Sambar for GBP!

Here I am….

Thanks for checking on me. Thanks for all the “where are you” comments and mails. It’s nice to know that you are missed.

So, what’s next? How about a sambar? Blogging a sambar was never in my agenda. But, hello Green Blog Project, anything for you!

What do I say about sambar? I know you will have your own version of sambar, the version your family adores. I know I don’t have to tell you how to make a sambar. Though my recipe is consistent to some extent, sambar tastes different each time I make it depending on the type of vegetables I add to it. We like sambar (what else can make a perfect companion for idli!), however I don’t make it often, maybe because we are exceptionally strong carnivores or I believe that cooking sambar is a tedious process.

This one is a quick sambar made in pressure cooker, but it turned out to be one of the best. I said that because I usually don’t make sambar in pressure cooker. Measurements given are approximate.

Cook the following together in a pressure cooker for three whistles. (cooking time may vary depending on the type of your pressure cooker)

Toor dal – ½ cup

Water – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Red onion/Small onions – ¼ cup, chopped

Green chillies – 1 or 2, slit

Garlic – 1 clove, crushed

Once it is done, open the pressure cooker, and add the following:

Assorted sambar-safe vegetables – 1 to 2 cups, cut into pieces (I used potatoes and green beans here.)

Tomato – 1, cut into 4 (I used about 10-12 plum tomatoes here)

Bring it to a boil and continue cooking, either by pressure cooking method or by simmering. When the vegetables are partially done, add

Tamarind pulp – 1 tbsp(or to taste)

Sambar powder – 2 tsp (Recipe follows)

Continue cooking until the vegetables are done.

Before turning off the stove, you can add a pinch of asafetida and a pinch of brown sugar. (optional)

You can garnish the sambar with chopped cilantro. I don’t like cilantro in my sambar so I omit this.

For tadka, heat up a tbsp of oil in a separate pan, and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, whole red chillies. Add it to the sambar.

Recipe for sambar powder:

Heat up a heavy pan in low-medium flame.

Dry roast the following 3 type of dals together until they change color.

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Chana dal – 1 tsp

Toor dal – 1 tsp

Transfer it to a clean, dry bowl, and dry roast the following in the same pan.

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp

Roast it until the seeds pop, then transfer to the same bowl. Now add the following:

Whole red chillies – 1/2 cup (Remove the seeds of some chillies to make it milder. I would deseed them all since our spice tolerance is very low.)

Coriander seeds – ½ cup

Dry roast for about one minute, or until you get a nice aroma of coriander seeds.

Transfer to the bowl.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes or so and powder using a dry mill/coffee grinder. Keep it in an airtight container.

………and I thought I had nothing to say about sambar!

Growing plum tomatoes is easier than growing regular tomatoes. It yields hundreds of fruits per plant! Since it is a perfect snack sized fruit, most of times we just snack on it right out of the plant. They taste heavenly fresh from the garden. But I managed to save some for cooking. Have you noticed that the flavor of the tomato changes dramatically once you refrigerate it?

My entry for the Green Blog Project Summer 2007 hosted by Deepz of Letz Cook.