Classic Tamil Nadu Sambar Sadam — sambar flavoured rice for lunchbox, festivals and everyday meals.
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw rice
- sambar (as required)
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 2 dried red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 3 tbsp raw peanuts
- Salt to taste
Method
Cook toor dal: Wash half cup toor dal. Pressure cook with 1 cup water and half tsp turmeric for 4 whistles until very soft and mushy.
Make sambar: Prepare a simple sambar — add tamarind water, cooked vegetables (carrot, potato, drumstick), sambar powder, turmeric, red chilli powder and salt to the cooked dal. Simmer 10 minutes.
Cook rice separately: Wash 2 cups raw rice. Pressure cook with 3.5 cups water for 3 whistles until soft and slightly overcooked.
Mix rice and sambar: While both are hot, combine the soft cooked rice with 2-3 cups of hot sambar. Mix well.
Adjust consistency: The mixture should be soft and porridge-like but not completely watery. Add more sambar as needed.
Season: Adjust salt.
Make tempering: Heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
Add tempering: Pour ghee tempering over the sambar rice.
Add ghee: Add a generous teaspoon of ghee on top — this is essential for sambar rice.
Serve: Serve hot in a deep bowl with a papad and a small cup of extra sambar on the side. Sambar rice is a Tamil Nadu comfort food.