Onion Sambar and Potato Curry is the classic combination that any South-Indian (vegetarian) would love to eat on any given day! This is a very traditional recipe and I've tried my best to preserve its authenticity. Both my mom as well as mom-in-law make this wonderfully super-delicious! (Pardon my excessive use of adjectives, but I really wanted to emphasize that). Do try it once and you're sure to make it again and again!
 |
| Vengaya Sambar - Onion Sambar |
Yield - for 4 people (or 2 people * 2 meals)
Time - 45 minutes to an hour
Ingredients :
Toor dal - 2 handfuls (about 3/4 th of a cup)
Red Onion - 1 big (or 2 medium)
Mini onions/ Sambar onions - about 25
Set A -
Bengal gram dal/Channa dal (கடலை பருப்பு ) - 1 1/2 tbsp
Dhania / Coriander seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies - 4 (remove stalks and break into 2)
Mini onions - about 6-8 ~ preferred (or) Half of a big onion
Grated Coconut (Fresh or frozen) - 1 handful
Asafoetida / Hing (பெரும்காயம்) - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Set B -
Tamarind - about the size of a lemon
Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tsp
Black Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp (Use the solid block for better taste, as shown
here)
Turmeric / हल्दी/ மஞ்சள் பொடி - 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder - 3 tsp (Any brand will do, as long as you like it. I use Ambika's )
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves/ Cilantro - to garnish
Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)
Procedure :
Preparatory steps -
- Pressure-cook toor dal (துவரம் பருப்பு) with 3 times water, for 3 to 4 whistles.
- Peel the big onion as well as the minions.
Tip ~ Soak the small onions in water for about 15 minutes and then start peeling them. They would soften a bit and would yield easily.
You could do these the previous night, if you want to save time in the morning rush hour :) Please remember to refrigerate the cooked dal and the peeled onions.
Making of the Sambar -
- Soak tamarind in 200 ml of warm water (to save time) for about 10 minutes and extract tamarind juice. Discard the seeds and strands.
- In the mean time, take a tsp of oil in a kadai, keep it on medium-high heat and roast Set A ingredients. Once they turn slightly reddish, switch off the flame, transfer to a heat-tolerant bowl and allow to cool. Grind into a fine paste after about 20 minutes.
 |
| Paste for onion-sambar, roasted in a little oil |
 |
| Paste after grinding |
- Take the same kadai, melt ghee (Clarified butter) and fry the mini onions as well as the medium-sized ones (cubed). You may sprinkle a little salt now. Enjoy the awesome aroma :)
 |
| Onions fried in ghee |
- Take your sambar vessel (usually flat bottomed and made of stainless-steel), pour the tamarind juice and add the fried onions.
- Add turmeric, asafoetida, salt and sambar powder. Let cook until the smell of tamarind disappears slowly. That's about 5-7 minutes.
- Now, add the ground paste from Set A ingredients. Let boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the water from the cooked toor dal first. Then, mash the dal and add to the sambar vessel. Mix well and allow it to boil for about 7-10 minutes.
- Check for salt. At this stage, I would like to add a little jaggery. That really enhances the taste of the sambar.
- Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. You could actually start with mustard and curry leaves in ghee before frying the onions :)
 |
| Onion Sambar -Madras Style |
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
This is indeed, a combo made in heaven 
