When we make mixed rice varieties one of the recipes that needs extra care and cooking is sambar saadham or sambar rice and when it is made for neivedhyam /prasad, onion is not added. It can be made with just one vegetable or with a few vegetables. It is similar to araichu vitta sambar
Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Thuvar Dal - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 5 cups
Tamarind paste - 3 tbsp
Gingely oil - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Dhania - 2 tbsp
Thuvar dal - 1 tbsp
Channa dal / Kadala paruppu - 1 tbsp
Red Chilly - 8 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Hing - 1/4 inch piece (or 1 tsp powder)
Salt (preferrably rock salt) - 1 1/2 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 12 to 15 nos (finely chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - /12 spoon
Vegetables to use:
Carrot - 2 nos
Potato - 2 nos (medium sized)
Beans - 150 gms 1(can also be avoided)
Green peas -1/2 cup (if using dry peas soak it the previous night)
Chow chow - 1 no small size
Brinjal - 2 nos (round ones medium sized)
Pumpkin - 1/4 kg
Method:
Wash and Soak 1/2 cup dal and rice seperately for 30 mins. Pressure cook it with 3 cups of water. Add 1 spoon of gingely oil to it. Once cooled and pressure is released mash it well. Transfer it to a bowl and keep that in a shallow plate with hot water so that it does not gets lumpy.
Pressure cook 1 cup dal with a pinch of turmeric powder and mash it well.
In a hard bottom shallow pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and 2 tbsp of gingely oil. When it gets hot add dhaniya, thuvar dal, channa dal in the same order. When all these changes colour add hing and red chillies. Fry all these for 5 mins add 1/4 cup of curry leaves, grated coconut and mix them all well till the coconut turns slightly golden. Remove from flame add the cumin seeds and let it cool. When cold grind it with 1/12 cup of coriander leaves to a fine paste by adding 1/4 cup of water.
Heat 1 cup of water and add the tamarind paste to it and make it tamarind water.
Peel and chop carrots, chow chow and potatoes to cubes. Beans to 1 inch pieces. Brinjal to cubes, peel and cut the pumpkin to big pieces. If it is dry green peas pressure cook it seperately. If it is normal green peas add it along with the other vegetables. Pressure all with a pinch of turmeric powder and 1/2 spoon of salt for just 2 whistles. Let it cool.
In a hard bottom pan add 1 tbsp of gingely oil and 1 tbsp of ghee and once hot add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the tamarind water slowly to it. Add the salt and bring it to boil. Once it starts boil add the pressure cooked vegetables and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for a while. When it starts boiling add the ground paste and mix well. Keep stirring so that it does not settle at the bottom but is mixed well with the tamarind water. Once it thickens add the mashed dal and mix it well and bring it to boil.
In a shallow vessel transfer the rice and add sambar slowly and keep mixing till it reaches the perfect consistency.
In the tadka pan add the gingely oil and ghee. When hot add the finely chopped cashew nuts. Spread the remaining curry leaves on top of the mixed rice. Pour the cashew nut tadka on top of the curry leaves. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup coriander leaves and add it on top. Keep coered so all the flavour and frangrance is enhanced. Mix well before serving.
Serve hot with fried appalam or pappadam or with potato kara curry.
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