Sambar rice / Sambar Sadham / Rice with lentils and Vegetables

The rice is a meal on its own. Nutritious. Wholesome Yum! I have chosen to cook the rice and sambar separately and then mix them and let the rice soak up the flavours of the curry and finally serve with Poppadoms/papads.The Sambar can be stored away for another day too for idlis and dosas. Here’s the recipe.

 

Rice : 

Basmati Rice : 2.5 gms (approx  350 gms)

Water : 4.5 cups

Soak the rice for about 30 mins.

In a pressure cooker, add water and let it boil. Add the rice and a few drops of oil. Pressure cook on low medium flame for 2 whistles. Keep it aside.

 

Sambar :

Serves : 5

Toor Dal : 1 cup (my cup measures 160 ml)

Vegetables : Carrots, beans and Drumsticks 1/2 cup each

Tomato : 1

Garlic pods : 2-3, medium sliced

 

Temper

Oil : 2 tsp

Ghee/Clarified butter : 3 tsp

Mustard : 1 tsp

Cumin/Jeera : 1/2 tsp

Red chillies : 3 broken 

Asafoetida a generous pinch

Curry leaves

Peppercorns : 5 crushed

Coriander leaves : a handful

Tomato : 1 Medium

Shallots : 5-6 peeled and halved (Indian variety)

Sambar powder : 2 tsp , I used store-bought Shakthi masala powder

Tamarind : a large marble size soaked in 1/4 cup hot water

 

Soak toor dal for about 30 mins. In a pressure cooker/pressure pan add water and place the bowl with enough water to immerse inside the cooker. 

Pressure cook for about 3 whistles.

After removing from heat, mash up the dal a bit add the chopped vegetables (beans, carrot and drumstick) with chopped tomato and garlic. 

Pressure cook again for 2 whistles.

 

Heat pan, add oil, ghee and heat up. Add mustard wait for it to splutter

Once done add red chiilies, curry leaves, pepper. Stir for about 30 seconds

Now add asafoetoda and shallots. (I didnt add shallots as I didnt have them )Saute for about a minute 

Now add the chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves. Saute till they turn a bit mushy

Add the cooked Dal and vegetables. Finally add the tamarind water and let it cook. Add 3/4 cup water and salt and let it come to a boil

Once boiled , set apart a little of the sambar to the remaining sambar, add rice. It should be a little watery as it will absorb sooner. In about 3-4 mins your rice is ready.

Serve hot with papad, potato fries, fried fish or chicken

 

 

 

Local picks :

Toor Dal is the Katoomba brand

I added frozen drumsticks 

Rice : Khaas brand (Green pack)