18 MOONG DHAL SAMBAR

Moong dhal/paasi or payatham paruppu/pesara pappu/ hesaru bele SAMBHAR


Moong dhal - 3/4 th cup
Shallots - 8 or 1 medium red onion chopped
Tomato - 2 small chopped
Tamarind - 2 inch piece ( soaked in water and extracted pulp)
Green chillies - 2 slit long
Sambar powder - 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt as needed
Coriander leaves - few for garnishing


For tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds, urad dhal , curry leaves - all few
Hing - a pinch


This can be considered as a comfort food and a very nice variation with regular sambar cooking with toor dhal. Goes well with idli/dosas and also rice . This is also good for digestion which can be had after a long period of sickness when heavy meals can be avoided but also want to have something to fill your stomach good. Not only that can also be made on a regular basis with just changing the type of dhal as a variation.

Cook moong dhal with turmeric powder till very soft on stove top or in a pressure cooker. I usually do on stove top.Keep it aside.

Heat oil in frying pan/kadai and add shallots or chopped onions. Fry till light brown and add green chillies, stir for a minute and add in chopped tomatoes. Mash and cook till pulpy. Next add tamarind pulp along with a cup of water and let it to boil for 10 minutes. Now add the cooked moong dhal along with sambar powder and salt. Allow it to come to a boil and temper it with the tempering ingredients. Garnish with chopped cilantro/coriander leaves and serve with idli/dosa or rice.
Usally for this sambar to have a mild flavor I do not add any veggies. But if you want can add any of your favourite veggies after frying tomatoes and add cook till they soft with little water and follow the rest of the procedure.

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1 KOLLU / HORSE GRAM DHAL SAMBAR

Kollu/horse gram dhal/ ulavalu/ hurali/ kulthi(kulith) - Sambar


In Tamil, this is referred as KOLLU . Normally used to feed horses. But Cuisines are also common. Kollu porial, Kollu avial, kollu sambar, kollu rasam, kollu dhal. Like any traditional ayurvedic cuisine that is referred as "Food is Medicine & Medicine is food", this is also one such food grain.



Horse gram dhal - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 small chopped fine
Tomato - 2 small chopped fine
Vegetables - 1 cup chopped( can use brinjal, chow chow, drumstick, carrot or optional can make it plain sambar....)
Green chillies - 2 slit long
Tamarind - a small lime size
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp( or as spice needed)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as needed

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tsp


Soak horse gram dhal overnight and cook them in a pressure cooker/pan next day by adding enough water to immerse completely for 3 - 4 whistles... remove and mash well.... keep aside. This dhal is little difficult to mash ... so if it doesn't get mashed ... drain the water and save it( add to the sambar)... then try to mash the dhal or just blend it coarsely in a blender/ mixer( do not grind it too fine ).

By then soak tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes and extract pulp.

Heat a tbsp of oil and add onions... fry till transparent... next add slit green chillies and saute for a minute... then add chopped tomatoes and fry till they are mashed and pulpy... now add any vegetables of your choice and fry for 1 - 2 minutes and add tamarind pulp( can also add some additional water)... cook till the vegetables are soft... then add the cooked and mashed dhal... also add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt... cook till it comes up to a boil and temper it with the tempering ingredients and ... garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice.

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0 SAMBAR FOR IDLI/DOSA

Making sambar is with the same ingredients for making sambar for idli/dosas...it is just the consistency of sambar is very thick and also that the toor dhal is not mashed well as done in other sambars.

Toor dhal - 3/4th cup
Onion - 1 small Sliced thin long
Tomato - 2 chopped fine
Tamarind - one lime size
Vegetabales - 1 cup ( can use any varieties like brinjal, carrot, potatoes, capsicum, drumstick, chow chow...)
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cilantro - few chopped

Tempering:
Mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves, hing a pinch and 2 red chillies.

Cook toor dhal with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker/pan for 2 whistles.
Soak tamarind in water for 20 minutes and extract a dilute pulp.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion and fry till transparent..next add tomatoes and mash and cook till pulpy...now add vegetables and saute for a minute and add, turmeric powder and tamarind pulp along with a cup of water....let it cook together till the vegetables are soft...then add the cooked dhal( no need to mash..it is has maintain its texture) along with sambar powder and salt..reduce flame and let it cook together for another 5 minutes ...temper it with the tempering ingredients and enjoy with idli/dosas also with ven pongal and surely with rice too.

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1 THILI SAARU

Masoor dhal or Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Onion - medium chopped fine
Tomato - 1 or 2 chopped fine
MTR rasam powder - 1 or 1 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind - 2 inch piece
Jaggery( optional) - 1 inch piece
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

Tempering:-

Ghee or oil, Mustard seeds,Garlic - 2 or 3 pods ( crushed), red chillies - 2 broken,urad dhal, hing and curry leaves.
( Ghee tastes better)

Soak tamarind in water for 15 minutes and extract pulp.

Pressure the cook the dhal with tomatoes for 2 whistle...I always use masoor dhal for this recipe. When done open and mash both together very well.


Heat oil in a kadai and fry onions till light brown...next add tamarind pulp...allow it to boil for 5 or 10 minutes...add the cooked dhal with MTR rasam powder( my mom makes this powder at home itself...will upload the powder recipe soon)...allow it to cook for an other 10 minutes...add salt. You can now add a piece of jaggery..it is optional...
In a different small kadai heat oil or ghee...add mustard seeds, urad dhal, hing, broken red chillies , garlic crushed and curry leaves...pour it on the curry and mix...remove and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

In kannada thili means watery and saaru means rasam. This is a combination of sambar and rasam mixed together tastes great with hot rice and papad.

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0 RADISH/MULLANGI SAMBAR

Toor dhal - 1 cup
Radish - 1
Red Onion - 1 chopped into thin long pieces
Tomato - 2 small chopped fine
Tamarind - a small 2 inch piece
Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro chopped
salt as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp

Seasonings :-
Mustard seeds, urad dhal , methi seeds, curry leaves, ingu.


1. Soak tamarind in water before you start this sambar.
2. Pressure cook toor dhal in enough water for 2 whistles.
3. In a thick vessel add water,turmeric powder, sambar powder and radish( peeled and chopped big...if it is thin then chop in thin round shapes)....cook till the radish is 3/4 th cooked. In a different kadai fry onions and tomatoes and add to the radish cooking vessel.. also add cooked toor dhal and tamarind pulp ... allow everything to boil for 5 to 10 minutes....finally add salt.
4. In a small kadai heat a tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves,ingu and methi seeds( in the end) and add to the sambar. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

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1 CARROT SAMBAR

Carrot sambar comes in handy when there are no other vegetables to be added in sambar. It tastes really good and goes well with rice and other tiffin items.


Toor dhal - 3/4 - 1 cup
Red Onion - 1 medium chopped thin and long slices
Tomato - 2 medium chopped
Green chillies - 2 slit long
Tamarind - 2 inch piece
Sambar powder - 1 or 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Carrot - 2
Cilantro - for garnishing
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt as needed

Tempering :-
Mustard seeds, urad dhal, ingu/hing, jeera, methi seeds, curry leaves - all few.


Cook toor dhal with water enough to fill and place in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Keep it aside.

Soak tamarind in water and extract a dilute pulp.


Heat oil in kadai/vessel and fry onions... also add green chillies and saute... fry till onions are transparent or light brown and next add chopped tomatoes and fry till they are mashed well... then add chopped into thin slices carrot and fry for a minute ... add tamarind pulp and 2 cups of water and allow it to boil and cook till the carrots are cooked... next add the cooked toor dhal and mix ... also add the powders and salt and let it just come to a boil for 4 - 5 mts ...remove from stove and add the temperings... garnish with chopped cilantro.

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2 ARACHIVITTA SAMBAR

Toor Dhal - 1 cup
Small Red onions - around 10
Tamarind - small qty( lime size)
Drumstick - 5 or 6
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro/coriander leaves - few chopped

Roast and grind:-

Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds _ 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 3/4 tsp
Pepper corns - 6
Red chillies - 8 or 9
( roast all this in very little oil)
Coconut grated - 4 or 5 tbsp

Grind together all the roasted ingredients with coconut to a fine paste.


Tempering :-
Mustard seeds, uradh dhal, methi seeds, ingu and curry leaves

Pressure cook toor dhal and keep aside.

In a kadai/pan heat oil and add onions and fry till light brown( if the size of the onions are too big ..u can cut into half or small)...add the vegetable and saute. Next add tamarind pulp( dilute)..and cook till the veggies are done. Next add the cooked toor dhal and the ground paste,turmeric powder,salt and boil it for 5 minutes.


Temper it with mustard seeds, urad dhal,methi seeds, ingu and curry leaves in very little oil...garnish with cilantro.
Goes well with hot rice.

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0 SPINACH SAMBAR

Spinach sambar also called as Mangalore style sambar in my house was first started by my sister Vimala ... we all loved having it. It tasted great with rice.

Toor Dhal - 1 cup
Potato - 1 chopped fine
Spinach - 1 bunch chopped fine
Tamarind pulp - 1 cup
Coconut paste - 1 cup

To powder:-
Dhaniya/coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad Dhal - 1 tbsp
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp
Channa Dhal - 2 tbsp
Red Chillies -6 - 8
Methi/fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp

For Tempering:-
Mustard seeds, urad dhal, ingu, curry leaves

Fry all of the above powdering ingredients in a tsp of oil(by adding one by one) till light brown.. remove , cool and powder finely in a blender/mixer.

In a vessel add the potato and cook for 5 minutes, next add spinach and cook till both are cooked .. .Next add tamarind pulp, cooked toor dhal, also add the powder and cover to cook for another 10 minutes. Finally add the coconut paste and cook for another 4 - 5 minutes. Season it with mustard seeds, urad dhal, ingu and curry leaves.Variation can also fry some chopped onions(shallots) and add to the sambar.

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