Vendaikka (Okra) Sambar ~ Simple Dal Sambar

Sambar is an integral part of South Indian cuisine. What dal fry is to rotis, sambar is to rice. This is the south Indian way of consuming proteins in the form of dal. A south Indian meal is never complete without sambar.

Though, I made it sound like a generic dish so far, every state (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu) has its own version of sambar. Well, there are umpteen variations even within regions and it also varies with each house hold. You can make a simple sambar with a ready made sambar powder or arachuvitta sambar (sambar with fresh ground spices).

Again, what goes into the sambar powder varies with each household; some add pepper, some add spices like cinnamon. The Karnataka sambar has cinnamon in it. (MTR sambar powder) I always go for the 777 Madras sambar powder for the authentic tamil sambar. You can also make it at home. I will post the recipe soon. Dhania seeds, red chillies, turmeric, channa dhall are must-adds for any sambar powder. Further tweaking is done based on personal/regional taste. It is surprising that I have not posted sambar recipe so far. It is so basic for a south Indian that I was never thrilled enough getting down to record the recipe.

We can make sambar with different vegetables and sometimes with a mix of vegetables too. But generally, the amount of veg in a sambar is less and the gravy is more. This time, I made sambar with okra. You can make with carrot, tomato, drumsticks, potato, brinjal, raddish, shallots or even normal onions. Well, the choice is not limited. You can use any vegetable you wish to.




Ingredients:

Okra - 8 chopped into 2'' pieces
Toor dhall - 1 cup cooked with twice the amount water, a pinch of turmeric and a tsp of oil (You can cook with more water and save the water for Rasam)
Tamarind - 1 lime size
Sambar powder - 4 tsp (I normally use 777 brand to get the authentic madras sambar. I also have limited stock of homemade powder. So mix both and use)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Hing - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chopped Cilantro to garnish

Method:

1) Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 min and extract the juice.
2) Heat oil in a pan, season with mustard, fenugreek & hing.
3) Add okra and fry. Add the turmeric powder and fry for one more min.
4) Add the tamarind water and cook for 2 min.
5) Add sambar powder, chilli powder and salt. Bring everything to boil.
6) Add mashed dhall and a little water if the sambar is too thick. Boil till frothy.
7) Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice and a south Indian curry or papad or potato wafers.

I made tindora fry to go with this. I made it as a normal fry curry with oil, salt and chilli powder.

Click here for variations of tindora curry.

Dal Fry

Dal is also a staple diet of Indians, in addition to rice and wheat. It is a mainstay cuisine in India and consumed with equal weightage across all parts of the nation. North Indians have it with rotis while South Indians mix it with rice directly or eat in the form of sambar/rasam. There are different types of dal like channa dal, thuvar dal, moong dal, masoor dal, urad dal and they are included in every day Indian cooking. Any kind of dal is a protein power house and that's the major source of proteins for vegetarians like me. Rice, ghee and tuvar dal makes the lunch for most Indian kiddos. Infact, I relish a plate of paruppu sadham(rice and dal) even now, just as a kid would. Here I give the recipe for a basic dal fry which makes an awesome combo with rotis or rice. I have mixed tuvar dal and moong dal in my recipe and there are recipes which use masoor dal and channa dal also. So, you might give it a try. I have used butter to season, since it adds a nice flavour to the dish. If you are calorie conscious, omit the butter and add a tsp of oil.

The above picture was taken at the US botanical garden, Washington DC. Got excited on seeing something from India and clicked it. Felt its apt for this post.

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Tomato - 2 finely chopped

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Jeera - 2 tsp

Green chillies - 2 finely chopped

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Crushed ginger and garlic - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander to garnish

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix both the dal, wash and soak in 3 cups water for 15 min. Pressure cook till 3/4 th done.

2. Heat butter, season with jeera and fry the onions, ginger and garlic.

3. Add the green chillies, fry for a minute and then add the tomatoes.

4. When the tomatoes become soft, add the cooked dal and dry powders. Add enough water to get the required consistency and boil. Dal will get thick after a while. So keep that in mind while adding water.

5. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rotis or rice.