Topic started by radha (@ ppp-219.65.96.105.chn.vsnl.net.in) on Sun Oct 26 12:12:34 EST 2003.
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how to cook tasty sambhar and rasam

Responses:

• From: Pearl Subramanian (@ 195.94.0.40) on: Tue Nov 4 07:29:40 EST 2003
  
  SAMBAR- South Indian Style
  
  A very good south indian dhal dish which goes well with Iddly's, Dosa's, Adai, Rice, Uppuma, etc.,
  Ingredients
  
  1/2 cup Tur Dhal or Musoor Dhal
  A lime-size ball of tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water
  2 –3 green chillies – slit lengthways
  2 med. size tomatoes each cut into 4-6 pcs.
  1 cup vegetables - (e.g. radish, Sambar Onions, Lady,s fingers; eggplant (aubergine), potato, drumstick, Sloppy Potato etc.,)
  Salt to taste
  1/2-teaspoon Turmeric pwd.
  2 tblspoons Sambar powder
  1 small bunch of coriander leaves - chopped (to garnish)
  
  For Seasoning:
  1-1 1/2 tablespoons oil
  1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  a few curry leaves
  2 Red chillis - halved
  1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  
  Preparation
  
  Wash Dhal well & cook in pressure cooker with 2 cups water - Put the Cooker on heat without the stopper – once the steam starts escaping from the vent put the stopper on to the vent, lower the flame & leave to cook for 12-15 mins. Once the Dhal is cooked leave the cooker to cool down before opening – keep aside - without draining.
  
  Soak the tamarind in 1-cup hot water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to get a nice pulp - strain & keep aside. For Garnish-chopped coriander leaves.
  
  Seasoning:
  
  Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons oil in a. Add the mustard seeds, asafetida powder, fenugreek seeds, broken up red chillis, and a few curry leaves.
  
  When the mustard seeds splutter, add the slit green chillies and chopped vegetables. Fry for a couple of minutes on low flame till vegetables are half cooked. Add tamarind juice, Tomaotes, salt and 1 cup of water, cover & cook tender. Add the cooked dal & water, leave it to cook for a further 5 minutes, Add to the sambar powder, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. More till Sambar is thick enough.
  
  Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.
  
  
  Tips
  
  Serve with steaming hot plain cooked rice, vegetable side dish & pappads, either fried or roasted. With a good helping ghee.
  
  
  
  
  Ground Masala Sambar
  
  
  Ingredients
  Masala for grinding:
  Fry all these ingredients on med to low flame do not allow it to burn. Dry Chillies 6-8 (or to yr. taste); 2 Tbspns Coriander Seeds; 1/4 tspn Methi Seeds; fry in 1 tbspn oil when the seeds are fried nice & brown & a good aroma arises add the Coconut Scraped of ½ a fresh coconut (or you could use Desiccated Coconut, if Fresh Coconut is not available); fry till golden brown add the asafotedia - 2 big Pinches – remove from heat & grind to a smooth paste with the tamarind pulp water or with plain water. Keep aside
  
  Extract the pulp for a small ball of tamarind & keep aside.
  
  Vegetables (as per yr liking, eg. Yellow Pumpkin, Radish, Sambar Onions, etc).,1 Cup cooked Tur Dhal; Salt to Taste, 1 Tbspn oil for broiling Masala.
  
  For Seasoning: Few sprigs of Curry Leaves; 3-4 Dry Chillies; 1/2 tspn Mustard Seeds, 2 Tbspns of Oil or Ghee;
  
  For Garnishing: Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 1/2 Tbspns or to taste.
  
  Preparation
  
  Method:
  Broil the Dry Chilies, Coriander Seeds, & Methi Seeds in a tbspn of oil to a red colour - as the mixture is reaching a reddish colour add the Scraped Coconut & keep stirring till Coconut too becomes brown, remove from heat & keep aside to cool. Take the Tamarind Pulp place it on fire & bring to boil let it bubble nicely, lower flame add the Vegetables, salt & asafetida pwd. & cook till vegetables are done. In the meantime take the broiled Masala/Coconut mixture, place in a Mixie Jar, add the cooked Dhal, & sufficient water & grind to a nice paste not too smooth - Add this Ground Masala/Coconut/Dhal paste to the cooking Vegetable/Tamarind mixture, let it bubble nicely. Season with Curry Leaves, Mustard Seeds, & Dry Chillies. Garnish with Chopped Coriander leaves. This Sambar could be eaten with Rice, Dosas, Adai, Iddly etc.
  
  Tiffen Sambar
  Ingredients
  Tur dhal – ½ Cup; Turmeric Pwd – ½ tspn; Asafotedia pwd –1/2 tspn. 150 g. Sambar Onions; 3 med. Size Tomatoes; marble size ball of tamarind – soak in ¼ cup hot water – extract thick pulp & keep aside; Green chillies 2 –3 no’s; Jaggery – 1 tspn; Salt to taste; If desired any other vegetables could be used – like Drumsticks; Potato, Brinjals, etc., For the Masala Paste: 6 Dry Chillies; 2 tspns. Corriander seeds; 1tspn Jeera Seeds; 1tspn. Pepper Corns; 1tspn channa Dhal; 1 tspn Urud Dhal; ¼ Coconut (fresh) – fry the ingredients kept for the masala in 1 tbspn oil – till a nice aroma is got – leave to cool – then either dry grind to a powder or add water & make a paste & keep. For seasoning: Mustard Seeds – 1tspn; Vendium Seeds – ½ tspn. 2-3 Red Dry Chillies deseeded, broken & kept; 1 tspn. Urud Dhal; A sprig of Curry leaves; Oil – 4 tbspns For Garnish : Chopped coriander leaves 3 Tbspns. 2-3 tbspns of ghee
  Method
  Method Wash Dhal nicely put in cooker add Turmeric pwd, Asafetida, 1 Tomato & water – Cook for 3 whistles – remove from heat & leave to depressurize. In the meantime place a vessel on heat, add oil add the seasoning ingredients – when mustard seeds crackle add the Sambar Onions & fry to a golden brown – (if you are adding any other vegetables to the Sambar you could do so after the Onions are brown) add tomatoes & fry till tomatoes are soft – now add ½ -3/4 cups of water – (here again if vegetables other than Onions are being added then add 2 – 2 ½ cups of water for vegetables to cook) – leave to bubble – (once the vegetables are cooked), add the dhal mixture from the cooker (if it is too thick) add water, mix well – add the slit green chillies & bring to a bubble, add 2 tbspns of the ground masala; now add yr. thick tamarind pulp, salt to taste, jaggery & mix well leave to thicken - when required thickness has been achieved – remove from heat – garnish with chopped coriander leaves & a tablespoon or 2 of Ghee -
  
  
  Vatral Kuzhambu
  Ingredients
  Vatral Kuzhambu Sundakkai, Manathakkali or any vegetable Vatral or you could use fresh Brinjals cut into cubes; Lady’s fingers could be fried nicely & add’d to the Kuzhambu, Tomatoes could be used. Tamarind a golf size ball soaked in water & the pulp extracted & kept aside; Sambar Powder 1 1/2 - 2 tbspn. For Seasoning: Mustard Seeds 1/2 tspn; Methi Seeds-1/2 tsp.; Dry Red Chillies-4 de seeded & broken & kept; Channa Dhal 1 tspn.; Asafoetida Powder - a big pinch; Curry Leaves - few Oil 4-6 tbspns. Salt to taste
  Method
  Method: Soak the tamarind in water & extract the pulp (juice). Add salt to taste - & keep aside. Now put a vessel on the gas add oil when hot add the channa dahal, curry leaves red chillies, mustard & methi seeds & fry till dhal is brown & the mustard seeds crackle now lower the heat add the Sambar powder & fry for 2-3 mins. do not allow to burn - a nice smell will arise now add the Tamarind water mix well & allow to bubble nicely till the required thickness has been reached - remove from fire & serve with ghee, roasted pappads & plain white rice. Tip: You could roast/broil 2 tspns of rice & powder the same mix in a little water & add to the Vatral Kuzhambu to thicken faster. Vatral Kuzhambu method 2 For Masala Urud Dhal 2 tspns; Pepper corns 1 tspn; Red Chillies 4 nos; asafoetida a bit; Fry the above ingredients in a little oil until golden brown & grind to a smooth paste. To the the Tamarind juice add the paste & prepare the Vatral Kuzhambu.
  
  Dhal Rasam
  Ingredients
  Dhal Rasam (ordinary Rasam). Ingredients Needed: Tur Dhal – ½ Cup (Pressure Cook till soft & keep aside- Open Cooker when it has cooled down & strain away the Dhal Water & keep for the Rasam – You could use the Dhal for Sambar or for any other Preparation of your’s). Tamarind as big as a lime size ball –(soak in 2 cups warm water & extract the pulp & keep aside); Salt to Taste; Tomatoes 2 no’s (medium size) – chopped & kept; Asafotedia Powder - ¼ tspn; Rasam Powder 1 Tbspn. Seasoning Ingredients required: 2 tspns. Oil; 2 Red Chillies; Mustard Seeds ½ tspn; Curry Leaves few; Jeera Seeds ¼ tspn. For Garnishing: Chopped Corriander leaves – 1 tbspn.
  
  Method: In a vessel add the Tamarind Water (extract), Chopped Tomatoes, Asafotedia Pwd., Salt, Rasam Pwd. & 1 – 2 Glasses of water, mix well & place on fire, let it bubble nicely till the raw tamarind smell goes – now add the Dhal Water & if necessary another 2 glasses of water & bring to a boil, it will froth up – remove from fire & keep aside. Fry your seasoning ingredients & pour over the Rasam. Garnish with chopped Corriander leaves. Serve Hot with Plain Rice, Pappads, Kootu, & Poriyal. PN: When using Tomatoes too for the Rasam check on the quantity of tamarind you are using. PN: Tsp. Means teaspoon. Tbsp. Means Tablespoon. Pwd. Means powder.
  
  
  Poondu (garlic) Rasam
  Ingredients
  POONDU (Garlic) RASAM: Method 1 Ingredients Required Garlic Pods – 25-30 No’s; Oil – 2 tspns – for frying the Garlic Pods; Lime size ball of Tamarind; Salt to Taste. For Seasoning: Mustard Seeds – ¼-1/2 tspn; A few Curry Leaves; 2 Dry Chillies. For Garnishing: Chopped Corriander Leaves – 1 Tbspn. Ingredients required for the Rasam Powder: Peppercorns – ¾ tsp.; Dry Red Chillies –4; 2 tspns. Corriander Seeds; Channa Dhal (Bengal Gram) – 1 tspn.; ¾ tspn Jeera Seeds; A few Curry Leaves; Oil – 2 tspns. To prepare the Powder: Fry the Peppercorns, Dry Red Chillies, Dhal & Corriander Seeds till a nice aroma arises & the Dhal is a golden brown in colour. Remove from fire & leave it to cool, add the Curry Leaves, & Jeera Seeds (raw, do not fry/roast/or broil it); now powder the ingredients to a fine powder in the dry grinder of youyr mixie & keep aside.
  
  Method to prepare the Rasam: Soak Tamarind in 2 Glasses of warm water, extract the pulp & put in a vessel add salt, place on fire & let it bubble nicely till the raw smell goes, now add the ground masala powder, mix well, add 1 – 2 glasses of water if the rasam is too thick & bring to a boil. Fry the Garlic Pods in oil to a golden brown, add the Seasoning Ingredients & fry when Mustard Crackles & the Garlic too is a nice Golden brown, pour over the Rasam – mix well & again bring to a boil, so that it blends well with the Rasam. Garnish with Chopped Corriander Leaves. Serve Hot.
  
  
  

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