Sambar Rice Hotel Style

Whether ur South Indian or not! Whether u have tasted sambar rice before or not! This recipe is a gud chance to experience a flavorful bliss at home!!

Its a real bliss when u can prepare something which is eaten is hotels, paying much higher price for just little, when we can make more of the same price! of course our labour counts ;)

I never had sambar rice in my mind from the time ive started blogging or even at home when I cook. Until I saw a post in fb groups and instantly wanted to try out. When i said at home my mom n bro 1st said a bigggg noo!! then my mom knows me I said i want to try a little atleast!!. She said okkk make little only ;) but let me tell u the secret, little will never remain little at any cost :P

Seriously When I made,  It doubled and I had to change pot. Later i was able to manage things! And result was utterly delicious sambar rice. I can eat more!! More than my tummy can asks for :P


Here comes the recipe with Ingredients Im splitting up so that u dont see a big list of ingredients and drop ur plan to cook this delicious meal!

The quantity of ingredients mentioned below serves : 4-5 people Generously! You can half the quantity if making for 2-3 people. 
Rice - One and half cup
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Soak rice and dal together, More the soaking better to cook

Lemon size tamarind - Soaked in water 

Veggies:
Shallots 12-14 / Onion Half sliced
Carrot - 1 large Chopped
Potato - Medium size Chopped
Beans - 4-5 Cut 1 inch length size
Peas - 1/2 cup
Drumstick - 1 cut into 2-3 inch lenth
Brinjal- 1 large or 2 medium cut into larger chunks
Tomatoes - 1 large or 2 medium size chopped
(use any vegetables u have readily the point of using all these veggies are to create hotel taste at home)

Tempering
Oil - 1tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Hing - 1 pinch

Spices:
Turmeric Powder 1/4th tsp
Sambar powder - 3 tbsp
Salt according to taste


Method

- Take a pressure cooker Larger in size say 7 liters I used 5 liter cooker and It was small. So had to change pot later but thats very fine no issues, no messing up!!

- Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add in Mustard seeds let it crackle, Fenugreek seeds Curry leaves and hing. 
- Add in shallots/onion and saute it for a minute or 2
- Add all the veggies and mix it well saute it for another minute. Add turmeric powder and sambar powder mix it well
- Add daal and rice give it a mix Add 4cups of water + 1 cup of diluted tamarind water extract. Add salt n mix
- If u are using a bigger pressure cooker,

cook it for 3-4 whistles and ur job is done ;) 

- If ur using smaller one like I did! just cook it for 15 mins in medium flame. Open the lid and change to bigger pot.
- Rice and dal would have become mushy, You may find the Sambar rice dry, Do not worry, add some more water adjusting to the consistency u need. Add some more sambar powder if u desire, Cook for some more time say 10- 15 mins in medium flame Till u feel its done. 
- Drizzle Ghee Before Serving!
- Serve it hot! With Papad/ applam.

Notes:

- Use any veggies you like, But dont omit drumstick and brinjal I dont know why, but these 2 ingredients are widely used when making sambar itself, It gives a exotic flavor feels so much authentic with these 2 veggies
- If u are changing pot and cooking dont worry the taste wont be compromised  In fact you can make alterations of spices and salt at this stage.
- Sambar rice tends to thicken when cooled, so adjust the water consistency accordingly
- As sambar rice thickens to lump when kept for longer time, if u need to reheat it, just add little more water, sambar powder for adjustment and salt if required
- You may garnish it with coriander leaves and onion too.
- Some people like to add 1tsp of jaggery, you may add if you like
- My way of changing pot and cooking, cooked the vegetables just right!! And drumstick dint break too
- Dont use sour tomatoes, if u got sour tomatoes then reduce the amount of tamarind extract you are using

Still there r various methods to make this meal, as I browsed The easiest way I found was to Cook dal and rice separately and do the tempering in a different pot, add veggies and spices, when vegetables are cooked add the rice and dal mix it! Im sure it taste gud the difference of method is found from place to place. But im highly satisfied with the method I mentioned above

Reason: The flavors of veggies and spices Rightly infuse into the rice and dhal mixture while pressure cooking/ or even if everything is cooked into one Pot. When things are cooked separately you cannot enjoy that. 

How can I reason out this?
When my mom used to make sambar rice ages back she used to mix sambar and rice separately. The taste would not be the same as we eat in hotel we can just distinguish that rice is separately cooked! and the fusion taste of whole things go missing :)

 
Cooking With White

Cooking With seeds: Rice