Sambar Recipe

Here is an easy and tasty sambar recipe, I Learnt this recipe from my sister. I happen to taste this sambar, when I visited my sister (Srimathi) in chennai a year back. She made Pongal and this sambhar as side dish. I was totally in love with that sambar, and got the recipe from her, then tried it with idly. My hubby liked it so much to the extent naming this sambar as Srimathi Sambhar :-) So whenever I make dosa or idly, he says prepare srimathi sambar as side dish. So here is a recipe of Ghee sambar.....




Ingredients : Serves 2 Persons.

Toor Dal / Yellow Pigeon Pea - 1/4 Cup
Tomato - 2 No's
Onion - 1 No (Big Size)
Green chili - 1 No
Sambar Powder - 1 Teaspoon ( Increase if your sambar powder is less spicy)
Grated Jaggery - 1 Table Spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon

To Grind :

Channa dal (Bengal Gram dal) - 1 & 1/2  Teaspoon
Dhaniya / Coriander Seeds - 1 Table Spoon
Dry Chilies - 1 No. (Big)

Tempering :

Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 Table Spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Small onion - 5 no.s 
Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig. 

Method :

Soak Toor dal / Yellow pigeon pea for about 1 hour. Chop tomatoes and onions finely. 
Pressure cook toor dal with chopped onion, tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt, green chili, asafoetida, water (enough to immerse dal) for 4 whistles and simmer it for 5 mnts and then switch off the flame. Mean while heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast the ingredients given under To grind, allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth powder. Now add the ground powder, grated jaggery to the cooked dal and mix well and boil for some 10 minutes in medium flame. Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds , then add small onion, curry leaves, a pinch of salt and sauté till onion becomes soft, now and pour this over the sambar. Tasty Ghee sambhar is ready :-) It is an excellent side dish for pongal, idly, dosa/ dosai. 

Notes :

Soaking the toor dal for  1 hr or more is very important.
If you want to prepare immediately, soak in hot water for 20 minutes.
Tempering in ghee gives a nice flavor to sambar, if your health conscious you can skip ghee and add oil.
Adjust the thickness of the sambar by pouring hot water to it. The Consistency should be thin.

I am dedicating this post to the wonderful cook & my lovely sister Srimathi Prakash, who gave the recipe and also gifted the lovely bucket :-)