Vengaya sambar/Shallot sambar-Brahmin Style

Vengaya sambar, made of shallots(small onions) are the favorite of many in the South.This is not the conventional method of making sambar. This particular version,known as arachu vitta sambar is commonly found in all the Brahmin families.

In a kadai, heat 1 tspn of oil.Add half tspn coriander seeds,1/4 tspn fenugreek seeds(methi),3 red chillies,1 tspn Bengal gram(chana dal),curry leaves and fry for some time.Now add half a cup of grated coconut and fry till it changes to golden brown color.(You may add 2 shallots(small onions) while frying if needed.Turn off the stove and allow this mixture to be cooled.

Soak tamarind in warm water for a while and extract the tamarind juice out of it.Boil this extract in a vessel.Add a pinch of turmeric,1/4 tspn asafoetida(hing) and salt.Add 1 cup of shallots(small onions with the skin ripped off) to this and allow them to be cooked well.

Boil toor dal(split red gram) in a pressure cooker.Once it is cooked, mash it down really well till the dal is not seen at all.

Grind the fried mixture adding little water so that it gets a thick chutney-kind consistency.

Add the mashed dal as well as the ground mixture to the tamarind extract.Let this boil till a nice aroma spreads out.
Finally in a pan, heat oil .Add mustard .Once it splutters,Add 1 tspn urad dal and some curry leaves.
Add this on top of the sambar prepared above.

Vengaya sambar is ready to be served with rice and ghee. Make potato fry as a side dish for this and wow.......Yummy!!!!!

Tiffin sambar

Here is a variation to the conventional sambar prepared at home. This version is what is supposed to be "hotel sambar". Guess what, you don't need tamarind for this. You can make a fine dish for idlies and dosas just with onions and tomatoes as the main ingredients in just five steps.Check this out.

1. Pressure cook 1 onion, 1 tomato (all finely chopped)and 1 cup dal.
Allow them to be cooked well so that they can be mashed well.

2. Grind 1 onion,1 tomato, 1 spoon dhaniya powder, 2 tspns shredded coconut without adding water and keep it aside.

3. In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard, curry leaves(finely chopped),2 green chilies(chopped),urad dal(1 tspn),cumin seeds/jeera(1 tspn). Saute 1/4 onion(finely chopped).

4. Mix the ground mixture with the pressure cooked items and allow it to boil for 2 to 3 mins till the raw smell of tomatoes vanish.

5. Garnish with the fried items mentioned in Step 3.

Sambar is ready to be served with idlis or dosas. :)