This recipe calls for all the ingredients to be roasted afresh and ground together with coconut and curry leaves. The whole house is filled with the aroma of ground spices.!
Ingredients for the Spice Powder:
- 2 tbsps Coriander seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Chana Dal/Bengal Gram Dal
- 1/2 tbsp Urad Dal/Black gram Dal
- 1tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Methi/Fenugreek seeds
- 10 pepper corns
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 2 heaped, tbsps Coconut
- 9 dry red chillies ( you can use as per your spice level)
- A pea sized piece of Hing /asafoetida
- 1 tbsp oil
Method :
Heat oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients except the curry leaves and coconut to a golden yellow. Drop in the curry leaves and coconut. Roast to a golden brown. Dry grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
Ingredients for the Sambhar :
- 125 gms Arhar Dal/Split Pigeon peas
- 1 tbsp Tamarind paste
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Drumstick
- 2 Onions
- 1 Potato
- A small piece of Pumpkin
- Salt
- 2 tbsps Ghee/clarified butter
- 1tsp Mustard
- 3 sprigs Curry leaves.
Method :
Wash and pressure cook the Arhar Dal in three glasses of water till done. Deskin the potato, Pumpkin and carrot. Chop them into bite sized pieces. Slice the onions roughly. Chop the drumstick into two inch pieces. Grind the Powdered spices with tamarind paste and water to a Chutney like consistency. Keep aside. Once the Dal is cooked, churn it well. Heat two glasses of water and cook the potato, onion and carrot with salt. When they are three fourth done add the Drumstick. When the Drumstick is three fourth cooked add the Pumpkin pieces and boil for a few minutes till they are done but firm. Drop the churned Dal and the spice paste into the cooked vegetables. Adjust salt and boil well. Heat Ghee in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the curry leaves. Pour the seasoning into the boiling Sambhar. Switch off and keep aside for about fifteen minutes to allow the flavours to infuse before serving.
