Sambar Rice | Sambar Sadam
Sambar Rice, known as Sambar Sadam in Tamil, presents a delectable and soothing combination of sambar and rice cooked in unison. This South Indian dish incorporates lentils, rice, and vegetables, offering a nutritious and satisfying meal option.
Ingredients
For Cooking Rice And Dal
- 1 cup rice
- ½ cup toor dal (tuvar dal, arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
- 3 cups water – for pressure cooking
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (gingelly oil)
For Making Tamarind Pulp
- ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
- ⅓ cup hot water
For Cooking Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil)
- ⅓ cup thickly sliced onions or pearl onions or shallots
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- 1.5 cups chopped mixed veggies – like french beans, carrots, capsicum, brinjal, pumpkin
- 1 drumstick (medium to large), use tender drumsticks
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or paprika
- 2 to 2.5 cups water or add as required
- salt as required
- 1 tablespoon Sambar Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ghee – optional
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (gingelly oil)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 3 to 4 dry red chillies – halved and seeds removed
- 12 to 15 curry leaves
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
Cooking Rice And Lentils
- Rinse together rice and toor dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils) a couple of times in water. Drain all the water and add both rice and dal in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
- Add ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
- Pressure cook for 15 to 16 minutes on medium heat.
- When the pressure falls naturally on its own, remove the lid and check if the rice and lentils are cooked together.
- Mash lightly and keep aside covered. In case the lentils are undercooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for some more time.
Making Tamarind Pulp
- Meanwhile when the rice & lentils are cooking, soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Later squeeze the tamarind pulp extract in the bowl of water and keep aside.
Cooking Veggies
- So when the lentils and rice are cooking, you can also start to prep and cook the veggies. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a pan.
- Add ⅓ cup thickly sliced onions. You can also use pearl onions or shallots.
- Sauté for 1 minute on a low to medium heat.
- Then add 5 to 6 curry leaves (kadi patta) and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing).
- Sauté for a couple of seconds then add ½ cup diced tomatoes. Mix and saute tomatoes for 2 minutes.
- Next add 1.5 cups chopped mixed veggies like french beans, carrots, capsicum, brinjal, pumpkin and 1 medium to large drumstick. Sauté the veggies for a minute.
- Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder. Mix again very well.
- Now add 2 to 2.5 cups water or add as required.
- Season with salt as per taste. Stir to mix.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the veggies on medium-low to medium heat for 16 to 18 minutes. Do check in between.
- Simmer till the veggies are almost cooked. Then add the tamarind pulp.
- Next add 1 tablespoon sambar powder. You can also add more sambar powder if you want. Mix very well.
- Continue to cover and cook till the veggies are cooked well and the raw taste of tamarind disappears. So cook for a further 5 to 6 minutes or more on low to medium heat.
Making Sambar Rice
- When the veggies are cooked tender and softened, then add the lightly mashed dal and rice.
- Mix everything thoroughly. if you want a more liquid consistency in sambar rice then add some hot water at this step and then mix again.
- Then add 1 tablespoon ghee. Ghee can be skipped if you want.
- Mix again. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.
Making Tempering
- Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a tadka pan or a small frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Then add 3 to 4 dry red chilies, 12 to 15 curry leaves and 1 generous pinch of asafoetida (hing).
- Stir and fry till the red chilies change their color and become dark. Take care not to burn them.
- Pour this entire tempering mixture on the sambar rice. Mix very well.
- Serve sambar sadam plain or you can accompany with a side veggie dish, curd (yogurt), pickle or appalam (papaddums). You can also dot with some ghee while serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 488kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 14gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 529mgPotassium: 342mgFiber: 8gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3966IUVitamin C: 96mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 2mg
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