Shoj and myself love vegetables and anything which involves vegetables. I always make this sambar or pappu charu (called in Telugu), but today it turned out so good that I thought of sharing it to you guys through my blog.
This is another way to make kids eat vegetables.
This wonderful aromatic sambar can be served with steamed rice and papad.
Ingredients:
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3/4 cup Toor Dal washed
3 medium sized Carrots peeled and cubed to 1 inch thick pieces
1/4 lb fresh Green Beans de-stemmed and cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 big Chayote (chow-chow or seema/bengaluru vankaya) peeled and cubed
1 small Potato peeled and cubed
2 medium size Tomatoes cubed
2 medium size yellow Onions cubed
1 sprig Curry leaves
4 dry Red Chili's
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Sambar powder
2 tsp Tamarind paste
2 pods of garlic
Oil for seasoning
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
Method:
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1. In a pressure cooker add the toor dal and enough water so that the dal is completely soaked in water and all vegetables excpet onions and tomatoes and pressure cook on medium high heat for two whistles and off the flame and let it come to room temperature before opening the cooker.
2. In a heavy bottom pan add oil and when it's hot add mustard seeds and when they start to sputter add curry leaves, asafoetida, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
3. Now add the garlic and onions and saute them until onions turn transparent.
4. Now reduce the flame to low add turmeric powder, tomatoes and sambar powder and saute it until the tomatoes become tender and the raw smell of the sambar powder is gone.
5. Add enough water to the seasoning and bring it to boil.
6. Now open the cooker, add enough salt, tamarind juice and the seasoned water and bring it to 1 or 2 boil and garnish with cilantro leaves.
7. Serve this Sambar with steamed rice and papad.
(Note: you can add your choice of vegetables there is no rule in adding vegetables. some suggestions are Okra, Eggplant (these should be sauted and cooked in the seasoning and not to be precooked as they tend to get mushy or overcooked in pressure cooker), raw banana etc., can be added to sambar).
(Note: you can add your choice of vegetables there is no rule in adding vegetables. some suggestions are Okra, Eggplant (these should be sauted and cooked in the seasoning and not to be precooked as they tend to get mushy or overcooked in pressure cooker), raw banana etc., can be added to sambar).
