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Sambar Vadai Recipe

Sambar Vadai is a popular South Indian dish where crispy lentil fritters (medu vadai) are soaked in hot, flavorful sambar made with lentils, tamarind, and spices. Soft on the inside and rich in taste, it's typically garnished with onions, coriander, and a drizzle of ghee, making it a comforting and delicious snack or breakfast option.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Soaking 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine South Indian
Servings 7

Ingredients
  

     For hotel sambar

  • Toor dal   1/2 cup minus 2 tblsp
  • Tamarind   a small goose berry size
  • Sambar powder   3 tsp
  • Jeera powder   1/2 tsp
  • Small onions | Shallots  20
  • Garlic  1 pod
  • Tomato   1
  • Carrot  1/2
  • Capsicum  1/2
  • Oil    2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds   1/4 tsp
  • Asafoetida  2 pinches
  • Red chili  2
  • Salt  as needed
  • Turmeric powder   1/4 tsp
  • Curry leaves   few 
  • Ghee   1/2 tsp

  For vada   

  • Urad  dal   1 cup
  • Green chili 2
  • Salt  to taste
  • Oil  for deep frying

Other ingredients

  •   Hot water   to soak vadas
  •   Onion   1 (finely chopped) 
  •   Coriander leaves   few

Instructions
 

  • First soak the urad dal for vada and let it soak for an hour.
  •  Let’s start making the sambar.
  • Peel the skin of the onion and garlic . Chop the tomatoes finely.
  • Put the toor dal, onions, garlic and chopped tomato in a bowl and add sufficient water to this.
  • Add turmeric powder and pressure cook the dal for 5-6 whistles.
  • Mash the cooked dal nicely using a ladle or a whisk.
  • Take a thin extract of the tamarind by adding 1 and 1/2 cups of water to this.
  • Chop the carrot and capsicum into small.
  • In a pan add the carrots, capsicum, tamarind extract, sambar powder, and salt.
  • Allow this to boil for 5-7  minutes.
  • Once the raw smell of the sambar powder goes, add the cooked toor dal to this. Add water to bring it a sambar consistency.  Add jeera powder to this.
  • Boil this for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Add the ghee to this.
  • In a pan add oil and mustard seeds. Break the red chili into two. Add the asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds splutter, switch off the flame.
  • Add this to the sambar.
  • Sambar is ready. Mix well and add finely chopped curry leaves. Cover it and keep aside.
  • Let’s start making the vada.
  • Heat oil for deep frying.
  • Shape the vada and  carefully drop it into the oil.
  • Deep fry till brown .
  • Drain the excess oil in a kitchen towel.
  • Boil the water and pour the water in a wide bowl.
  • Soak the vada in hot water for 20 minutes. Add 2 pinches of salt to the water. As the water absorbs the salt in the vada, soaking in salt water will not make the vadas bland while eating.
  • After 20 minutes, take out the vadas from water. Gently squeeze the extra water.
  • Place the vada in the serving bowl and pour hot sambar on the vadas. If the sambar is warm, reheat it and make it hot.
  • Meanwhile chop the onions and coriander leaves finely.
  • Garnish with finely chopped onions and coriander leaves. Add more sambar, if needed while eating the vadas.
  • Serve immediately.
Keyword Sambar Vadai Recipe
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