ARICHUVITTU SAMBAR (Hemant Style)

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. Arichuvittu sambar as I have been preparing goes a bit off the beaten road of its traditional method .I use soaked Masalas and pastes of coconut and chilli and Kothumalli. There is no roasting of ingredients here. Try once and chances are you will fall for it.!!

150 gms. of Thoram parappu (Toor dhall)
3 Spoons of Sambar powder (Please refer to my sambar powder recipe)
100 gms. of sambar vengayam (small onions) shallots
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 Green chillies
1.5" pieces of coconut 2 nos
1/2 cup of Kothumalli
1 spoon of Perangayam(Hing)
3/4 spoon Jeera  powder freshly made
1 medium sized Tomato diced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp of gingly Oil for tempering
1/2 spoon of mustard seeds
1/4 spoon of Fenugreek seeds
1/2 spoon of broken Dhania seeds 1/2 spoon of Perangayam for   tempering
3 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)

VEGETABLES TO BE ADDED
Baby Onions (shallots) 150 gms.
Muringakkai 1 no cut in 1.5" pieces
Beans 50 gms.
Avarekkai 50 gms. 

Radish 1 no cut in rounds (long white/red variety)
Brinjal 1 no. long variety (four nos. if small round)

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Soak in 30 ml of water, Sambar Masala powder, Jeera powder,1 spoon of perangayam (hing), Turmeric powder& Chilli powder for one hour. Make a fine paste of Coconut pieces and green chillies and 1/2 sprig of Curry leaves. Set aside. Make coarse paste of kothumalli and set aside. Cut Murankka, dice tomato, cut beans in 1 ' pieces, and use Avarakkai pods which are tander. Use Brinjals which are not acidic and must be seedless. Cut in 1" pieces and then cut in four. 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. 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 baby onions and sauté in oil for about three to four minutes. Take care that you don't cook the onions . There is another variation of adding the raw baby onions in the Dhall and let it get cooked in dhall itself. I have found the second variation better for sambar taste. 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. also add semi cooked baby sambar onions and half sprig of curry leaves. Let it boil for about two to three minutes. Now add the paste of Sambar powder, with all the powders you have kept in sambar. Add freshly made paste of Coconut and Green chillies to it and set it to boil. Let the whole thing simmer for about six minutes. Add diced tomato and freshly made paste of Kothumalli last. Mix well and let it simmer for three minutes. 

Tamper with mustard, chillies, fenugreek (vendhiyum) seeds, broken dhania seeds and Perangayam in Gingly oil. 

Garnish with finely chopped kothumalli and set aside. 

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!!! 
And Don't forget to post your feedback !!!