Sambhar is a regular dish at home. I usually make it using my paati's ( grand mom's) sambhar podi (powder) recipe. I remember jotting the recipe down very carefully a very long time ago, probably while I was still in college. Even then I loved cooking. I have the same note book carefully preserved & hope to hand it over to my daughter , maybe, when the time comes..........
The secret to a good aromatic sambhar is in the sambhar podi & the vegetables that you use in it. I make sambhar with onions, radish, shallots, white pumpkin, okra, brinjals etc. Each veggie imparts its own special flavour to the sambhar & makes it slightly different from the others. When using a veggie like the white pumpkin which does not have a distinct flavour of its own, I add a couple of extra things in the tadka/tempering to give it the extra zing!
Sambhar is a wonderful dish, rich in protein & loaded with nutritional goodness. With its hot & tangy flavour & a wonderful aroma of hing( asafoetida) & curry leaves............
It's simply divine..................
Ingredients
tur dal - 1/2 cup
tamarind - small lemon sized (extract the juice in 1 cup of water)
or
tamarind paste - 2 tsp dissolved in a cup of water
radish - 3 medium ones, peeled & sliced into thin roundels
sambhar podi - 2 heaped tsp
haldi / turmeric - a pinch
hing / asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
rice flour - 1/2 tsp mixed in a tbsp of water
salt to taste
For the Tadka/ Tempering
oil - 2 tsp mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
methi or fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 10 - 15
Method
1. Pressure cook the dal with one cup of water until soft. After the pressure releases, slightly mash the dal with a spoon & set aside.
2. Put the radish in a kadhai or saucepan, cover with just enough water & cook until just done ( they turn transparent)
3. Pour the tamarind extract into the kadhai. Add the sambhar podi, haldi, salt & hing & allow to come to a boil. Cook on medium flame for 8-10 minutes, until the raw smell of the masala is gone. 4. Add the cooked & slightly mashed dal & bring to a boil again. Add the flour- water mixture(it's for thickening) & cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from fire.
5. In another kadhai, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds & wait for it to crackle, then add the methi seeds & the curry leaves. Wait for a couple of seconds & take off the flame & immediately pour over the sambhar.
6. Serve with piping hot rice , ghee (clarified butter) & appalams.
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