Arachivitta Kuzhambu/Sambar is a hot favorite in my home. It is also prepared with many other vegetables and tastes the best with Idlis, Dosas and with plain White Rice. It involves grinding of a simple masala for the Sambar which gives the Sambar a fresh taste and a nice rich flavor.
Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 Medium Sized
Tamarind paste - 1 Tsp
Toor Dal - 1/2 Cup
Turmeric powder - A Pinch
Asafoetida - A Pinch
Salt - To taste
For the Masala:
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 3-4
Urad Dal - 1 Tsp
Chana Dal - 1 Tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 1/2 Tbsp
Freshly Grated Coconut - 1 Cup
For the Seasoning:
Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Curry Leaves - A Few
Cilantro - A Few to garnish
Method:
- Peel and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces.
- In a pan add 1/2 cup of Toor Dal, a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt and add water .
- Add the cubed potatoes to the dal and pressure cook the dal for upto 3 whistles.
- In another pan, add a few drops of oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Dry Red Chillies and Coriander seeds.
- Dry roast this spice mixture until aroma from the spices start to get released.
- Now add freshly grated coconut to this spice mixture.
- Dry roast the coconut with the spice mixture for about 3-5 minutes until the coconut gets roasted.
- Grind the mixture into a paste by adding a little water. Let the paste be a little coarse.
- Take 1 tsp of tamarind paste and dissolve it in 1 cup of warm water.
- Take a pan and add tamarind water. Add asafoetida and salt to the tamarind water.Be careful with the salt as we have already added some salt while boiling the dal.
- Let the tamarind water come to a boil. Then add the ground paste to this water and mix it well.
- Allow this mixture to come to a boil. Then add the boiled Dal and potatoes to this and mix it well. Allow this Sambar to boil well for about 10 minutes.
For the seasoning:
- Take 1 tbsp of ghee and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds to it.Once the mustard seeds pop up add curry leaves. Mix the seasoning well and turn off from heat.
- Add this mixture to the Sambar.
- Garnish the Sambar with finely chopped cilantro.
- Serve hot with Idlis, Dosas or with White Rice.
Notes:
- You can also use vegetables like shallots, drumsticks, chayote, green beans or white pumpkin to prepare this dish.
- If you are using tamarind instead of tamarind paste, then you can take tamarind about the size of a lime.
- You can use Oil also to do the seasoning. Ghee gives it a much richer taste.
- Adding salt while boiling the dal is optional. You may choose to skip the addition as per your preference.
