Varutharacha Sambar, Kerala Style Sambar, Sadya Recipes

       
            As I had mentioned in my earlier post, this whole week till Onam is going to be only Sadya recipes from Kerala. So next in line is Varutharacha Sambar which literally means Roast and Ground Sambar, we have our own Tamilian version of Araichuvitta Sambar, this is Kerala style. As in most of the Kerala dishes, the cooking oil used here is coconut oil and that itself gives a different flavor to this sambar. I have adapted the recipe from here and the sambar tasted really good with both rice and dosas..

Need To Have

• Tuvar Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1/4 cup
• Drumstick - 1
• Potao - 1 medium, diced
• Small Onions/Shallots - 5
• Tomato - 1 small
• Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste  

To Roast And Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup packed
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10

Original recipe here

Method

          Pressure cook the tuvar dal with the turmeric powder and keep. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water, extract the juice and keep.Chop the drumstick into 2" long pieces and cook it with the potato pieces and a little salt in water and keep. Heat a little oil, add the coconut, red chilly, coriander and fenugreek powders, asafoetida and curry leaves and roast. Let it cool, then grind it into a smooth paste and keep.

          Heat some coconut oil, slice the shallots and add, saute it for a minute, then add the tomato pieces and saute for a minute.

          Add the tamarind juice, salt and boil for 5 minutes, then add the cooked vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.

          Add the cooked dal and the ground paste and if needed some water and simmer everything for another 5 minutes and remove. Heat some coconut oil, add the mustard seeds, once it starts sputtering, add the fenugreek seeds followed by the asafoetida and the curry leaves, mix for a few seconds and add this to the cooked sambar, mix and serve.

Note
We can add other vegetables like okra and pumpkin.
While roasting the coconut and spice powders, don't let it turn brown and get burnt, it'll lose all the flavor and taste.
The quantity I have given is enough for 2 to 3 people.