Easy, Lip-Smacking Sambar Rice Recipe Just For You! - 24 Mantra Organic

Who hasn’t heard of the spicy and sour delicacy, sambar? Whether it is served hot with the crisp, delicious dosas, or with soft and fluffy idlis, the taste of a well-made sambar is unforgettable.

Sambar is a speciality in the Southern states of India – especially Tamil Nadu. Here, in addition to dosa, idli and wada, sambar is paired with hot steamed rice as part of the lunch menu.

What Makes Sambar Rice So Special?

Sambar rice is unique and preferred across many demographics because unlike the basic sambar and rice combination served separately; it is served as one dish. Sambar rice is a one-pot meal which takes minutes to cook from scratch.

However, do not think that sambar rice recipe from Tamil Nadu and the Bisi bele bath from Karnataka are the same. They might look similar at first glance, but the spices that go into making the recipe are very different. But one thing is the same for both these South Indian recipes – they are best when served with potato chips.

According to Harvard Health, a balanced nutritious meal is a mix of vegetables, fruits, proteins and carbohydrates. Vegetables and fruits should make up half of your plate. Lentils, cheese, or lean meats should be included as proteins on your plates. The carbohydrates part of meal should include whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, etc.

What makes this sambar rice recipe so unique is that in one pot you get lentils, rice, vegetables, and healthy oils. Include a portion of fruits to finish your meal, and you have yourself a truly nutritious plate of food.

How to Make Sambar Rice Recipe?

If you not sure how to make it, here is an extremely easy recipe you can follow to make delicious sambar rice.

There are several sources you can find that have different recipes to make sambar rice like Hebbar’s Kitchen, Veg Recipes of India, and even Chitra’s Food Book.

What makes a sambar rice recipe truly amazing is the organic spices that you use to make the sambar powder. The true, pure flavor of organic spices makes all the delicious difference!

Here is the list of organic ingredients you need to make the sambar powder paste.

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
• 1/2 teaspoon chana dal
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon grated coconut
• 1 teaspoon oil

Ingredients for Sambar Rice

• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup cooked toor dal
• 1 cups of cooked rice
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 tomato roughly chopped
• 1 cup of cut vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, ladies’ finger, capsicum, drumstick, or any vegetable of your choice)
• 2 -3 cups of water
• Salt as per required to taste

Method to Make Sambar Powder Paste

• Heat oil in a pan and add the jeera, urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds, methi seeds and dried red chillies from the sambar powder ingredients list. Sauté in the oil for a minute.
• Add the grated coconut at the end and give it mix for a couple of minutes. Switch off the flame and allow the spices to cool.
• Once cool, grind the spices along with sufficient water to make a fine paste. Keep it aside till all the other elements are ready.

Method to Make the Sambar Rice

• Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Then squeeze out the pulp and keep aside the tamarind water.
• In a pressure cooker, add the oil. Once it is heated, splutter the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and the curry leaves.
• Once the spices turn aromatic, add the onions and cook them till they turn translucent. Then add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and sauté for a few minutes. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and mix well.
• Close the cooker and attached the whistle. Allow the cooker to release 1 whistle on a medium flame before switching the flame off.
• Allow the pressure to settle before opening the cooker.
• Add the cooked organic toor dal and cooked organic rice to the sambar and mix well. Add salt as per the required taste.
• Add the remaining water to the pan and bring the sambar rice to a soft boil.
• You can garnish the sambar rice with a teaspoon of ghee and a few curry leaves.

Tips to Make Sambar Rice

• If you are using a pan to make the sambar, after adding all the vegetable and the cup of water, close the pan and allow the vegetables to cook through. You can also use an instant pot to make sambar rice. Adjust the volume of water depending on your choice of vessel.
• Generally, more water is added for making the sambar rice recipe. Sambar rice should have a thick sludge-like consistency when completely cooked. If the water added is not sufficient, the sambar rice will become hard like a brick, and this takes away from the experience of enjoying a bowl of sambar rice.
• The vegetables added for sambar rice can be in any combination as per your preference.
• If you want to make recipe healthier, instead of white rice, use organic brown rice.
• Instead of freshly ground masala, you can also use store-brought sambar masala.
• Toor dal and rice can be cooked together. There is no need to cook them separately.
• When making the sambar rice, you can substitute the oil for ghee for an added richness.
• The addition of shallots (small onions) instead of a normal onion will make the sambar rice taste even better. You can find shallots in stores specialising in South Indian products.
• You can add a tablespoon of organic jaggery at the end to balance out the sourness of the tamarind.

Sambar rice recipe is a simple meal to include all the needed elements of a nutritious meal in one single dish.

The ingredients used for sambar rice are staple items found in your kitchen. So why don’t you try this recipe for lunch tomorrow – we are sure that you will enjoy it!

 Try 24 Mantra Organic’s Sambhar powder and try the delicious Sambhar rice recipe!