Recipe

SAMBAR SADAM

Ingredients

Rice	1/2 cup
Toor dal	1/3 cup
Tamarind	marble size
Mixed veggies or vegetable of your choice	As needed
Shallots/small onion,peeled	1/2 cup
Green chillies	2-3
Tomato	1
Sambar powder(ready made)	1/2 tsp
Turmeric	1/8 tsp
Asafoetida	1/4 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Coriander leaves,chopped	2 tblsp
Jaggery	1/2 tsp

To roast and grind to coarse powder

Red chillies,long variety	4
Channa dal	1 tblsp
Coriander seeds	1 & 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds	1/4 tsp
Coconut	2 tblsp

To temper:

Oil/ghee	1 tblsp
Mustard	3/4 tsp
Jeera	1 tsp
Asafoetida	1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Cook rice and dal,extract tamarind juice and keep aside. I cook rice and dal separately as I do not like rice get mashed too much(which will happen if we cook together rice and dal). So If you want you can cook both together too.
2. Heat kadai and roast to golden brown,the ingredients under ‘To roast and grind table’ with a tsp of ghee/oil except coconut. Roast coconut separately.
3. Cool down and grind to coarse powder and keep a side.
4. Heat kadai and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table. Add curry leaves followed by onion,slit green chillies and fry till the onions start to turn golden.
5. Add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
6. Add the tamarind extract,bring to boil. Add the turmeric,sambar powder,asafoetida and the chopped veggies.
7. When the vegetables get cooked,add jaggery,the ground sambar powder and bring to boil.
8. Add the sambar powder gradually while stirring,as there are chances of forming lumps.
9. Add this to the cooked rice.I used a pot shaped pressure cooker for making sambar rice. Add the mashed dal and mix well with out mashing the veggies. Add hot water if its too thick. I just mix under low flame for 2 minutes.
10. Let the sambar rice be in a loose consistency. After cooled down, it tends to get thick,so let the consistency be according to that.Top with 2 tsp ghee and coriander leaves.

    Notes:

    • I added 1/2 of a  drumstick,1 brinjal,1/2   carrot and 1/2 potato. You can add your choice of veggies.. I like potato the best…
    • While adding the veggies,add the veggie which takes longer time to cook first,follwed by the other veggies depending on their cooking time.
    • I usually cut the veggies in to small pieces to ensure easy cooking(except drumstick and brinjal in this case)
    • I have used both the sambar powder,you can use only one too,adjust the quantity accordingly.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    JEERA RICE

    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    Ingredients

    
    

    Rice	1 cup
    Onion	1
    Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp
    Salt	As needed
    Ghee	1 tblsp
    Cahewnuts	12

    
    

    To temper

    Oil	2 tsp
    Cinnamon	1
    Cardamom	1
    Cloves	1
    Shah jeera	1 & 1/2 tsp

    
    
    

    Method

    Soak basmati rice for atleast 30 mins. Heat a small pressure cooker with oil, temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ in order. After adding jeera, do not let it burn.
    Add thinly sliced onion, fry till transparent, add ginger garlic paste. Fry till raw smell goes away. Add drained soaked rice. Mix well.
    Add 1 & 1/2 cup water (I add 1 & 1/4 cups of water only) and salt. Mix well and bring to boil. Keep in lowest flame possible and close the lid with pressure valve. Cook for 14 mins or for 2 whistles in medium flame.
    Once done, fry cashews in ghee until golden and mix with the rice. Be careful to not to break/ smash the rice. Be gentle.
    

    Notes

    Soaking the rice for long time ensures using less water while cooking, yet give soft rice grains.
    Adjust the water quantity according to the quality of your rice, the pressure cooker you use and the flame you keep for cooking.
    You can make it plain without cashew nuts too.