Kerala Recipes
Varutharacha Sambar Recipe
Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Servings |
MetricUS Imperial
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Ingredients
- Tur dal -1/3 cup
- Tamarind - small gooseberry sized ball
- Mixed vegetables -2 cups
- inch Drumstick 3pieces - 4-5
- Tomato - 1
- Green chilli slit -1
- Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
- Salt needed
- For the masala
- Oil - 2 tsp
- gram Bengal -1 tbsp kadalai paruppu
- Urad dal-Ulutham paruppu -2 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds-uluva -1/4 tsp
- Coriander seeds-malli-2 1/2 tbsp
- Red chillies -4-5
- Asafoetida-Kayam -1/4 tsp
- Pearl onion -ulli -4
- Grated coconut -1/3 cup
- Curry leaves-Karivepala -few leaves
- For the seasoning
- Coconut OIL – 2 tsp
- Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
- Red chillies -2
- Curry leaves-Karivepala- few
- For Garnishing
- leaves Corianderchopped -2 tbsp
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in a cup of hot water. Extract the juice and discard the pulp.
- Chop all the vegetable into medium size pieces. Vegetables I used for this sambar - 1 Carrot, few pieces of pumpkin and ash gourd, drumstick, 1 brinjal, 1 small potato, 4-5 pieces of raw plantain (vazhaikkai) and 1 tomato. If using lady'sfinger, fry it separately and add it to the sambar in the end when adding the ground masala.
- Pressure cook dal with 1 cup of water and turmeric powder until soft. Mash it well.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil, add bengal gram, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, when dal starts to change color, add coriander seeds, red chillies and hing. Saute for a few minutes and then add grated coconut, pearl onions and curry leaves. Saute until coconut turns light golden brown on low flame. After it cools, grind it to a smooth paste and keep it aside. Our sambar masala paste is ready.
- Take a pressure cooker, add the cooked dal and all the vegetables except tomatoes along with little water. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Alternatively, you can cook the vegetables separately and add to the dal, if you do not have a pressure cooker.
- Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, add the ground masala paste, chopped tomatoes and tamarind water. Simmer and cook on medium low flame for 15-20 minutes or until the raw smell of the tamarind goes. Keep stirring now and then, to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can adjust the consistency of the sambar by adding water as per your personal preferences. The sambar must not be too thick nor too thin.
- Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add red chillies and curry leaves, saute for 2 seconds and pour it over the sambar.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it with hot steamed rice.