Lemon Rice - Elumichai Sadham

Elumichai Sadham is a simple traditional South Indian Recipe to make which is full of flavor and it is also healthy.

Ingredients needed to make Elumichia Sadham (Lemon Rice)

• Rice – 1 ½ cup
• Peanuts – ½ cup
• Lemon Juice – 3 to 4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
  Urad Dal – 1 tsp
• Bengal Gram – 1 tbsp
• Ginger – 1 tbsp (chopped)
• Green chilies – 2 slit
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – 10
• Salt to taste
• Oil

How to make lemon rice? (elumichai sadham cooking method)

Soak 1 ½ cup of rice in water for half an hour. Cook the rice with enough salt (each grain should be separate and not sticky).

In a pan add little oil and roast the peanuts and keep them aside.

Then heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add Urad Dal, Bengal Gram, chopped ginger, and green chilies fry till the added dal turns brown (it may take 2 minutes) on medium heat. Then add turmeric powder and curry leaves and cook for 15 seconds.

Then add lemon juice to the mixture allow it to boil. Once it starts boiling remove from flame and add cooked rice to the lemon mixture. Also add the roasted peanuts to the mixture and combine well.

Adjust salt and lemon juice as per your need.

This is one of the simplest as well as light dishes in South India. This recipe is suitable for long journey as well as picnics as they make the work of the house wife easier. This is also a healthy lunch box recipe because of the nutritive value of ginger and turmeric.

How to make South Indian Sambar Recipe

Sambar is one of the popular South Indian Traditional Recipe. All the functions and festivals in South Indian will have this Spicy Sambar recipe in their menus. It is served with rice, Idli, Dosa, Pongal and Vada. South Indians are expert in making variety of Sambar Recipes. Some of the common Sambar Varieties are:

• Vegetable Sambar
• Onion Sambar
• Tomato Sambar
• Radish Sambar
• Ladiesfinger Sambar
• Drumstick Sambar

 And many more are available

Today let’s see the how we can prepare sambar by using more vegetables.

The Ingredients listed below will yield 3 cups to serve 2 to 3 persons.

Ingredients:

• Tur dal - 1/3 cup
  
• Tamarind - small lemon sized ball
• Onion -1 finely chopped
• Sambar onion – 4 to 5 (as a whole with skin removed)
• Tomato – 2 (Chopped)
• Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup (Carrot, beans, brinjal, potato, broad beans (avarakkai))
• Sambar powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt as required ( I used 1 tbsp rock salt - use less if using table salt)
• Mustard seeds -1 tsp
• Hing (Asafoetida) - a generous pinch
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli - 1
• Curry leaves - few

Preparation Method

Soak the dal in water for 20 minutes.

Then in a pressure cooker add dal, enough water, one teaspoon oil, pinch of turmeric powder, Asafoetida a generous pinch and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Soak the tamarind in hot water for few minutes. Then extract 1 ½ cups of tamarind juice from the pulp.

Wash all the vegetables and cut them into pieces. Don’t add too many vegetables, then it will end up in giving more vegetable and less sambar, so one cup of vegetables will be fine. (To get one cup of vegetables you can use 1 carrot, 1 small potato, 2 broad beans, 4 beans, and 2 brinjals)

In the meantime pressure could have been gone from the cooker. Open the cooker, and pour little water from the dal in a vessel keeping a small quantity of water in the dal. (The excess water can be used for making rasam or to cook the vegetable for sambar).

Stir well the dal, and then add the chopped vegetables, sambar onion, chopped tomatos, turmeric powder, sambar powder, and salt. Stir well be adding enough water and again pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Once the pressure is gone, safely remove the lid and still softly.

In a pan, add oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot add Fenugreek, and Mustard Seeds when it splutters add Curry leaves, chili and chopped onions. Fry till the onions are cooked. Then add the sambar from the pressure cooker to the pan, add turmeric juice to it and allow the mixture to boil well 2 to 3 minutes and garnish it with coriander leaves.