Sambar Rice

Sambar satham - Rice cooked in lentil soup and sambar powder.

Tamilnadu cuisine has a lot of 'variety-rice' like lemon rice, tamarind rice, pongal, coconut rice, tomato rice and the list goes on. One among them is this sambar rice. We can't just mix sambar and rice to make this rice. The procedure involves cooking the dhal (lentil), veggies and rice together to get this flavorful rice. We can get a similar food by the name sambar soup / dhal soup in some canteens in NJ. It tastes almost like our sambar satham, but in a more soupy consistency, less spices and more butter to suit the International palettes. Here I have given the authentic Indian sambar saatham recipe. This is a one pot meal and my most favorite comfort dish. Just an appalam (pappad) or thogayal (chutney) will make this homely meal more pleasant.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 1/2 cup
Red gram (toor dhal) - 3/4 cup
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
garlic - 5 cloves
shallot / red onion - 1/2 cup
tamarind - 1 gooseberry size
salt - to taste

To grind:

shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
sambar powder - 1.5 tsp

To temper:

ghee - 2 tbsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
whole black pepper - 1 tbsp
fenugreek (venthayam) - 1/2 tsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
cilantro - handful

Mixed vegetables : (cut into 1 inch length pieces)
beans / avarakkai (hyacinth bean)- 10 , fresh green peas - 1/2 cup, carrot-1, tomato - 1 , brinjal - 2,cauliflower - few pieces, green chilly - 2, drumstick - 1

Method:

Rinse the dhal and add 3 times water. Soak for 30 minutes in hot water (makes it easy to cook). Pour it in a thick bottom vessel (like cooking rice). Add hing, turmeric, finely chopped garlic, onion and cook in stove top.
When the dal is almost cooked (after 15 minutes) add the washed rice, cook till dhal is completely cooked. If needed add some more water. Now add the chopped vegetables,salt, tamarind extract and cook covered till every thing gets cooked.
Grind the coconut and sambar powder with some water and add to the boiling sambar rice. Heat a separate wok and fry the items given under tempering and pour over the sambar satham. Switch off! Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve.

Sambar satham is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as main course in lunch / brunch or dinner.
Appalam (papad), vadagam (fryum), potato fry can be served as side dish with sambar saatham.

Southern chicken curry

South Indian foods are famous for their spice level and my typical down south dishes can be ranked as highest. Non-veg dishes in my native place are very popular and it is one of the attraction for the tourists there:)One among them is the 'Nellai chicken curry'. We can get this kind of gravy like oily chicken fries in any parotta stall (street side restaurant) in Madurai, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin. The serving would be in a very small cup and it would definitely make the customer crave:) Mom used to make this with sambar and rice because this gravy would be very thick and tasty that it won't be enough to cover everyone's rice:) This is almost the first dish I prepared for hubby dear along with sambar and rice and it is one of his favorites too.

Here is that Spicy 'Tirunelveli kozhi curry varuval' from my kitchen to yours !

To marinate:

Chicken - 3/4 kg
(thighs is best. No white meat for this recipe please, as it will turn rubbery)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
curry masala powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
curd (plain yogurt) - 1 cup

Ginger garlic paste:

Ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 1 whole

other ingredients:

any frying oil - 1/2 cup
Red onion - 2
Tomato - 3
curry leaf - 1 sprig
Fennel seed - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 2 inch long

Method:

Wash and clean the chicken. Remove skin and fat.
Cut it into small pieces.
Add all the items given for marination and keep aside for 1 to 2  hours.

Finely chop the onion and tomato. Keep them separately.

Grind the peeled ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the fennel, cinnamon , curry leaf and let the fennel become red.
Then add the finely chopped onion and fry till it becomes golden brown.
Now put the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
Add the finely chopped tomato and fry till oil separates.

Now add the chicken pieces along with marinade. Stir a few times and sprinkle 1/2 cup water. Cook tightly covered in VERY LOW HEAT for 45 minutes. stir once in 10 minutes. Switch off after the oil starts showing up.

Tirunelveli chicken curry is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with plain white rice + sambar or rasam.
Also tastes great with any Indian breads like chapati, naan, parotta, pav buns.
If it seems too spicy, serve with ghee rice and lots of raitha.