Arachuvitta Sambar (அரசுவிட்ட சாம்பார்)

Sambar is a food that is served with Plain rice, Idli, Dosa. It tastes best when served hot. There are different types of Sambar like Aracha sambar or grinded sambar, non-grinded sambar or plain sambar, mor kuzhambu, milagu kuzhambu, vathal kuzhambu, parupu urndai kuzhambu etc. This recipe is for Aracha sambar or grinded sambar. It is a daily food in lot of places in South India. I am using small onions here, you could also use drumstick, raddish, lady finger (okra), white pumpkin etc. I am sharing this for this month's Marathon.
Ingredients
Tamarind – small lemon sized
Turmeric Powder – ½ tea spoon + ½ tea spoon
Salt – 1 ½ tea spoon (adjust to taste)
Asafetida – ¼ tea spoon
Sambar Powder – 1 table spoon
Grated Coconut – 2 table spoon
Red Chili – 2 + 4
Coriander Seeds – 1 tea spoon
Cumin Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Fenugreek Seeds – ½ tea spoon + ¼ tea spoon
Water – 4 cup
Tuvaram Parupu / Toor Dal – ¾ cup
Curry Leaves – 10
Coriander Leaves – 1 table spoon
Mustard Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Kadalai Parupu – 1 table spoon
Oil – 1 tea spoon + ½ tea spoon
Small onions (peeled) – 12 - 15
Method
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water for about 15 – 20 minutes
Pressure cook the Tuvaram parupu with ½ tea spoon turmeric powder and 2 cups of water
Mash the parupu once well boiled and Keep aside
On a small pan, add 1 tea spoon oil and once hot add the kadalai parupu and sauté it well
Once the kadalai parupu changes color to light golden brown, add ½ tea spoon fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and cook till well done
Add 4 red chili to the above
Once well done (all fried well and golden), remove from heat and keep aside to cool
Once the above mixture is cool, grind it along with grated coconut. Add water little by little. About ½ cup of water may be needed. The grinded mixture should be of the consistency of a thick paste. Keep aside the grinded mixture
Extract juice from the tamarind and keep aside. Use more water if needed.
Take a medium size pan, add ½ tea spoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
Once the Mustard seeds crackle, add ¼ tea spoon fenugreek seeds and red chili
Add the onions and sauté well. Add curry leaves now.
Once the onions are well done, add the extracted tamarind juice
Once the above comes to a boil, add turmeric powder, salt, asafetida
After 2 minutes, add the Sambar powder
Add ½ cup of water
After 5 minutes, add the mashed tuvaram parupu and stir well
After it comes to a boil, add the grinded mixture and garnish with coriander leaves.
Sambar is now ready to be served hot!!!
Points to note – lot of Indian home foods have some medicinal values attached to them. Like this sambar which is eaten almost every day every meal has so many ingredients in moderate quantity which are of medicinal qualities. Some of them are Asafetida, tamarind, small onions, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder, curry leaves.


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27