Amma’s Sambar Vadai is simply out of the world. I love it very much. There is nothing to match it. As this is my favorite she always makes it on my Birthday. I can survive weeks on just this.
So here is Sambar Vadai, her trade mark special and my favorite on the Mother’s Day and wishing all the mothers across the world “A Very Happy Mother’s Day.
Sambar Vadai
You’ll Need:
For Making Vadai:
Urad Dal | 1 cup |
Salt | To Taste |
Oil | For Deep frying |
For Making Sambar:
Tur Dal | ½ cup |
Yellow Pumpkin | 50 gms |
Onion | 2 |
Tomato | 3 |
Tamarind | 1 small lemon size |
Mustard seeds | 1 tsp |
Asafetida | 2 pinch |
Salt | To taste |
Curry leaves | 1 sprig |
Coriander leaves | 3 tbsp |
Oil | 2 tbsp |
Jaggery or Sugar (Optional) | 2 tsp |
For Making Powder:
Whole red Chillies | 8 |
Channa dal | 1 tbsp |
Whole coriander seeds | 2 tbsp |
Cumin seeds | ½ tsp |
Fenugreek seeds | ¼ tsp |
Dry roast all the above said ingredients in a kadai together to a deep brown color over low flame. This may take some time, so don’t get impatient and burn them in the process. Powder finely in mixie and keep aside.
For Making Vadai:
Soak the Urad dal for an hour and grind it to a thick batter using little water. The batter should be very thick and not watery. Heat oil in a kadai and add salt to the prepared batter. Mix well.
Shape the batter in the form of ball and flatten over a plastic sheet. Slip it slowly into the hot oil. Cook till golden brown and remove on an absorbent paper and put them directly in the sambar (See How to Serve).
For Making Sambar:
Chop the yellow pumpkin roughly and pressure cook along with tur dal with enough water for 2 or 3 whistles. Mash well. Soak the tamarind in some hot water and extract pulp.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, when they crackle add the chopped onions and cook till it becomes translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook it turns mushy.
Add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil. Add the finely ground powder, asafetida, curry leaves and salt and simmer for 5 mins.
Now add the cooked dal and water, if needed to the consistency you want and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add coriander leaves and Jaggery or sugar, if using and take off the stove.
How to Serve:
Take a 1/4 portion of the sambar in a separate vessel. To this add 1/2 cup of hot water and salt to taste. Mix well. Put the vadais in this portion of liquefied sambar. Let it soak for 10 – 15 minutes.
Place the soaked vadais in the serving plate. Pour the remaining sambar from the 3/4 th portion of the sambar kept aside over these vadais. Sprinkle coriander leaves over them and serve hot.
Notes: | Do not add rice flour to the vada batter to make it crisp as they need to soak in the sambar. |
Add jaggery of sugar to the sambar to get the authentic taste and a hotel feel. | |
You can also add chopped onions over the vadais while serving but I prefer not to as they it loses the typical south Indian flavor. |
