Sambar

Onam Sadya Recipe

I was missing my Mamma so much today.To be more precise, I missed her “Sambar” the most!! It is the best one I have ever tasted and I can surely bet my bottom dollar on it!

I have heard from many, even read in many cookery blogs, that their most difficult endeavor was cooking Sambar! I remember the first time I cooked this dish and when my pretty little Sambar turned out to be angelic, I felt blessed! Blessed for having my Mamma’s and Dadda’s in-born culinary skills. And yes, then I realized that all the while it was present in my genes and I just had to try- that Cooking has indeed turned out to be my passion!

Too much of sentiments!! Let’s come down to the dish! Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew which is popular in South Indian cuisine. It is the second curry which is served in the Onam Sadya. It is also served along with South Indian breakfasts such as Idli, Dosas, Vadas and Upma. There are many varieties of Sambar, but this is the simplest and quick to make recipe.

There are many interesting stories on how Sambar was made the very first time. It seems, Sambar was accidentally originated in Tanjore, when Marathas were ruling. The King Sambhoji loved to cook and he always prepared ‘amti’ made of special Kokum. Once, he was informed that there was no Kokum left in his palace and the chefs suggested about experimenting with tamarind pulp. Sambhoji tried a dish with Toordal, vegetables and tamarind pulp and served this recipe in his coterie. It was named as ‘Sambhoji’s amti’, later to be renamed as ‘Sambar’. Interesting, isn’t? 🙂

Ingredients:

Carrot – 3

Brinjal – 1

Potato – 2

Cucumber- 1 small piece

Small Onion -say, 15

Tomato – 2

Drumstick- Cut in 2″ pieces

Coriander leaves

Curry leaves

2 1/2 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp

Samabar Dal or Toor Dal– 2 handful

Salt – 1 tspn

Sambar powder -2 tbsp

Asafoetida – 2-3 pinches

Chilly powder – 1 tbspn

Oil – 2 tspn

Mustard seeds – a pinch

Method:

In a pressure cooker, add dal and water(double the quantity of dal). Cook till 5 whistles are blown. After the pressure is completely drained off, open lid and mash the dal to form a paste.

Chop the vegetables into cubes. Add them to the cooker along with tamarind pulp, coriander leaves, salt, sambar powder, asafoetida and chilly powder.

Pressure cook till a whistle is blown. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, for tempering, in a pan, add oil, and mustard seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves to it.

Once the pressure is settled and the steam is escaped, open the pressure cooker lid and add the tempering.

Done!! The yummiest sambar you can ever taste!

Chef says:

You can add almost any veggies of your choice, like bottle gourd or green beans. I love carrots more, so my sambar would be mostly carrots.

Mom and I don’t prefer adding Tamarind pulp. Infact, I guess none of my folks add it as the sambar would taste a little too sweet. We love it, SPICY, baby. 🙂

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