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Monday, June 8, 2009

Sambar

I was never much of a sambar person until i started making it....like spinach i never liked drumsticks either. We have 3 drumstick trees at home and i think that was my reason for not liking them much. Can you imagine a dislike for home grown veggies....gosh i was a lost case. Anyways the fact that drumsticks help make our boobs bigger was an info i got very late. That could be an important reason why i warmed up to this veggie. ;)

I don't think i do any magic with my sambar...but turns out so well every time.

Ingredients:

1. Toor Dal : 1/2 cup (i'm not sure about the 'toor/tur/tuvar dal' spelling)
2. Potato: 1no (cut into big pieces)
3. Tomato: 1no (cut into big pieces)
4. Black Pulli (tamarind): size of a small coin- (put it in water)
5. Sambar powder: 1 tbsp (mix it in little water to make a paste)
6. Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp
7. Drumstick- 1-2 nos (cut into medium pieces)
8. Water
9. Salt to Taste
10.Onion- 2nos (cut into big pieces)
11. Green chili- 2nos (split in half)
12. Garlic- 2pods (crushed)
13. Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp (or less)
14. Mustard- 1/2tsp
15. Small Onions or Sambar Onions (sliced)
16. Dried Chili- 2-3nos (cut in the middle)
17. Curry leaves- as per liking

**Vegetable like drumstick or okra (vendakka), carrot are optional....(adding drumstick gives a great taste, apart from the blessing mentioned above!)

Method:

Step 1: Pressure cook- Tur dal, potato, green chili, garlic, other vegetables (if any), onion, turmeric powder and salt. Pour 4cups of water (or a little more than the level of the veggies) to pressure cook this. Take this off the fire after the first whistle. Leave it to cool.

Step 2: Open the lid of the cooker (once its safe). Light the gas again and add sambar powder paste, tamarind water (squeeze the pulli in the water) and tomato (can be added during step 1 too) . Let it boil without the lid...Stir occasionally

Step 3: In a pan do a tadka of oil, mustard seeds, small onions slices (optional), dried chili and curry leaves. Pour this tadka into the sambar and allow it to boil a while to avoid a layer of oil on top....

3 comments:

  1. Miri....Im gonna try out this sambar today. My sambar never never comes out nice. My maid in chennai used to make the yummiest of sambars and after hers i end up not liking anyone else's.
    I'l give this a shot.

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  2. I have finally (god's gift...i swear) found a mallu maid here. She is supposed to come for cooking and cleaning...but i need her only 3 times a week. Please don't ask how much i pay...anyways…. she made sambar the second day she came and even though it’s different from how i make it...i liked it. But there was enough for 2 days and “my man” says the one i make is better. And i got so pissed off and i said "please learn to like what she makes coz there is no way i'm gonna slave over the stove again!". He was shocked at how angry i was! Can you believe that...am i so complicated now that even a genuine compliment can irk me?

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  3. lol..men i say! i get the same every now and then..even for food that tastes horrible..and i get so pisd tht hes just mocking me which he is not..
    im so j of u...u have a maid and that too a mallu one..grrr..

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