VENKAYA SAMBAR.

METHOD OF PREPARATION

INGREDIENTS

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 saute 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 Tamarind goes off. Now add semi cooked baby sambar onions and springs of curry leaves and sliced green chillies. Let it boil for about two to three minutes. Now add three spoons of Sambar powder,one spoon of chilli powder and diced tomatoes and turmeric powder. Let the whole thing simmer for about six minutes. 

Take down the half cooked sambar and keep it aside. Take the grilled onion, remove the burnt outer cover and make a paste of the onion in a mixi. Add the paste of coconut and onion now to sambar and slowly heat it on medium flame til it boils for about three to four minutes. Temper with mustard, chillies, fenugreek (vendiyum) seeds, broken dhaniya seeds and Perangayam. Garnish with finely chopped kothumalli and set aside. 

POINT TO REMEMBER  

Sambar must be made atleast 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.!!!

150 gms of Thoram parappu (Toor dhall)
3 Spoons of Sambar powder (Please refer to my sambar powder recipe)
100 gms. of sambar venkayam (small onions)
2 springs of curry leaves
4 Green chillies sliced into half
1 spoon of Perangayam(Hing)
3 medium sized Sambar Tomatoes diced in 1/2 inch pieces
Oil for tempering
1/2 spoon of mustard seeds
1/2 spoon of Fenugreek seeds
1/2 spoon of broken Dhaniya 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)
1 fairly large onion to be grilled on fire till outer cover is black and make paste of it in a mixi/blender
2 tea spoons of freshly made paste of Coconut
1/2 cup of Kothumalli

OPTIONAL ADDITIVES
You can add vegetables like Brinjal, Lady's finger .Radish, kirai(bhaji) beans , carrots, etc for different variations of sambar.
But VENKAYA SAMBAR means pure venkaya sambar without any additives.