Sambar!
Discovered by the Maratha Sambhaji of Tanjavur, this is a staple of everyday south Indian home cooked food.
Ingredients needed
1) any vegetable/combination of vegetables that would be sambar appropriate.
beans/potato/carrot
2) sambar powder - 1.5 to 2 tsps
3) toor dal - 1 cup
4) tamarind paste - 1 tsp or to taste
5) curry leaves - a sprig
6) salt - to taste
For seasoning:
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
udad dal - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch
Wash toor dal and drain the water.
Add 2-3 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and a few drops of cooking oil.
Cook in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles( or as per your cooker).
Wash and cut vegetables.
In a medium sized pan, add oil and turn on the flame.
Add asafoetida, mustard seeds and udad dal ( in that order) to the medium hot oil.
Add 1/8th tsp of fenugreek seeds.
As soon as the mustard seeds sputter and the udad dal turns reddish ( not dark red), add the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes.
Add salt and saute to mix well.
Add 2 cups of water and sambar powder.
Let cook.
When the vegetable is more than half cooked, add a tsp of tamarind paste and mix well. Let it continue to cook.
Check for doneness of vegetable after 5-8 minutes. Also, check for salt, spice levels.
You can chop a small sized tomato and add it in at this point.
Now add curry leaves.
Reserve the water at the top of the cooked toor dal and add the thick dal to the sambar. The final mixture should have a gravy/curry consistency without being too thin and runny.
If it's too thick, add the dal water.
Do not cook for more than 5 minutes after adding toor dal.
Sprinkle a dash of asafoetida on top for nice aroma.
Optional - Some people add a small bit of jaggery to balance the salt/spice/sour combination.
Enjoy piping hot sambar with freshly cooked rice - Mmmmm.....home food!
Rasam
toor dal - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
tomatoes - 2
tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
rasam powder - 1.5-2 tsps
salt - to taste
curry leaves and cilantro - small sprigs
For seasoning -
mutard seeds - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - 1/8th tsp
Add 2 cups water to chopped tomotoes in a pot, set on flame and begin cooking.
Add salt and rasam powder.
After about ten minutes, you'll find a rolling boil and the tomatoes will look softer.
Add 1/3 tsp tamarind paste.
Now, the sourness from a tomato is very different from that of tamarind or that from a lemon. I would not advise skipping one in favor of another, though it's entirely a matter of your palate's preference. But trying tweaking the proportions rather than cut out one (sour)ce. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
After five minutes, add a soupy dal mixture - less thicker than the mushy dal used for sambar.
Check for salt and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add curry leaves and cilantro.
Optional - a small nickel sized lump of jaggery for a different dimension.
Turn off flame.
In a small seasoning pan, add asafoetida and mustard seeds to hot ghee. Once the mutard sputtering almost stops, fold into rasam to a sizzle announcing " You have conquered rasam"!
Enjoy with a side of vegetable, crispy appalam, or pickles.
Discovered by the Maratha Sambhaji of Tanjavur, this is a staple of everyday south Indian home cooked food.
Ingredients needed
1) any vegetable/combination of vegetables that would be sambar appropriate.
beans/potato/carrot
2) sambar powder - 1.5 to 2 tsps
3) toor dal - 1 cup
4) tamarind paste - 1 tsp or to taste
5) curry leaves - a sprig
6) salt - to taste
For seasoning:
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
udad dal - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch
Wash toor dal and drain the water.
Add 2-3 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and a few drops of cooking oil.
Cook in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles( or as per your cooker).
Wash and cut vegetables.
In a medium sized pan, add oil and turn on the flame.
Add asafoetida, mustard seeds and udad dal ( in that order) to the medium hot oil.
Add 1/8th tsp of fenugreek seeds.
As soon as the mustard seeds sputter and the udad dal turns reddish ( not dark red), add the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes.
Add salt and saute to mix well.
Add 2 cups of water and sambar powder.
Let cook.
When the vegetable is more than half cooked, add a tsp of tamarind paste and mix well. Let it continue to cook.
Check for doneness of vegetable after 5-8 minutes. Also, check for salt, spice levels.
You can chop a small sized tomato and add it in at this point.
Now add curry leaves.
Reserve the water at the top of the cooked toor dal and add the thick dal to the sambar. The final mixture should have a gravy/curry consistency without being too thin and runny.
If it's too thick, add the dal water.
Do not cook for more than 5 minutes after adding toor dal.
Sprinkle a dash of asafoetida on top for nice aroma.
Optional - Some people add a small bit of jaggery to balance the salt/spice/sour combination.
Enjoy piping hot sambar with freshly cooked rice - Mmmmm.....home food!
Rasam
toor dal - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
tomatoes - 2
tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
rasam powder - 1.5-2 tsps
salt - to taste
curry leaves and cilantro - small sprigs
For seasoning -
mutard seeds - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - 1/8th tsp
Add 2 cups water to chopped tomotoes in a pot, set on flame and begin cooking.
Add salt and rasam powder.
After about ten minutes, you'll find a rolling boil and the tomatoes will look softer.
Add 1/3 tsp tamarind paste.
Now, the sourness from a tomato is very different from that of tamarind or that from a lemon. I would not advise skipping one in favor of another, though it's entirely a matter of your palate's preference. But trying tweaking the proportions rather than cut out one (sour)ce. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
After five minutes, add a soupy dal mixture - less thicker than the mushy dal used for sambar.
Check for salt and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add curry leaves and cilantro.
Optional - a small nickel sized lump of jaggery for a different dimension.
Turn off flame.
In a small seasoning pan, add asafoetida and mustard seeds to hot ghee. Once the mutard sputtering almost stops, fold into rasam to a sizzle announcing " You have conquered rasam"!
Enjoy with a side of vegetable, crispy appalam, or pickles.
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