Sambar

Sambar is a staple dish of South indian states especially Tamilnadu and Kerala. It is an excellent combination for Idli, Dosa, Vada etc. apart from Rice for which its the default combination :)

The uniqueness of Sambar is that it is one of the rare dishes that contains 5 of the 6 tastes that human beings can feel - Sweet, Spicy, Sour, Bitter and Salty. 
The sixth taste is Astringent. 

For details refer http://www.eattasteheal.com/ETH_6tastes.htm

There are different types of Sambaar depending upon the vegetables used to make them. We had earlier written about Onion Sambar. 

This sambaar is one of the common ones made with multiple vegetables.

Ingredients:

Tur dal- 100gms

Ash Gourd - 250 gms
Onion - 1 no.
Carrot-2 nos

Tomatoes - 2 nos

Drum Stick - 1 nos
Green chilies - 2 nos.

Curry leaves - 6-8 Nos.

Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon

Chilly powder-1/2 teaspoon

Tamarind - lemon size

Sambar powder- 2 teaspoons

Asafoetida (kayapodi\hing\perunkayam) -1/4 teaspoon

Dry red chillies-2-3

Salt to taste

Process:

Cooked dal

Put the dal into a cooker, add 2 glasses of water (approximately 300-350 ml) and cook well.

Clean and soak the tamarind into 50 ml of warm water. 

Normal water can also be used to soak tamarind but the advantage with warm water is that helps in complete extraction of the tamarind pulp in less time. Keep the soaked tamarind aside.

Chop the vegetables into the vessel . Cut the green chillies vertical. Add three glasses of water (approximately 500 ml). Add chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste and cook it in low flame. Put the chopped tomatoes into the vessel.

 After the tomatoes are half  cooked, add the cooked dal into it and mix thoroughly.

(fry the ladies finger and then put it in the Sambaar)

Extract tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind by squeezing it with your hands. Pour the extracted tamarind pulp into the vegetable-dal mixture. Add salt to taste. Allow it to boil in low flame. Keep aside.Check for consistency. In case this looks too t hick, pour additional water. Sambar must NOT be a semisolid. It must be free flowing (through not as free flowing as water )

Tempering:

Take a small frying pan and pour 2 tablespoons of oil into it. Once the oil is hot, put one teaspoon of mustard. 

Wait till  the mustard splutters. Immediately after all the mustard splutters, add the broken red chillies ,curry leaves into it and mix it with the mustard for it to get fried.Then put the saambar powder, Asafoetida powder and make it fry.

Pour the contents of the pan with the vegetable - dal mix that was kept aside. Mix thoroughly.

Sambaar is ready…

It serves 6 members of the family. Can be mix with rice, idly, dosa, vada, chapatti etc.

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