Every nook and cranny of South India has its signature style of preparing sambar. And every much-loved Amma in the length and breadth of the South makes a better, yummier version than the next.
Hemant Waje presents his mom-in-law's sambar. His mamiyar, Jyothi Ramesh, hails from Chandrasekharapuram in Palakkad district, Kerala.
A loving mother and doting grandmother, she is a passionate home cook. Amma not only brings the taste but warmth and love to every meal and moment. Once a dedicated teacher, she makes rich traditional South Indian food.
Her dosas are legendary and sambar soul-soothing. Her granddaughter and their friends crave opportunities to tuck into her crisp dosas and adhais.
Photograph: Kind courtesy: Vis M/Wikimedia Commons
Amma's Sambar
Serves: 6-7
Ingredients
- 100 gm toor dal or pigeon peas
- 2 tomatoes, boiled
- 1 lime-sized ball imli or tamarind, pulped
- 1 drumstick
- ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- 1-2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
- 3 cups water + a little extra for boiling the drumstick
- 1-2 tsp salt
- Mixed vegetables, 5-6 pieces of each vegetable, cut into 2-inch pieces, like eggplant, white pumpkin, orange pumpkin, drumstick
- 3 tbsp fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro, for garnish
For the tempering:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp rai or mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
- 8-10 curry leaves
For the fresh sambar masala:
- ¼ tsp methi or fenugreek seeds
- 3 tbsp dhania or coriander seeds
- 5 red chillies (a mix of Kashmir, bedgi chillies, or Guntur chillies)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
- 3 tbsp fresh grated coconut.
Method
For the sambar masala:
- Dry roast the methi to golden brown, over low heat, on a tawa.
Then add the red chillies, coriander, curry leaves, hing and roast for 1 minute more.
Take off heat and cool.
- Grind the spices with a little water, coconut, in a mixer/blender, to fine paste.
- Keep aside.
For the sambar:
- Grind the boiled tomatoes in a mixer and strain.
Keep aside.
- Cut the drumstick into 2-inch pieces and boil in a a little water in small saucepan.
Keep the water aside for use later.
Scrape off the pulp from the drumstick and grind coarsely and keep aside. (This is a secret tip which adds more flavour to the sambar.)
- Pressure cook the dal over high heat for 3 whistles and turn the heat to low and then simmer for 5 minutes and take off heat.
Let the pressure release naturally.
Open up the cooker and mash the dal well.
Keep aside.
- Boil the vegetables in a large saucepan with turmeric powder, hing, salt, 1 cup water.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add in the masala, pulped tomatoes, drumstick paste, drumstick water, tamarind pulp, cooked dal and 1 cup water.
Check the consistency of the sambar and add more water if required.
Heat this mixture over high heat for a few minutes so that all masalas mix well and then take off heat.
- In a small frying pan heat the oil for the tempering over medium heat.
Add the mustard seeds.
Allow it to splutter and then add the ¼ tsp hing and the curry leaves and fry a few seconds and take off heat and add to the sambar.
Garnish the sambar with the green dhania.
- Serve the hot sambar with any variety of dosas, idlis, rice sevai, appam, Kuzhi Paniyaram and rice.