Sambar - the south Indian Gravy
http://www.articlemash.com/Sambar---the-south-Indian-Gravy/a9861_1
Uthra Sriram
By Uthra Sriram
Published on 03/21/2009
Sambar is the main accompaniment to various South Indian staples like rice, idli, dosa, pongal, vada, etc; here is the basic recipe for the same.This is a typical home cooked sambar recipe.
Sambar - the south Indian Gravy
Sambar is made with any vegetable with a distinctive taste or flavour so that by using different vegetables, you get different tastes & flavours but with the same basic recipe, albeit with minor variations in how each veggie is cooked.
You need: tamarind - 1 inch ball sized, boiled & pulp extracted; if you are new to Indian cooking then better to get ready made pulp/ extract from Indian stores; red grams 1/2 to 1 cup pressure cooked with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, till soft ( it may need 7 to 10 mintues on full pressure ); salt to taste; 10 french onions - peeled and cut in 1/2; any other veggie of your choce like radish / bell peppers/ okra/ aubergine/ yellow or white pumpkin/drumstick etc. washed chopped into 1 - 1 1/2 " pieces; in case of radish, slit them legthwise and chop into semi-circles; Sambar powder 1-2 tbsps depending on desired spice levels; for the seasoning : mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp; fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp; asoefotida - 1/2 tsp; broken red chillies - 1 or 2; slit green chillies ( optional) you can add only 4-5 red chillies and forego the sambar powder entirely, for a different flavour; crushed curry leaves 10 - 12; cooking oil (other than olive oil) - 1-2 tbsps.
Note: For ideal taste, use sesame seed oil or peanut / groundnut oil.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add mustard and wait till they splatter; then add the fenugreek (methi) seeds, then the red chillies,and asoefotida; then add the onions and green chillies; then veggie of your choice, (optional); then a few curry leaves and saute for 3-5 minutes till the veggies change colour; then 1-2 cups of water and let the veggies cook till soft; then add the tamarind pulp & salt and sambar powder; let simmer for 5-10 minutes; add the mashed dal ( red gram); check for taste and add more salt if required;bring to a boil & lastly add the rest of the curry leaves and serve hot with rice. idlis, dosa or vada.
For the sambar powder: Red chillies - 1 cup; coriander seeds - 2-3 cups; bengal gram & red gram - 1-2 tbsps each; fenugreek (methi) seeds - 2 tbsps; pepper corns - 1-2 tbsps; turmeric 1-2 sticks; optional cinnamon bark - 1 2" piece.
Lightly roast all ingredients in a pan, turning all the time, except the turmeric; powder in a grinder and store after cooling; can be stored upto a couple of months easily; while cooking, take care to use a dry spoon with dry hands.
You need: tamarind - 1 inch ball sized, boiled & pulp extracted; if you are new to Indian cooking then better to get ready made pulp/ extract from Indian stores; red grams 1/2 to 1 cup pressure cooked with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, till soft ( it may need 7 to 10 mintues on full pressure ); salt to taste; 10 french onions - peeled and cut in 1/2; any other veggie of your choce like radish / bell peppers/ okra/ aubergine/ yellow or white pumpkin/drumstick etc. washed chopped into 1 - 1 1/2 " pieces; in case of radish, slit them legthwise and chop into semi-circles; Sambar powder 1-2 tbsps depending on desired spice levels; for the seasoning : mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp; fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp; asoefotida - 1/2 tsp; broken red chillies - 1 or 2; slit green chillies ( optional) you can add only 4-5 red chillies and forego the sambar powder entirely, for a different flavour; crushed curry leaves 10 - 12; cooking oil (other than olive oil) - 1-2 tbsps.
Note: For ideal taste, use sesame seed oil or peanut / groundnut oil.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add mustard and wait till they splatter; then add the fenugreek (methi) seeds, then the red chillies,and asoefotida; then add the onions and green chillies; then veggie of your choice, (optional); then a few curry leaves and saute for 3-5 minutes till the veggies change colour; then 1-2 cups of water and let the veggies cook till soft; then add the tamarind pulp & salt and sambar powder; let simmer for 5-10 minutes; add the mashed dal ( red gram); check for taste and add more salt if required;bring to a boil & lastly add the rest of the curry leaves and serve hot with rice. idlis, dosa or vada.
For the sambar powder: Red chillies - 1 cup; coriander seeds - 2-3 cups; bengal gram & red gram - 1-2 tbsps each; fenugreek (methi) seeds - 2 tbsps; pepper corns - 1-2 tbsps; turmeric 1-2 sticks; optional cinnamon bark - 1 2" piece.
Lightly roast all ingredients in a pan, turning all the time, except the turmeric; powder in a grinder and store after cooling; can be stored upto a couple of months easily; while cooking, take care to use a dry spoon with dry hands.