THANJAVUR URULAI KIZHANGU SAMBHAR
INGREDIENTS
- Red gram (Tuvar dal) - 1/2 cup
- Castor oil / Ghee - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 2 pinches (optional)
- Small Onions, roughly chopped - 1/4 cup
- Tomatoes, roughly chopped - 1/2 cup
- Green chillies, roughly chopped - 2 to 3, as required
- Garlic cloves, roughly chopped - 2 to 3
- Urulai kizhangu / Potato, cut into one inch cubes - 2 cups
- Tamarind paste, thick - 1 Tbsp
- myleafy Thanjavur SAMBHAR MASALA - 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Ghee - 3 Tbsp
- Mustard seeds, black - 1 tsp
- Small onions, roughly chopped- 1/4 cup
- Curry leaves - 10 to 15
- Red chillies, dried - 1 to 2
- Asafetida / hing - 1/4 tsp (optional)
- Jaggery (optional, but recommended) - 1/2 tsp
- Salt as required
- Heap of love!
METHOD
Step 1 : Pre-cook
Cook red gram with 3 to 4 cups of water, castor oil / Ghee and turmeric powder if needed, until it turns mushy.
Step 2 : Grind
Add the small onions, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic cloves, potatoes and cook well for another 10 minutes or until potatoes turn soft. Add in the tamarind paste, myleafy myleafy Thanjavur SAMBHAR MASALA, jaggery and salt, as required. Mixwell to integrate the spices with cooked lentil.
Step 3 : Temper
Pre-heat a separate pan, pour in the ghee and add mustard seeds, followed by curry leaves, red chillies and small onions. Sauté until the onions turn slightly brown. Switch off the flame and then add asafoetida. Put this entire tempering in to the lentil-vegetable mixture and mix well.
Serve hot with Rice, Idli, Dosa, etc.,
Note: Addition of small onions, castor oil for cooking the lentil and ghee for final tempering is much preferable for an enhanced taste. Jaggery adds a sweet note to the dish. In absence of small onions can be replaced with large ones.