Sambar Rice, Sambar Sadam

by Tarla Dalal

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सांभर चावल की रेसिपी | सांबर राइस |सांभर राइस | सांभर सादाम - हिन्दी में पढ़ें (Sambar Rice, Sambar Sadam in Hindi)

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sambar rice recipe | sambar sadam | Tamil Nadu sambar sadam | with 35 amazing images.

sambar rice recipe is a combination of rice, sambar, vegetables and sambar sadam masala.

A traditional one-dish meal from the kitchens of Tamil Nadu, the Sambar Rice is enjoyed so much by them that it is made on special occasions as well as lazy weekends!

They need no reason or occasion to make Sambar Rice – if they feel like it, they make it, end of discussion! In fact, in many households, Sambar Rice accompanied by papad and a curry of crisp, shallow-fried potatoes is a taken-for-granted Sunday menu.

With loads of veggies, a tongue-tickling spice paste and cooked dal, this rice dish is deeply satisfying. A dash of tamarind gives an exciting tang to this amazing dish.

Lace the Sambar Rice generously with ghee, and serve it piping hot with crisp papad. You can also serve it with Curry Leaves Chutney Powder or Fried Coconut Chutney.

Learn to make sambar rice recipe | sambar sadam | Tamil Nadu sambar sadam | with step by step photos below.

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Sambar Rice, Sambar Sadam recipe - How to make Sambar Rice, Sambar Sadam

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Preparation Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 48 mins Total Time: 631 hours 3 minutes 3Makes 3 servings
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Ingredients

For Sambar Rice
3 cups cooked rice (chawal)
1/2 cup toovar (arhar) dal , washed and drained
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
6 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 dry red chillies (pandi) , broken into pieces
1/4 cup carrot cubes
1/2 cup red pumpkin (bhopla / kaddu) cubes
1/2 cup shallots (madras onions)
1/2 cup drumsticks (saijan ki phalli / saragavo) , cut into 2” pieces
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

For The Paste
1 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
2 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
6 curry leaves (kadi patta)
4 dry red chillies (pandi) , broken into pieces
1/4 cup grated coconut
2 tsp chana dal (split bengal gram)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

For Serving With Sambar Rice
ghee
papad

Method

For the paste

Combine all the ingredients in a small non-stick pan and dry roast on a medium flame for 5 minutes.
Cool and blend in a mixer along with ½ cup of water till smooth. Keep aside.

How to proceed to make sambar rice

To make sambar rice, combine the toovar dal, and 1½ cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Mix the dal well using a spoon. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and red chillies and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the carrot, pumpkin, onions, drumstick, tomatoes and a little salt and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and 2 cups of water, mix well and cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame for 12 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked dal, prepared paste, rice, chilli powder and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes ,while stirring occasionally.
Switch off the flame, add the coriander and mix well.
Serve the sambar rice hot with ghee and papad.

Sambar Rice Video

Sambar Rice, Sambar Sadam recipe with step by step photos

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A traditional one-dish meal from the kitchens of Tamil Nadu, the Sambhar Rice is enjoyed so much by them that it is made on special occasions as well as lazy weekends. If you like this recipe below are some links of similar recipes :

Recipe Notes for Sambar Sadam

Preferably make use of small grain variety of rice. White rice can be replaced with brown rice, quinoa or foxtail millet to make a healthier version of sambar sadam recipe. If using millets, soak for atleast 2 hours.
While we have used only toovar dal in this sambhar rice recipe, you can mix together other dal like moong dal to make it more nutritious.
We have used carrots, onions, drumstick, pumpkin and tomatoes, you can toss in other vegetables like French beans, brinjal, green peas, potatoes, cauliflower to the sambar rice.
The sambar masala paste can be replaced with our recipe of sambar masala powder. So, if you have pre-cooked dal and rice, you can simply transform them into sambar sadam quickly.

On cooling, the sambar rice/ sambar sadam will thicken, so if serving later, add little water and re-heat and serve.

For The Sambar Sadam Masala

For making the Sambar Sadam, we will first prepare an authentic paste to make the South-indian sambar. In a small non-stick pan, add the coriander seeds.
Add the fenugreek seeds and urad dal.
Add the curry leaves.
Add dry red chillies. We have used the pandi variety of chillies which have been broken into pieces before adding.

Add the freshly grated coconut. If only you don’t have fresh coconut, then add desiccated coconut.
Add the chana dal and the cumin seeds.
Combine all the ingredients.
Dry roast on a medium flame for 5 minutes while stirring.
Once the whole spices turn little darker in shade and aromatic, remove them and cool.

Transfer the roasted spices to a mixer jar.
Add ½ cup of water. If you add more or less water, the spices might not blend well.
Blend in a mixer jar till you get a smooth paste. Keep aside.

For Cooking The Dal For Sambar

For preparing the sambar for Sambhar Sadam, rinse the toovar dal twice or thrice.
Drain the arhar dal using a strainer or a colander.

Transfer the washed and drained dal to a pressure cooker.
Add 1½ cups of water in the pressure cooker, mix well.
Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Mix the dal well using a spoon. Keep aside.

For Tempering The Sambar Sadam

For making the Sambar Rice, heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan. Oil can be substituted with ghee to provide a unique aroma and flavor to the Sambar Rice.

Add the mustard seeds.
When the seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and asafetida.
Add the red chillies and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the carrot cubes.
Add the pumpkin cubes.

Add the onions. If you don’t have baby onions, then chop regular onions into cubes.
Add the drumstick. We have chopped the drumstick into pieces so, it does not take long to cook.
Add the tomatoes and a little salt.
Sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the turmeric powder.

Add the tamarind pulp.
Add around 2 cups of water, mix well.
Cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame for 12 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Check if the vegetables are cooked by piercing a knife, especially the drumstick and then add the cooked dal.
Add the prepared sambar masala paste.

Add the cooked rice.
Add the chilli powder and salt. The masala paste also consists of chilli so, be careful while adding this time.
Mix well to blend the dal, rice and vegetables.
Cook Sambhar Rice (Sambar Sadan) on a medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes, while stirring occasionally. If needed, add some more water to adjust as per the consistency you require.
Switch off the flame, add the coriander.