Quick And Easy Sambaar

Sambar is a specialty of the southern portion of India, though it is made by the rest of the population in the country. This is a curry that goes on with Idly, Dosa and Rice. Since it is loaded with lots of veggies, there is not doubt that you will miss out any nutrients in your diet if you include sambar in it.

It is a known fact that the favorite food of the south of India is considered as the complete food with all the nutrients. Idly, Sambar and Chammandi together is considered the nutritional food in the whole world. So I don’t think you will miss the opportunity to try the curry out.

Many people fear making sambar because it is too much time consuming and needs a lot of work like cutting, boiling, remembering the right spices and also to be cautious about the step by step procedures involved in the making.

In my home, I make sambar daily. And I have followed a very easy method of preparing sambar the quicker way. Making sambar quicker does not mean that you need to compromise for its taste. You will definitely get a sambar that is much better than the long method that most of us try out in making the same curry.

The quick and easy sambar actually is made in a pressure cooker. This one saves a lot of time and energy too. So all you need is to focus on the cutting of veggies and the memorizing of the spices. The rest can be handled easily with the help of a pressure cooker. Just make sure you don’t burn the stuff by overcooking. So here you are guys, the best curry that goes well with Idly and Dosa. Checkout the recipe and stay healthy!!

Ingredients

·         Toor Dal – ½ a cup

·         Onion – 1 large ( or 2 for better taste)

·         Garlic – 6 cloves

·         Cucumber – ½ a cup ( cut into large cubes)

·         Brinjal  - ¼ cup (cut into cubes)

·         Potato – 1 small (enhances the taste)

·         Green chillies – 2 medium

·         Amarakka or beans – 6 nos

·         Ladies finger – 2 small

·         Corriander leaves- a bunch

·         Salt

·         Tamarind paste – ½ tsp

·         Oil

Masala-

·         Chilly Powder- 1 ½ tsp

·         Corriander Powder – 3 tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

·         Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

·         Fenugreek powder – ¼ tsp

Method

1.      Wash the toor dal and put it in a pressure cooker

2.      Cut the vegetables except ladies finger into small cubes. This includes onions too

3.      Add garlic cloves

4.      Add ½ a cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker

5.      Place the weight of the cooker and switch on the stove

6.      Wait till 2 to 3 whistles. This would be sufficient for the toor dal to get cooked. If not, then cook it for some more time.

7.      After 2-3 whistles, you may switch off the flame and keep the cooker aside. Let it cool so that you can open it easily

8.      Take a pan and heat it

9.      Add coconut oil to it

10.  Crack mustard seeds and add curry leaves

11.  Cut the ladies finger into small circles

12.  Fry the ladies finger pieces in the oil

13.  Now add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric, asofeotida and fenugreek powder and heat it in the oil. Do not burn it. it just needs to get heated so that the aroma comes up well.

14.  Open the lid of the cooker and add the fried masalas to it and stir well

15.  You might need some water for making the sambar get a looser consistency. For this add hot water to it so that it does not take much time to boil.

16.  Add tamarind paste to it and salt to taste.

17.  Never add extra salt or it will not taste good

18.  Let the sambar boil for 2 mnts

19.  Add coriander leaves to the boiling sambar and switch off the flame

20.  Enjoy with Idly, Dosa or Rice!!