Sambar Podi

Sambar Powder
(Arusuvai Natarajan's recipe:) 

Tur dal – 500 g
Channa dal – 500 g
Daniya – 750 gm
Red chillies – 250 g
fenugreek – 25 gm 2 tbsp
hing – 50 g

In a little oil fry asafoetida first, then  methi seeds, channa dal and tur dal in the same order till they turn golden brown. Then fry the chillies till they give out  anice aroma. Dont brown them. Finally fry the dhaniya seeds.


Cool and grind to a coarse powder.

The following recipe is given  by N.Geetha . It is from her grandmother's kitchen:      

Red Chillies (Guntur)                        : 500 gms
Dhaniya seeds                                  : 250 gms
Tur Dal                                              : 150 gms
Urad dal                                            : 50 gms
Pepper                                              : 30 gms
Methi/ fenugreek seeds                    : 2 handfuls
Turmeric                                            : 5 to 6 pieces ( or you can use 4 tbsp powder)

Dry them in hot Sun if you are in India. If outside you can microwave them for a minute before powdering.
Grind to a fine powder.
Use 2 Teaspoons powder and half cup boiled dal to make Sambar for 4 people 

Keerai recipes

Keerai molaguttal / keerai kootu

Ingredients: 

Keerai                     1 large bunch

Moong or Tur dal    1/2 cup

Jeera                      1 spoon

Urad dal                 1 tsp

red chillies              1 or 2

Salt

Oil                           for tempering

Preparation Method:

Thandu keerai (Amaranth)  is best for the recipe.

Clean, cut and boil the greens with some cumin seeds. Mash the cooked keerai nicely with a wooden masher (Maththu). Using a blender doesn’t give the same taste as the maththu. but can be done in the absence of masher.

Boil dal (half cup or less depending on the quantity of greens used)

Add to the mashed greens. Add salt.

In a spoon of oil fry urad dal, red chillies and a little coconut . Grind and add to the mixture.

Cook together for a few minutes.

Heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds and a red chilli and pour over the keerai masiyal.

Mor keerai

Molai keerai/arai keerai  1 bunch ( about 3 cups of loosely packed greens of any type)
coconut                           grated, 5 table spoons
green chillies                  1
cumin                              1/2 teaspoon
coconut oil                      1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
mustard                          1/2 teaspoon
Curd                               whipped
salt to taste
Method:

Rinse the greens very well and chop roughly

Grind coconut, chilli and cumin into a fine paste

In a heavy-pan add the greens and enough water to just immerse the greens, salt to taste
( add salt carefully - greens tend to shrink a lot and the quantity of the final dish reduces )
After the greens are cooked completely mash it well.
Add the ground paste and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes
Add the coconut oil
Finally add the tadka of mustard in coconut oil and sizzle over the cooked greens

Cool the dish completely and add the whipped yogurt just before serving.

Recipe Courtesy: Shalini Via dailysamayal.

Kadainja keerai / keerai masiyal

Ingredients:
 Any variety of greens- mulaikeerai*, araikeerai* or thandu* - 1 large bunch cleaned and cut
Onion                          a few Sambar Onions or one large onion diced
Garlic flakes                3 or 4 peeled and crushed
Tomato                        1 ; cut into large pieces
Gren chillies                3 or 4 slit
Tur dal                         half cup
Salt                      
For tempering:
Oil                               a little
Mustard                      1/2 tsp


Method:       
Clean and chop the greens.
Wash dal and boil it in water. When dal is half-cooked add all the other ingredients. Keep the vessel covered. periodically stir the contents. when the dal gets completely cooked transfer the ingredients to a large vessel and mash them together nicely using a Mathu (Curd churner pic)
If you want to use a blender carefully take out only the greens, chillies, tomato and garlic and mash them in the blender. For the dal use the back of a heavy spoon and make it into a smooth paste. Mix them together.
Heat oil, add mustard and when it splutters add it to the dal.

Note: onion and garlic can be avoided.

Keerai Sambar

The stems of Thandu keerai (Amaranth) are ideal for this. You can also add some keerai leaves along with the stems. Other keerais can also be used.

Ingredients:
Tur dal                                 1/2 cup pressure cooked and mashed
Tamarind water                    from a small lemon sized ball
Sambar podi                        2 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves                        a sprig

For seasoning
Oil                                       1 tsp
Mustard                               1/2 tsp
asafoetida                           a pinch

Preparation Method:
Heat a little oil in a vessel and add cut keerai stems and leaves. Add tamarind water, sambar powder and salt. Boil till raw smell evaporates. Now add the dal and mix well. Boil for a few more minutes.
Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, add asafoetida and curry leaves and pour over the sambar.

Araichu vita Sambar

Ingredients:

A cup of cut vegetable of choice or a mix of vegetables. Sambar onion and drumstick are usually the favorites.
Tur dal                              1/2 cup pressure cooked and mashed
Tamarind                          large marble size
Dhaniya seeds                 3 tsp
Channa dal                       2 tsp
Methi seeds                     1/2 tsp
Red chillies                       4 or 5
Grated Coconut                4 tblsp
asafoetida                         a pinch
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt

Preparation Method:
In a little oil fry dhaniya seeds, channa dal and red chillies. Add coconut and asafoetida and grind to a smooth paste.
Extract pulp of tamarind. Add vegetables, curry leaves and salt.
If using Onion, heat oil, saute the onions and then add tamarind water, salt and curry leaves. let it boil till raw smell evaporates.
Add the paste and bring it to a boil.
Add the mashed dal and if needed some water to bring it up to desired consistency.
Let the mix boil for a minute or two and take off heat.

Sambar for Tiffin Items

Sambar served in Hotels always taste better with Idli/Dosa than the one we make at home even though we add more dal, coconut etc than what they use in their mass production. For years I worked on finding the perfect sambar recipe laboring as much as a technician in a lab. No luck, until I met this lady who helps out with cooking when people have lunch functions.

Ingredients:
( I think I will use the common names. In case there is a specific Tamil name for any ingredient I will mention it)

Tur dal                                       : half cup ( pressure-cooked and mashed)
(You can use masoor dal or moong dal also)
Tamarind   juice                         : from tamarind the size of a big marble
Chilli Powder                             : 1 heaped teaspoon
Jaggery  Powder                       : 1 heaped teaspoon

Dhaniya                                     : 3 tsp
Channa dal (Kadalai Paruppu)  : 1 tsp
Urad dal (Ulutham Parupu)        : 1 tsp
Methi seeds (Vendayam)           : 1/2 tsp
Raw Rice                                   : 1/2 tsp
Dried Red Chillies                      : 3 -4

Onion( Red and big)                  : 1 diced
Tomato                                      : 1 diced
Vegetable of choice                   : cut into small pieces (This is optional. sambar onion and drumstick work best. Otherwise Red onion and tomatoes are enough)

Oil                                               : 2 tblsp
Salt                                             : to taste

Curry leaves     

Method:    
In a little oil roast all the ingredients from Dhaniya to dry red chillies and grind to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the chopped onions and saute till they turn tender. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they are mashed. Add any vegetable of choice like Sambar onion, raddish, drumstick, brinjal  Mix well and saute for one minute.

Add the tamarind juice, chilli powder and jaggery powder and let the mix boil until the smell of raw tamarind evaporates.

Add the ground paste to the above mixture and bring to a boil.

Finally add the cooked, mashed tur dal and boil until the mix reaches desired consistency.If it is to be served as a side dish for Idli/ Dosa etc it is a little more watery than if it is to be served with rice.This Sambar tastes better after a  few hours of cooking. So make it a few hours before serving.

Add curry leaves.


Recipe Variation:
  
In stead of the ingredients above for the masala paste you can gring the following and add to the sambar:

Fried gram (Pottuk kadalai)         : 2 Tblsp
Big Tomato                                  : 1
Coconut                                       : 1 tbsp
Sambar Powder                           : 4 tsp
asafoetida                                    :  a pinch

Rest of the recipe is the same.