Udipi Sambar

Submitted by Girl from India

"This is the recipe served in the famed Udipi restaurants (the exponents of Mangalorean cuisine worldwide) with dosas and idlis. Posted specially for a friend on request :)You do not need sambar powder with this recipe. Omit whichever veges you cannot find. You can make this without veges too :) Cooking and preparation time approx."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup tuvar dal
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
• 6 red chilies
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 5 sprigs curry leaves
• 1⁄4 coconut, grated
• 25 -30 shallots, cleaned and peeled. (small red onions called sambar onions in india)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mustards seeds
• 1 pinch hing
• 2 green chilies
• 2 cups chopped into big chunks vegetables, of choice (brinjals, carrots, french beans, pumpkin, yam)
• 50 ml tamarind pulp (lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in 1/3 cup of water.)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons jaggery or 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, can be substituted i guess
• oil

directions

1. Cook the tuvar dal till tender then mash.
2. Heat 1 tblsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan and roast the fenugreek seeds till light red, then add 1/2 tsp urad dal and let it saute till they change colour too.
3. Add the red chilli and coriander seeds.
4. Add a 3 sprigs of curry leaves and the grated coconut and roast.
5. They should all turn light brown and aromatic.
6. Cool and grind to a fine paste with a little water.
7. Heat 1 tblsp oil in a pan.
8. Add the mustard seed.
9. When they splutter add 1/2 tsp of urad dal and the hing.
10. Fry for a minute.
11. Add the onions and green chillies, slit and the rest of the curry leaves.
12. Add your choice of vegetables Fry till you get a nice aroma.
13. Add a little water.
14. Cover and cook till the veges are done.
15. Extract pulp from the tamarind and add to the vegetables.
16. Add salt and crumbled jaggery (you can use brown sugar i think instead) and cook till the raw smell of the tamarind disappears.
17. Add the mashed dal and the ground masala.
18. Mix weel and add a little water if reqd.
19. Simmer for a few mins.
20. Serve with dosas, idlis or rice.
21. And enjoy.

Reviews

[Rita1652]

This is tangy, sweet and spicy. In place of the small onions I used one large. I did use way more then 2 cups of veggies more like 6. My choice of veggies was potatoes, eggplant, acorn squash, green beans, and tomatoes, all home grown and one red bell pepper. Skipped the Hung just not my thing! But garlic is so I used it in place of it. My choice of oil was coconut oil. Which is not included in the list or nutritional facts. Instead of grinding the spice mixture I added it to the food processor along with the coked dal and processed till smooth. Served over rice.

 

[ashkani]

Love me some Sambar--and this recipe is close to what I got at friends houses in Kerala State, South India. Tuvar dal is the little orange lentils(get the split ones, they cook superfast) Urad dal is the little white lentil that is also used in my favorite accompaniments to Sambar--Dosas and Idli. We use garlic in place of hing.

 

[Andtototoo]

Great! The only thing different that I did was to use 1/4 cup dried coconut instead of fresh.

 

[Pjoshi]

I loved the recipe. It was so well described that i just didn't have any problems cooking it and it came out really well!!!!!

 

[Blue Peacock]

I made this for my family with masala dosa, and this was a really nice sambhar with lots of coconut flavor. Everyone loves it, and shall make again. Thanks for another great recipe Fay!