Chettinad Sambar Sadam

Ingredients

Rice – 1.5 cups

Toor dal -1/4 cup

Water - 3.5 cups

Onion chopped – 1 number

Mixed vegetables ( I used peas and carrot) – ½ cup

Tomato chopped – 1 number

Curry leaves – few

Coriander leaves – to garnish

Salt to taste

Oil – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dried red chilies – 2 numbers

Masala to grind( Dry roast each ingredient separately and grind together to smooth powder)

Coriander seeds – ¼ cup

Chana dal – 2 tbsp

Dried red chilli – 6

Black pepper corns – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – generous pinch

Freshly grated coconut – ¼ cup

Method

1.Wash rice and toor dal together and cook with , turmeric powder, little salt and water in pressure cooker for 15 mins.

2.Heat oil in a kadai, when hot add mustard seeds and dried red chilies, allow to splutter.

3.Add chopped onions and curry leaves to the kadai and stir fry for a minute until onions turn glossy and pink.

4. Add the mixed vegetables to the pan and fry for another minute.

5. Add the chopped tomato to the pan and fry until tomato is soft.

6. Now add the ground sambar masala powder to the pan and mix well.

7. Add 1/2 cup water and required salt (remember you added little salt to rice) to the veggies, mix well and bring to boil, simmer for 7 minutes or until raw smell of masala powder leaves and gravy slightly thickenss.

8. Finally add the cooked rice to the gravy and mix well until gravy is absorbed by the rice.

9. If preferred add teaspoon of ghee and garnish Sambar Sadam with chopped coriander.

Sambar Sadam

Chefs tip

1. I used frozen green peas and carrots as I was making it for quick lunch, you can use any vegetables like brinjal, green beans, potatoes, drumstick etc.

2. If you want to use spice masala powder for anytime making sambar sadam, use desiccated coconut( kobarai) instead of fresh coconut.

3. Sambar sadam should not be either too thick or too watery.