Hotel Sambar recipe

    

 Just the uttering of the word "Hotel Sambar" fills my senses with that magical aroma which accompanies the sambar. I have often longed for replicating a hotel sambar at home. One of my relatives always says, the aroma comes due to the simple trick of frying sambar powder in oil & adding it to the concoction, as against the normal homely cooking by adding the raw sambar powder in the boiling tamarind extract and dal mixture. I got reminded of these, when I was watching Samayal Samayal show, where the chef was demonstrating hotel sambar. As a result of the temptation, I jumped in to try this sambar for lunch, with the pre-plan of having the idlies dipped in it for the evening tiffin. :P

Prep Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 40 mins || Serves: 4 || Category: Sambar / Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:
1. Toor dal - 100 gm
2. Moong dal - 25 gm
3. Tomato - 2 (small)
4. Shallots - 10
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Green chilly - 1
7. Tamarind extract - 100 ml
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tsp
10. Salt - as required
11. Sambar powder - 3 tbsp
12. Oil - 3 tbsp
13. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
14. Hing - 2 tsp
15. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Method:
1. Wash toor dal and moong dal together. Add required quantity of water and pressure cook for about 6 whistles.

2. Chop the tomatoes, slit the green chilly & peel the outer skin of shallots. 

3. After 6 whistles, rest the cooked dal for about 20 mins and then mash it well. To the mashed dal, add tomatoes, shallots, curry leaves, green chilly and mix well. Cook for about 5 mins.

4. Add turmeric powder and kashmiri chilly powder.Cook for 5-7 mins allowing the sambar to boil. 

5. Parallely in a kadai, heat oil & splutter mustard seeds in that. Add sambar powder and stir well for a few seconds. Then add hing to the oil and mix well. Switch off the flame and transfer the contents to the sambar. Stir well, bring it to a boil and switch off the flame. Add the chopped coriander leaves and keep it covered.

Suggestions:

• Adding kashmiri chilly powder is optional. It is added for the purpose of giving a bright color to the sambar. 
• The combination of vegetables can be altered as desired. Brinjal, shallots, drumstick and tomato combo gives a perfect taste.
• Adding moong dal gives thickness to the sambar. 

Tastes great with Rice, Idli, Dosa etc.