooth and keep aside. Soak the tamarind in 1 1/2 cups of water, squeeze well and strain out the juice. Heat the ghee in a vessel, add the mustard, red chillies, black gram dhal and asofoetida. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the fenugreek, potato and green chillies. Fry for a few minutes then remove and set aside. In the same vessel, pour the tamarind juice and boil it with salt and jaggery powder for several minutes. Add the cooked dhal, the fried items and rasam or sambar powder. Boil until the sambar is reasonably thick. Remove and serve hot.
Pith Sambhar
Pith 3 cups (peeled and cut into moderate chunks)
Tuvar dhal 1/2 cup (cooked and mashed)
Tamarind small lemon size
Coconut 1/2 cup
Coriander seeds 2 tbsps
Oil 2 tbsps
Cumin seeds (jeera) 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi) 1/2 tsp
Jaggery 2 tsps
Salt 1 3/4 tsps
Dry red chillies 6 (to taste)
Green chillies 2 (slit)
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. On moderate heat, fry the fenugreek seeds till light gold. Add the red chillies, coriander and cumin seeds and fry till well roasted. Then add the coconut and fry well. When cool, grind in a blender till a smooth paste adding a little water. Cook the pumpkin chunks till tender and keep aside. Soak the tamarind in a little water and squeeze out the juice. Cook the juice in a thick vessel, with a pinch of turmeric powder for several minutes. Add the dhal, salt, pumpkin bits, green chilli and the ground paste. Simmer till you get a semi-thick consistency and add a little water if necessary. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, pour into the sambhar. Serve the sambhar hot with rice or roti.
Sambar #1
1/2 cup (heaped) thur dal (papu)
2 tbsps coconut gratings
1 tbsp bengal gram dal
2 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
tamarind lump (the size of a marble)
2 tsps (heaped) coriander seeds
2 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bunch coriander leaves
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste
8 peppercorns
chunks of vegetables (tomato, squash, potato, okra, raw bananna, etc.
1 small piece turmeric
1 small piece asafoetida (ingua)
6 red chillies
Wash thur dal thoroughly. Boil 1 liter of water. Drop dal in boiling water. Cook until soft. Take a little oil in a frying pan on another flame. Roast mustard, coriander, fenugrek, cumin, pepper, turmeric, red chillies, asafoetida, bengal gram dal, coconut gratings and 1 sprig of curry leaves - all in the same sequence, until brown. Grind all the roasted ingredients with tamarind to a fairly smooth paste. To the cooked thur dal, add vegetable pieces and a few coriander leaves. Cook until tender. Then add salt along with ground masala (paste made above) and some water. Boil well. When done, remove from flame. Garnish with bits of coriander leaves.
Sambar #2
Tuar dal or yellow split peas - half cup
Okra - 10 or 12 (fresh or frozen) (optional)
Tomatoes - 3 large (or one can) - quartered
Tamarind paste - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Methi powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asofoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Methi seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped - 4 Tablespoons
Curry leaves - a few (optional)
Cook the dal with turmeric powder, chilli powder and sufficient water. Cut the okra in two inch pieces and saute them in a frying pan with one teaspoon ghee till dry and slightly browned. Mash the cooked dal with a wooden spoon and add the salt, coriander powder, methi powder, asofoetida and the tamarind extract. Simmer for a few minutes and add the tomatoes and okra and half of the coriander leaves. When the vegetables are cooked , heat oil in a fry pan and pop the mustard seeds. Remove pan from the fire, add the curry leaves and methi seeds. Add this seasoning to the sambar and garnish with the rest of the coriander leaves.
Sambhar #3
1 cup Redgram dal
1/4 cup Tamarind paste
4 cup water
2 tsp Grated coconut (fresh or dried)
2 Medium Size tomatoes (finely choped)
3-4 green chilis
pinch Turmeric powder
2 tsp sambhar powder
1 tsp asofoetida
2 Drumstick (cut into long pices)
A small piece of Bottle Guard (cut into thin rounds)
A small piece of Ash Guard (cut into thin rounds)
1 Brinjal (cut into long pieces)
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek Seeds
A pinch of asofoetida
3 Red chilis (halved)
2 tsp ghee
Pressure cook Redgram dal. Take a thick bottom vessal put all the vegetables and pour in water add salt and turmeric powder. Cover and cook till vegetables are tender. Add tamarind, let it boil for 5 minutes, then add cooked dal and sambhar powder to it. Mix well and add some water if it is too thick. Add chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. Mix well cook and sambhar for 5 minutess, then take a small skillet, heat ghee and add all the seasonings. When mustered splutters remove from the flame add to the sambhar.
Tomato Coconut Masala Sambar
Tuvar dal 1/2 cup
Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup
Ripe tomatoes 8 (medium sized)
Dry red chillies 2
Green chillies 2
Curry leaves 2 sprays
Ghee
Coriander seeds 1-1-2 tabs
Jaggery powder or sugar 1-1/2 tsps
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
Pressure cook the dal with double the amount of water. Mash well and keep aside. Chop each tomato into eight pieces. Heat ghee in a kadai and on low heat, fry the fenugreek till light gold in colour. Add the coriander, cumin and the red chillies and fry for another minute or two. Add the curry leaves and the coconut, roast a bit, allow to cool, then grind this masala into a smooth paste, with a little water in a food processor. Set aside. In a thick vessel, boil the tamarind in a 1/2 cup water with the jaggery, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Slit the green chillies, de-seed and add to the boiling mixture. After boiling for a few minutes, add the mashed dal and tomatoes. When the dal boils and the tomatoes are slightly cooked, add the ground paste and a sprig of curry leaves. Let the sambar boil for a minute on a medium flame, remove from fire. Heat a little ghee and fry the mustard seeds and one red chilli until it splutters, then add this seasoning to the sambar. Offer hot.
