Thursday, August 23, 2012

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.

10 comments:

virunthu unna vaanga said...

all time favorite...
VIRUNTHU UNNA VAANGA

hotpotcooking said...

Most of them favorite recipe. Looks yum

Unknown said...

Sambar rice looks yummy dear...my little one's fav...

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Fast to prepare and yummy to eat preparation.
Deepa

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

yummy and warming preparation.

Divya A said...

Yummilicious Sambar sadham dear :) And am so happy to hear that you are from Tirunelveli!! Am from Tuticorin :) Love Nellai and Tuty :)
Today's Recipe - Aatu kaal soup / Lamb leg soup
(South Indian Style)

You Too Can Cook Indian Food Recipes

Chitra said...

wow , our dish... love to have it anytime. i tried ur pattani kuruma. it was yummy.will make again and post in my blog. thnx dear :)

Poornima Nair said...

South Indian Comfort food...looks yumm!

Vikis Kitchen said...

Thank you friends.
Thanks Divya. I am also very happy to know this:)
Thanks Chitra....wanna see ur post too. Thanks for trying.

Priya Suresh said...

Yum yum, comforting food,i can survive for many days with it.

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