Sambar vadai

Wish you all a very happy new year. I am back after my vacation. It was a good break after a long time. I was completely away from my computer. Hope you all had great holiday season. Today I would like to share one of the popular South Indian recipe, sambar vadai. Sambar vadai is prepared by soaking medhu vadai in hot sambar. Here i am sharing my version of sambar vadai which came out very well. Hope you will like it too.

Ingredients: For sambar

• 1/2 cup – Split red gram (Thuvaram paruppu/toor dhal)
• 6 or 7 – Sambar onion (small onion)
• 1 big – Tomato
• 1 no – Green chili
• 1 no – Garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp – Red chili powder
• 1 tbsp – Arachuvitta sambar powder
• 2 tbsp – Coconut grated
• 1 no – Tamarind ( gooseberry size)
• 1 stalk – coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Seasonings:

• 1 tbsp – Oil
• 1/2 tsp – Mustard seeds(kaduku)
• 1/2 tsp – cumin seeds(seeragam)
• 2 pinch – Fenugreek seeds (venthayam)
• 2 nos – Dry red chillies
• 1 pinch – Asafoetida
• 5 no – Curry leaves

Ingredients: For vadai

• 1 cup – Whole black gram without skin / Uluntham paruppu
• 2 tbsp – Raw rice
• 1 no – Onion (chopped finely)
• 1 tsp – Ginger (chopped finely)
• 1 or 2 nos – Green chillies (chopped finely)
• 1/2 tsp – Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp – Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp – Coriander leaves (chopped finely)
• 1 tsp  - Curry leaves (chopped)
• 1 pinch – Baking soda
• Salt as needed

Preparation method:

Making of sambar:

1. Grind grated coconut and arachuvitta sambar powder to a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Pressure cook red gram, garlic, turmeric, water and ghee for up to 5 or 6 whistles or until well cooked. Set aside. Soak tamarind in warm water and squeeze off the pulp.
3. Heat oil in a pan, season with items given for seasoning. Add onion, tomato, green chili, required salt and saute for few minutes. Then add turmeric, red chili powder and fry until raw smell goes.
4. Add required water; cover and cook for 5 minutes.Then add cooked red gram along with tamarind juice cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Finally add ground coconut paste and cook for a while or until raw smell goes. Garnish with coriander leaves and set aside.

Making of vadai:

1. Soak whole black gram along with 2 tbsp of raw rice for at least 1hour and drain the water completely. Now grind it to fine paste sprinkling water now and then. Do not add much water as the batter will become watery. For perfect crispy vadai the batter should be in correct consistency.
2. Once the batter is ready, add chopped onions, ginger, green chili, cumin seeds, peppercorns, coriander leaves, curry leaves, baking soda and required salt to the batter, mix well and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Take water in a bowl, wet your right hand take a normal ball out of the batter and make a hole in the middle with your thumb and carefully drop it to the kadai immediately (It comes only by practice). Continue the same process for each and every vadai; you will get the right shape for vadai.
4. Fry vadai in medium flame, turn over to other side once it becomes firm. Take out and drain it in a tissue once it becomes golden brown on both sides.

Making of sambar vadai:

1. Take a bowl, place 3 nos medhu vadai and pour 1 cup arachuvitta sambar on it. Allow them to stay for at least 1 hour or more.
2. Finally sprinkle chopped onion on it and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Notes:

• I like to use arachuvitta sambar for this recipe. You can also use regular sambar for preparing this recipe.
• Your sambar should be little watery since medhu vadai observes water from the sambar that result in dry sambar vadai.