Ordinary Sambar(Kuzhambu)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Ordinary Sambar (Kuzhambu)

Recipe By : Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Indian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 C Red Gram Dal (Pigeon Peas, Toor Dal) -- Picked
Over & Rinsed
2 C Water
A Lemon-Sized Piece Of Tamarind Pulp
1 C Hot Water
2 Green Chillies (Chili Peppers) -- Slit Sideways
1 C Mixed Vegetables -- Chopped
(e.G. Radish, Onion, Okra, Eggplant, Sweet
Pepper, Potato)
1 C Water
Salt -- To Taste
1/2 Tsp Ground Turmeric
3 Tsp Sambar Powder
1 Tbsp Rice Flour -- Optional
2 Tbsp Extra Water -- Optional
1 Sm Bunch Of Coriander Leaves, Chopped -- For
Garnish
----- For Tempering -----
1 Tbsp Oil (To 1 1/2 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp Brown Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tsp Asafoetida Powder
1/2 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Red Chili (Chili Pepper) -- Halved
A Few Curry Leaves

Wash gram dal well. Drain. Place dal in a heavy saucepan. Cover with 2
cups water and bring to a boil. When boiling, cover pan with a lid,
leaving slightly ajar. Stir several times during the last 30 minutes of
cooking. Set dal aside without draining.

Soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Strain the
tamarind water into another container, squeezing as much liquid as
possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp. Set the juice
aside.

Select enough vegetables to fill approx. 1 cup when chopped. Peel and
prepare as neccessary. Chop into 1/2 in. pieces. Set aside.

TEMPERING: Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the
mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, halved
red chilli, and a few curry leaves.

When the mustard seeds splutter, add the slit green chillies and chopped
vegetables. Saute' for a couple of minutes. Add the tamarind juice, 1
cuo water, salt to taste, ground turmeric, and sambar powder. Cover and
simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Add the undrained
cooked dal. Simmer for 5 minutes, until thoroughly blended. If the
sambar needs to be thickened, make a smooth paste of the rice flour in 2
tablespoons extra water. Add to the sambar and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Notes: When two or three vegetables are used, there is a subtle
blending of the different flavors of each vegetable. For a more
distinctive flavor, make the sambar with only one type of vegetable. If
potato is used singly, reduce the amount of oil added while tempering.
Vegetables such as sweet pepper, onion, eggplant, okra, etc. will
require a little more oil.

From Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine From South India by Chandra
Padmanabhan.

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