IDLY SAMBHAR–HOTEL STYLE

I learnt this Sāmbhar from my neighbour. Its very simple. Usually for hotel style sambhar we used to roast & grind some spices and add. But for this sambhar just besan flour is enough.I had tasted this kind of sambhar in some hotels especially in Tirunelveli and Madurai.Do try this and let me know how it turned out.

INGREDIENTS

For 4 persons.

• Toor dal – 1/4 cup
• Carrot –1  no
• Potato – 1 no
• Tamarind –Small berry size
• Tomato – 2 nos
• Small onions / shallot – 10 nos
• Curry leaves – few
• Sambhar powder – 1- 2 tsp.
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Asafetida – 1/4 tsp.
• Besan flour – 2 tsp.

To temper

• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly – 1 no

To garnish

• Coriander leaves – few

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder , asafetida and a drop of oil.Cook the vegetables separately . Heat a kadai with oil and sauté the onions & tomatoes. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Now add the tamarind extract and sambhar powder. Add more water if necessary.Add the cooked vegetables , little asafoetida and fresh curry leaves. Allow it to boil for few minutes. Then add the cooked and mashed toor dal. Dilute the besan flour with little water and add it to the sambhar. Boil well for few minutes .The sambhar starts to thicken. Add more water if necessary. Finally switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves. Temper with the above items and add it to the sambhar. **For relatives, add a tsp of ghee at the end and close the bowl. Yummy , aromatic sambhar is ready to enjoy with piping hot idlies , vada or pongal

TIPS

If u want the sambhar to be more tangy add lime juice at the end after switching off the flame. For idly sambhar, dal should be dominant and less tamarind is added. So i've added more dal and less tamarind. For more spiciness , add green chillies while sautéing onions and tomatoes. If u feel the sambhar is too thick , add more water , little tamarind extract , salt and sambhar powder. Boil for sometime . Similarly if u think , the sambhar is more spicy or tangy , add little besan flour and water , allow it to boil. Adjust salt.. I find the above step as very useful because makeup is very essential for each recipe to get the correct taste. That too for beginners these points would be very useful , thanks to my neighbour.