Friday 14 September 2012

Kerala Sambhar

Kerala sambhar is an excellent dish with a mixture of all sort of vegetables. The veggies than can be used are

* Potato
* Plantain (raw banana)
* Yam 
* Carrot
* Drum Sticks
* Okra/Lady’s Finger 
* Beans
* Ash Gourd 
* Tomato
* Pumpkin 
* Brinjal 
* Big Onion

you can add the vegetables that are available with u

Ingredients needed

1. Mixed Vegetables cut into medium sized pieces – the quantity depends on how much sambhar u want to make.as we are adding more veggies take little amt of each so that the gravy wont become too thicker.
(I’ve used 1 potato,1 carrot, 3-4 drumsticks, 1/2 plantain, 2 tomato , 5 beans , a small piece of pumpkin, ash gourd, 3-4 lady’s finger, toor daal – 1/2 cup
2. Sliced Onion – 2 medium
3. Garlic Pods – 4-5
4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball (depends on ur taste)
6. Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsp
7. Red Chilly powder – 1 tsp
8. Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
9. Sambar Powder – 4-5 tsp
10. Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
11. Red Chillies – 3
12. Curry Leaves – A sprig
13. Shallots or Pearl Onions (diced) – 1/4 cup
14. Asafoetida (Kayam) powder– 1 tspn pinch
15. Coconut grated -1/2 cup
16. Jeera – 1 tspn
17. Oil – as needed
18. Water – As needed
19. Salt – As needed
Method

1) Soak tamarind in warm water till it is completely dissolved.
2) In a pressure cooker boil toor daal, and few of the vegetables like ashgourd, pumpkin, carrot, beans, raw banana and potato. (Rest of the vegetables can be added later.) add turmeric powder, chilly powder, 1 tspn sambhar powder, ¼ tspn asafoetida, salt and little amt of tamarind juice. water should be enough to cover the vegetables ( u can add required amt of tamarind paste also instead of juice in the pressure cooking. But u also require juice as well)
3) Cook for 1 whistle.


4) Heat 1 tspn oil in a pan & roast the grated coconut in medium to low flame. (Take care not to add too much oil as it will not remove the water content from coconut completely and also not to charr the coconut). Once it is brown add the small onions, garlic cloves, few curry leaves, rest of the asafoetida powder, and jeera.( u will really love the nice aroma coming out now). Once its roasted add coriander powder till the raw smell is gone. Pls remember all these are dry roasting only. Let it cool down and now grind the whole thing to a smooth paste.
5) Now heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard, Fenugreek, red chillies, curry leaves and sliced onion. No need to roast the onion. Removing the raw smell is enough. Once it is done add lady’s finger , sauté till it is shrunken, pour this on the cooked vegetables. 
6) Sauté tomato in a little amount of oil and add this also to the cooked vegetables
7) Now the remaining vegetable is Drumstick. Add cut raw drumstick also to the cooked vegetables. 
8) Now mix sambhar powder in little amount of water and add to the veggies. I recommend eastern Sambhar powder for making Kerala Sambhar as it tastes very nice.
9) Now add the grinded coconut mixture also along with remaining tamarind juice. 
10) Allow the whole mixture to cook for 10 -15 minute till the sambhar starts boiling and drumstick is cooked properly. 
11) Adjust the salt and tamarind now according to ur taste.

Why I added drumstick at last is if we put it in cooker it will get broken and the sticks will seen dispersed in the sambhar and hence both drumstick and lady’s finger are added at last only.

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