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Any one would be delighted to hear the recipe cooked with restaurant style at home. I am sure of that kind. This is a tamilnadu style Hotel Sambar more like Saravana Bhavan Sambar. I love this with idili, dosa, pongal and other tiffin items. The ground Masala added at the end gives the extra taste.
Hotel Style Sambar


Hotel Sambar / Tiffin Sambar
 
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Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Toor dhal - ½ cup
  • Turmeric - ½ tsp
  • Oil - 3 tsp
  • Mustard - ½ tsp
  • Onion - ½ ( Medium )
  • Green Chili - 4 nos
  • Curry Leaves - 1 strand
  • Tomato - 1 no
  • Tamarind - ¼ lemon size
  • Sugar - 1¼ tsp
TO GRIND :
  • Red Chili - 6 nos
  • Channa dhal - 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek - 1 tsp
  • Coriander Seed - 3 tsp
  • Poppy Seed - ½ tsp
  • Cumin Seed - ½ tsp
  • Raw Rice - 1 tsp
  • Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Instructions
PREP:
  1. In a small pan, add little oil, fry the Raw rice in “To Grind section ” for 1 minute.
  2. Fry the coconut separately for 2 minutes.
  3. Fry the remaining items in the “To Grind ” for 2 minutes.
  4. Allow it to cool down. Grind all these together to a fine powder.
  5. Pressure cook toor dhal with turmeric, oil, 3 cups of water for 2 whistles and mash it after it cools down. Soak tamarind in ½ cup of water and extract the juice. Chop Onion, Tomato. Split open green chili.
COOKING:
  1. In another pan heat oil and mustard. When the mustard starts spluttering add big onion, green chili, Curry Leaves, tomato and fry till the tomato is cooked.
  2. Add tamarind juice, salt , cooked toor dhal mix and allow it to boil for 3 – 5 minutes untill the raw tamarind smell leaves. Stir often to avoid burning the bottom.
  3. Add Ground powder – 2 tsp, Sugar and mix well. Taste the dhal, if required add some more ground powder. Do NOT add all the ground powder as it would turn the recipe overwhelming with spices. Add little by little until your taste buds feels right.
Notes
This is a good combination for Idili, Paneeyaram, dosa and Ven pongal. Recipe from my Mother-in-law.