Sambhar Rice ~ Sambhar Sadham

My Favourite Food is always hearty sambhar sadham and cool thayir sadham / curd rice. Sambhar Rice with appalam or with potato curry is a perfect combination. I always prepare this sambhar rice, when i have guests. The secret of tasty sambhar sadham depends on the vegetables we add. Drumstick(murungai kaai), Eggplant(kathrikkaai), Radish(mullangi), knol khol (nookal) and capsicum (kudai milagaai) are must. Adding shallots / pearl onions ( sambhar / chinna vengayam ) is must. the other trick is, boiling these vegetables in tamarind juice. I use Sakthi Masala Sambhar Powder. You can use your own sambhar powder. Try using Ghee / Butter to have a tasty Sambhar Rice.

Ingredients: (Sambhar Rice for 2 people)

Vegetables:

Drumstick / Murungai - 1
Eggplant / Kathirkaai - 2
Radish / Mullangi - 1
Knol Khol / Nookal - 1/2
Capsicum / Kudai Milagaai - 1/2
Carrot - 1
Beans - 6
Broad Beans /avarakaai - 6
Double Beans - 10 (optional)
Potato / Urulai - 1

Other Ingredients:

Tomato - 1/2
Shallots - 15

Raw Rice - 150 gms ( 2 small tumblers)
Toovar Dal / Tuvaram Paruppu - 40 gms

Tamarind - a lemon size

Sambhar Powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Ghee / Clarified Butter - 5 tbsp's
Mustard - 2 tsp's
Split Urad Dal - 2 tsp's
Dry Red Chilli - 4
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/ 4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 15

Corriander Leaves - 4 tbsp's (chopped)

Method:

First Pressure Cook the Rice and Dal with 4 cups of water. The whistle count is 6.

Wash the vegetables and dice them in cube shapes.

Soak the Tamarind in warm water for about 5 minutes and extract the tamarind juice.

Now Cook the Vegetables in extracted tamarind juice with little salt.
I Microwave them in high for about 8 minutes. ( Don't cook Capsicum, shallots and Tomato)
Cook the double beans in prior and add along with other vegetables.

Heat a Pan / kadaai,
add 2 tbsp's of ghee, let it melt and get heated,
add mustard and let it pop.
add urad dal and fenugreek seeds, fry them till they turn golden colour.
add the dry red chilli.
add the curry leaves
add asafoetida powder / hing.

Now add the shallots / small onions and fry them till they turn translucent.
add Capsicum and tomato and saute them till they have shrinked a bit.

Now add all the cooked vegetables in tamarind water to the kadaai / pan along with the tamarind water.

Add one cup of water, Turmeric powder and sambhar powder. also add salt to taste. remember salt is already added to vegetables.

Mash the cooked Rice and dal and add to the pan. stir well, to avoid lumps. mix the rice evenly with the vegetables in the pan.

Add 3 tbsp's of ghee and corriander leaves and cover the pan with a lid. slow the flame. and let it rest for 3-4 minutes in slow flame. keep checking and stir in between to avoid burning the rice in the bottom of the pan.

Switch off the flame and keep the lid closed till you serve.

Serve with a dollop of ghee and appalam on side.

This is a great food to pack for picnic. curd rice and potato curry will make a hearty meal togeather.

Sending this Yummy Sambhar sadham to Divya for her Show me your Lunchbox event.