Kudos to Sambhar

If anyone asks a question such which South Indian dish hypes the entire South Indian food? Without thinking on much my credit answer is SAMBHAR

Sambhar goes along with any South Indian delicacies especially give address to Idly and Dosa. The taste of South Indian sambhar is unbeatable and lining up a master of all South Indian foods. Plenty of sambhar varieties are revolve around Tamilnadu, commonly known Araithu Vitta Sambhar, tiffin sambhar and lunch sambhar, also it may named by the type of lentil used for the preparation. Other than South India, sambhar is the responsible diet of the Marathis and punjabis life and day.

Literally Sambhar derived from the sanskrit word Sambharanam means collection. The name emerged from the royal kitchen of maratha rulers who ruled Tanjore those days.  

Sambhar is a visiting card to South Indian food, even sometimes to Indians who travel abroad. Generally the taste be increased in sambhar by addition of freshly grounded masala or powder (with or without coconut). Consistency determined by the masala powder or grounded masala used in the sambhar and it being responsible for colour, flavour and taste.

Multiple ingredients are added with sambhar but usually the sambhar name is concluded by vegetables and leafy vegetables (spinach) added in it. If spinach varieties added in the sambhar that would be little watery and the vegetable base must be stable.  When we pressure cook the dal add few yellow pumpkin chops would provide richness to the dal and results good yield to the end product. Be specific on cooked lentil must be mashed properly before it added with vegetables and seasonings. If you want the toor dal has to mash well as soon - a trick is there, add little castor oil while pressure cook results fine mash of dal reduce your beating option. 

Turmeric powder is an important agent in sambhar making to spur the colour and the end silky texture. So always fry the turmeric powder in the oil that mean add turmeric powder once after the onion done in oil but before adding tomatoes, vegetables and other ingredients. Then you know, a typical Tamil style country sambhar is finished with slightly grounded cumin seeds and grated coconut mixture would blend and increase the earthy aroma and taste.  

Put your hand on my Homemade sambhar powder recipe

Dry Redchillies –  1 kg

Turmeric Powder – 25g

Coriander seeds – 800g

Peppercorns – 15g

Channa Dal – 1 1/2 kg

Toor dal – 1 ¼ kg

Urad dal – 75g

Jeera Seeds – 150g

Curryleaves – 150g

Asafoetida – 50g

Methi Seeds – 30g

Dry fry each ingredient separately in the kadai. Make it into fine powder in the mixie and then sieve it.

Keep the powder in the air tight container and use whenever it needs.

Note

If needs you can add little ghee while frying the masala powder ingredients. Add the homemade sambhar powder in the final stage of sambhar making. Do not allow the sambhar to boil more than 2 minutes. Use 80 gms of Sambhar Powder for 1/2 kg of Toor dal for better result.

All time whole hearted kudos is there for sambhar

Let’s enjoy the superstar of South Indian Cuisine