Idly - Sambar

Ingredients:
For Idly:
Idly Rice - 4 cup
Black Gram (Urad dhal ) - 1 cup
Fenugreek seed - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Sambar:
Red Gram (thuvar dal) - 1 cup
Radish or Drumstick - 1 or 2
Brinjal 2
Sambar Onion - 15
Red chili - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Curry leaves - 5
Sambar powder - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (Perungayam)- 1 tsp
Tamarind - A lemon size
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

To Make Sambar Powder:
Red chili - 3
Fenugreek seed - 1 tsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp
Black Pepper - 4
Bengal Gram (Kadalai paruppu) - 1 tbsp
Black Gram (odacha uluntham paruppu) - 1 tbsp
Coconut - 5 pieces 0r 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 (option)
Cloves (lavangam/krambu) - 1 (option)

Note:
Fry all the about sambar powder ingredients one by one separately and grind it well.
Sambar powder is ready. :)


Method:
Idly:
* Soak Rice, Fenugreek seed and dhal separately for 6 to 8 hours. Then Grind it (separately) well.
* Add some salt and mix it together well by hand. Keep it oven (in winter) or outside for 8 hours.
* Take the idly flour (don't mix it) and place it in Idly pan.
* Cook it for 25 min in low flame.

Sambar:
* Wash thuvar dhal and add two cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric powder, little oil and pressure cook till soft.
* Soak (10 to 15 min)tamarind in Hot water and squeeze out the juice.
* Cut onion & tomato into medium size pieces.
* Cut Drumstick as length pieces or Radish as round shape.
* Cut brinjals into medium size pieces, Keep it into the water.
* In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot add turmeric powder and then the mustard. When it pops up, add asafotida(perunkayam), cut onions and curry leaves and fry for a while. Then add tomato.
* Now add the vegetables and fry it for 5 min low flame.
* Add Sambar powder & Fry it for 5 min then add 1 cup of water.Cook on medium flame till the vegetable is soft.
* Mean while mashed the cooked dal and add tamarind juice into it.
* Once the vegetables cooked and soft, add this dal & tamarind juice.Cook on medium flame till boil the sambar.
* Add some salt to taste. Put some coriander leaves on top of the sambar.
* Idly and Sambar ready.

MythiliThiyag