Sambar (Hotel)

Volume

Serving for 6 people's idli / dosa.

Ingredients

- 2/3 kinnam moong daal
- 2 kinnam water
- 1.5 onions + 1.5 onion
- 4 tomatos
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- 3 tumblers water
- 0.25 tsp turmeric
- 4 tsp sambar powder
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 red chillis (dried)
- 0.25 tsp asofoetida
- Handful of corriander

Other Requirements

- Pressure cooker
- Large sauce pan + ladel
- Mixie
- Small sauce pan / tava

Steps to Prepare

1. Cook the Paruppu

  1. Follow the usual process to prepare paruppu using a pressure cooker (covered under basics). Use 2/3 kinnam of moong (not toor as usual) daal and 2 kinnam water.

  2. Once prepared mash it thoroughly.

2. Grind the Vegetables

  1. Cut the 3 onions and 4 tomatos.
  2. Put 1.5 cut onions and all 4 cut tomatos into the mixie and blend until it becomes a uniform watery paste.

3. Boil the Sambar

  1. Take 2 tsp of tamarind paste and add 3 tumblers of water to mix and dissove it thoroughly.

  2. Pour this tamarind water into a large vessel (sauce pan) and set to boil.

  3. Add 0.25 tsp turmeric, 4 tsp sambar powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, upto 5 tsp salt (some can be added during later steps) to the boiling tamarind water.

  4. Add the remaining 1.5 cut onions to the boiling tamarind water. Levae the onions to stew in the boiling water for 5 minutes. If too much water evaporates, add some more water back in.

  5. Now pour the blended onions and tomatos into the boiling tamarinid water. Mix them together thoroughly, so that they form a thick spicy and sour base. This is our sambar base. Allow the sambar base to boil for 10 and get hot and well mixed, so that all flavour soak into each other.

  6. Once the raw tomato taste has reduced in the sambar base, the mashed daal can be added to the base. Mix thoroughly so that it forms a uniform liquid. Water may be added to ensure that the consistency is that of a thick liquid, or a very thin gravy.

  7. At this stage, 1 tbsp of chopped up jaggery and 2 tbsp of sugar should be added. Mix thoroughly and adust the spices and sweetners. The sambar should have a spicy sweet flavour, with a mildly sour after taste.
  8. Now stir a little bit to avoid scaling. And once the Sambar is hot enough that it froths a little bit, pour it into its final container.

4. Thalcha Kottifying

  1. In the second sauce pan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds.
  2. When the seeds begin to sizzle, break open and add 2 dried red chillis, 0.25 tsp of asofoetida and 10 curry leaves.

  3. Allow it to sizzle a little bit and then add it on top of the completed Sambar.
  4. Allow it to sizzle a little bit and then add it on top of the completed Sambar.

  5. Do not mix it into the dish yet.
  6. After served, mix it in the last minute, just before serving onto different plates.

Serve the sambar with idlis, dosas, vadas etc. Do not serve the hotel sambar with rice.