Saambaar

Each family makes it differenlty. This is how my mom makes it. Its always been a hit!

Saambaar Powder

• 1 cup Chana dal (Split pea)
• 1 cup Dhania (Coriander seeds)
• 1.5 cup red chillies
• 1 table spoon Methi (fenugreek)

Saambaar Ingredients

• 1 cup Toor dal
• 4 cups water
• 2 Cups fresh cut vegetables
• 1 tsbp tamarind
• Fresh Coriander (Cilantro)
• Curry leaves (easily found in indian stores)
• Some common combo of vegetables
• Beans & Carrots (cut into 3 inch pieces)
• Tomatoes & Capcicum
• Fiesta Vegetables
• Broccoli & Zucchini
• Drumsticks

Tadka Ingredients

• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1tbsp oil (olive/corn)
• 1 tbps dry red chillies broken into pieces
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida ("Heengh" in Hindi, "Perungayum" in Tamil)

Making the powder
Dry roast the first 3 ingredients until all are a nice golden brown. You should be able smell a sweet aroma. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds seperately. Reason to not roast them together is that fenugreek roast quicker than all the other ingredients. Grind all the above roasted ingredients in a cofee grinder into a fine powder. This powder can be stored in an air-tight container for months. The above measures will five 3-4 cups of Saambaar powder. You may use TBSP instead of cups and tsp insteat of tsp, and get a smaller quantity.

Making the Saambaar

In pressure cooker add toor dal, vegetables and 2 cups of water and cook. Usually takes 3-4 whistles and then 5 minutes on simmer. I use another stainless-steel vessel to cook my dal, in the pressure cooker. FYI: Toor dal takes a long time to cook in microwave. Tried and failed. But you might use a slow cooker to cook the dal. You may also choose to steam the vegetables and add to the dal. I prefer cooking with the dal as the veggies get sweetness of the dal. To the cooked dal & Vegetables add tamarind, Saambaar powder, salt, turmeric, boil. You may add the remaining of 2 cups of water, or some of it to get to the consistency that you like. Add 3-4 tbps of the Saambaar powder that you made. Let the Saambaar boil for a few (5-6) minutes. Keep mixing the Saambaar, as the dal tends to settle to the bottom and burn easily.

Add Tadka – In a small pan (I use an sunny side egg maker) take the 1 tbsp oil . Once it is hot (let it not start burning), add the mustard seeds, dry red chilles. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the hing. Remove from stove immediately and mix the tadka into the Saambaar.

Add fresh cut cilantro and curry leaves and put the lid ( keeping the lid closed ensures that the fragrance of the cilantro and curry leaves get infused into the sambhar). Your saambaar is ready to be served with Idlis, Dosas or rice.