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. 

Grandma Kitchen Storage Tips – Part II

To keep carrots fresh for longer, cut the tops off and place them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.

Fresh soft dates should be kept in plastic bags in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for weeks.

Put leftover soup or soup stock in ice cube trays and freeze. The frozen soup cubes can be wrapped and stored in the freezer. This makes it possible to serve small amounts of soup or use the entire batch for another meal.

A pinch of salt added to ginger-garlic paste will help increase its shelf life though it should be stored in the refrigerator. Butter is best kept in the refrigerator, but as it easily absorbs other flavours, it should be well wrapped and kept away from strong smelling foods.

If leaving white sauce to stand for an hour or two, spread melted butter on the surface so that it forms a thin film thereby preventing formation of skin.

To prevent fresh coconut milk from turning rancid add a pinch of salt to it. This will help preserve it for a few hours. Store leftover fried papads in a polythene bag. They will remain crisp.

To increase shelf life of coffee powder, store it in an air-tight container and place it in the refrigerator.

To keep cottage cheese fresh, wrap it in a muslin cloth that has been dipped in lemon water.For a sweet and spicy flavour, place a small piece of star anise in the cavity of the chicken or duck before roasting or braising.

You can use the leftover royal icing to pipe clusters and stars. Put them on a sheet of waxed paper to dry and then store them for use when required.

Do not waste egg whites if you have recipes which call for yolks only. They freeze very well and can be stored in batches of 3 or 4 egg whites at a time. In fact when thawed, frozen egg whites make much better foam.

If leaving white sauce to stand for an hour or two, rub the surface of the sauce with a lump of butter so that it melts to form a thin coating.

Fresh coconut milk turns rancid fairly quickly, to prevent this, add a pinch of salt to the coconut milk to help preserve for a few hours.

Butter is best kept in the refrigerator, but as it easily absorbs other flavours, it should be well wrapped and kept away from strong.

Lemon halves shrivel in the fridge when unused. Hence freeze them in polyethylene bags so that they are handy for making cold drinks whenever the need arises.

The egg shell is covered with a protective coating that aids in maintaining the freshness of the egg by covering the many small holes in the shell, if this mucin layer is removed by washing or buffing, the holes are exposed for bacterial penetration and dehydration, thus hastening deterioration of quality. So don’t wash the eggs for storing.

An open packet of tomato puree may get a mould or fungus. To store the puree for longer, pour it into an ice tray and freeze. This serves the dual purpose of storing as well as, a few cubes can be removed at a time as required.

Freshly cut fruits can be kept for a longer period by adding a little limejuice or a small dose of vitamin C tablet.

Tomatoes can be kept longer if kept in the freezer, this also helps, when the skins of the tomatoes have to be peeled, as it comes off naturally when the tomatoes thaw.

All ground, dry spices should be stored in a dark place as they tend to lose their flavour in the light.

Before storing spices like coriander, cumin, chilli powder, keep them in the strong sun for few hours or lightly roast them in a frying pan.

When storing cheese in the fridge remove from tin, wrap in cellophane or foil and place in covered container to prevent it from hardening.

Place green fruits in a perforated plastic bag. The holes will allow air to circulate while retaining the ethylene gas that fruits produce during ripening.

Cheese will stay fresh longer if wrapped in Clingfilm once seal is broken. Take care to refrigerate in the chiller tray section of the fridge to keep it good for days.

Olive oil oxidizes easily, which results in the loss of its delicate flavours. It should therefore be stored in tinted glass bottles or in tins or cans to protect it from light and air.

Make crumbs of day old chapatis, dry for two to three hours in a wide plate, bottle and refrigerate. Use later like breadcrumbs or as required, will keep for four to five days in refrigerator.

Store banana leaves like a roll, wrapped in a moist muslin cloth, then placed n a polythene bag. They will stay fresh for a week, if refrigerated this way.

Grandma Kitchen Storage Tips – Part I

After bananas have ripened, store in the refrigerator to help slow down ripening. The skin will turn dark brown, but this does not damage the fruit inside.

Put two to three cloves in the container or jar of sugar to keep the ants at bay.

Set lemon juice with sugar and a little salt in ice trays to make cubes which can be used to make instant lemonade.

Dry fifty grams of mint leaves, powder them and add to ten kilograms of rice. Not only will the mint leaves keep insects at bay, they will also impart a delicious flavour to the rice when cooked.

Put chips and biscuits in a polythene bag and store them in a refrigerator to keep them fresh for a long time.

Tie the shelled green peas in a cloth and dip in boiling water for three minutes. Then dip in chilled water for three minutes. Dry under the fan till the extra moisture is removed and then pack into airtight jars or sealed packets. Freeze and use when peas are out of season.

Coriander leaves will stay fresh if placed in a polythene bag and stored in the fridge.

If you have peeled extra potatoes, keep them dipped in water and store in the refrigerator. They will remain for a couple of days. Storing flour in an airtight container and refrigerating it doubles their storage time.

Put two to three cloves in the sugar to keep ants at bay. To prevent ice-trays from sticking to the freezer surface sprinkle a little salt on the surface of the freezer before placing the ice-trays.

While storing green chillies, remove the stems. This will help the chilies to stay fresh for a longer time.

Potatoes rot quickly if stored near onions therefore store them separately.

Store eggs in a carton and place in the refrigerator itself rather than on the door.

Stale bread should not be discarded, instead toast the bread and powder it in a mixer. Store these breadcrumbs in an airtight container. It can be used for coating food items that are deep-fried to give a crisp outer covering.

To make vinegar last twice as much, divide the vinegar in two bottles and add water, which has been boiled. After a week it will come up to full strength again.

To ripen bananas quickly keep them wrapped in a paper bag in a dark place.

When putting meat joint in the fridge cover it with foil to prevent it from drying.

Sandwiches will keep fresh and moist if put in a polyethylene bag or wrapped in waxed paper or in aluminum foil.

Fresh yeast should be stored in the refrigerator or should be frozen or else it will lose its effectiveness with age.

Salad dressings should always be kept at room temperature and not in the refrigerator as chilling deadens its flavour.

If fish is to be stored for more than a day, clean it thoroughly, rub it with salt and turmeric powder before freezing. You can also use vinegar if you like its flavour.

Mix in fifteen to twenty cloves with every kilogram of dal while storing to prevent it from being attacked by insects. The same cloves can be reused.

When chilling puddings in the refrigerator, cover the containers with cling film or plastic sheet to protect from water and crystal formation in the dish.

Always store aamras and other mango desserts in non-metal containers, because when stored in metal containers they may get discoloured.

Cut off the roots and pack fresh coriander leaves in two to three sheets of newspaper and refrigerate. In this way they remain fresh upto a week or two.

If instant coffee kept in a bottle hardens due to humidity, pour some hot water to dissolve it. Cool and refrigerate. Use as desired but not keep for too many weeks, as it may ferment.

To prevent insects from forming in plain flour store it in clean zip lock bags in a refrigerator. This way the flour will stay fresh much longer.

To retain the crispiness of leftover fried poppadums while refrigerating, keep them in a plastic polythene bag.

To increase the shelf life of dry masalas store them in airtight containers with a cube of asafoetida.

Add a teaspoon of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chilli, along with salt to make them last longer and taste fresher.

Keep roasted chapattis wrapped in a cloth in a closed container. This will help keep them from sweating or getting soggy or getting dry. They will remain soft for a long time.

One may cut and keep vegetables, beans, carrots, etc. previous night for an early meal next day. But put them in a bowl, not tightly packed and slip the bowl into a polythene bag, knotting the mouth loosely. This way the chopped vegetables will stay crisp and fresh till used.

Wrap half-cut raw mangoes in cling film before storing in refrigerator. The mango will stay fresh longer.

Moisture causes baking powder to deteriorate faster. To prevent this store baking powder in airtight containers. Anyway it should not be stored for too long as it loses strength over time.

Grandma Kitchen Cleaning Tips

To clean copper pots, sprinkle a little salt, rub with the cut side of a halved lemon and rinse with water.

Fish smell tends to linger on the pots and pans long after the cooking. Brew some tea (for ten to fifteen minutes) in the pot/pan in which fish has been cooked. Discard tealeaves and water. Fish smell will disappear.

Used milk glasses should be rinsed with cold water instead of hot water before washing, as hot water cooks the milk and makes them harder to clean.

For cleaning vessels add a handful of common salt to the washing powder for better results.

Soak burnt pans in a solution of ammonia and water, for an hour. Clean with used lemon and then with soap and water. They will sparkle again.

To remove tea or coffee stains from pots or cups, rub the stained area with a little salt and rinse afterwards.

To remove unpleasant odours from the oven, place a wide pan with warm water to which used tealeaves have been added and leave it to stand in the oven for some time. Even a bowl of warm water with vinegar or lemon juice does the trick.

To cut grease and odour on dishes, add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

You can clean darkened aluminum pans easily by pouring in two teaspoons cream of tartar mixed in some of water. Place on heat and boil for 10 minutes.

To unclog a drain, mix a cup of salt with a cup of baking soda. Pour these into the drain, and then add a pot of boiling water.

If you drop an egg on the floor, cover it with salt an let it remain like this for a couple of minutes. You will be able to easily clean the mess with a paper towel.

Grandma Cooking Tips

Peel and cut potatoes and boil them in water to which a little vinegar is added. They will be done in no time and will retain the texture as well.

If you have forgotten to soak pulses like chana overnight, just put the chana in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready for cooking.

Add a little oil and turmeric powder to the dal before placing it in the cooker. It will get done in ten minutes flat.

While cooking ladyfingers (okra) add a few drops of lemon juice or a spoonful of yogurt to avoid becoming sticky.

To preserve the white colour in cauliflower and cabbage, add a teaspoon of milk or milk powder while cooking.

The art of making good naan khatais lies in beating of the mixture till it becomes light and fluffy. Also only vanaspati should be used to make them.

When boiling potatoes for cutlets add the salt to the water itself as potatoes absorb salt better this way.

Never beat idli batter too much because the air which has already incorporated during fermentation is lost.

To reduce fat in the chicken by about 10 grams per serving, remove the skin before marinating it.