ANDHRA SAMBAR

INTRODUCTION

INGREDIENTS

I have enjoyed sambars all thro' south India. There is such a great variety in taste that I always marvel at different preparations. Coimabatore, Salem Madurai, Udipi, Mangalore, Hyderabad and for that matter every single town or village will have something different in its preparation. This is because you can do anything with ingredients . Andhra sambar as I have been enjoying goes a bit off the beaten road of its traditional method followed by Tamilnadu and Karnataka etc. There is a basic difference in Tampering and it sets it apart from all its cousins. There are three varieties of Andhra Sambar, HOT.....HOTTER.......HOTTEST. This is the hot variety.

100 gms .of Thoram parappu (Toor dhall)
3 Spoons of Sambar powder (Please refer to my sambar powder recipe)
4 nos. of onions (medium)
1 sprig of curry leaves
6 to 8 Green chillies
1/4 cup of Kothumalli
1.5 spoon of Perangayam(Hing)
3/4 spoon Jeera powder freshly made
1/4 spoon of Pepper powder
1 medium sized Tomato diced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp of gingly Oil for tampering
1/2 spoon of mustard seeds
1/4 spoon of Fenugreek seeds
1/2 sp  (asafoetida)Perangayam for tempering
5 to 6 broken dry chillies one spoon chilli powder
1/2 spoon of Turmeric powder
1 lemon sized ball of Tamarind (add water and extract thick juice)
Salt to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Cut Muringakkai, dice tomato. Use Brinjals (if you are using them) which are not acidic and must be seedless. Cut in rather large pieces . Soak in water for some 30 minutes and then cook in a pressure pan after adding a bit of salt and quarter spoon of sugar till ¾ cooked. Set aside. (this will prevent them from becoming mushy) Cook the dhall after adding one small spoon of Perangayam (hing) very well. Keep it aside in the cooker for thirty minutes. Now churn the dhall till the froth and keep it aside. Take the onions and dice two onions , take green chillies, press them hard without breaking them on flat surface and add and saute in a little oil and add it to sambar. Take care that you don't cook the onions and chillies .. 

There is another variation of adding the raw onions in the Dhall and let it get cooked in dhall itself. I have found the second variation better for sambar taste. Take other two onions and roast them over fire till outer cover burns to black. Remove the burnt cover and make a fine paste of roasted onions and set aside. Now add extract of Tamarind to Dhall along with salt. Boil the dhall till the raw smell of Tamrind goes off. Add 3/4 cooked vegetables now and add required salt. Add chilli powder, Turmeric powder and jeera powder also Pepper powder now. Let it simmer for a bout two minutes. Now add semi cooked onions and chillies and half sprig of curry leaves. Let it boil for about two to three minutes. Now add Sambar powder with freshly made paste of Roasted onion to it and set it to boil. Let the whole thing simmer for about six minutes. Add diced tomato and freshly cut bunch of Kothumalli last. Mix well and let it simmer for three minutes. Temper with mustard, chillies, fenugreek(vendhiyum) seeds, and Perangayam in Gingly oil. You may use groundnut oil also. The chillies are to be added first and when they start turning brown, add the other tempering. Add Asafoetida last in the oil. Tamper and cover it with a lid immediately. Serve hot. 

POINT TO REMEMBER

 Sambar must be made at least two hours before you are to serve to self or the guests. The real taste of sambar comes only after two hours of cooking. Reheat the Sambar and serve hot.!!!

Enjoy!!! 
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