‘Sambar Rice’ is basically where we add various mixed vegetables and cooked along with dal and rice and spiced up with sambar powder.It tastes mostly like sambar mixed with rice but as we cook everything together the ingredients blend nicely and tastes better compared to sambar mixed with rice. Vegetables like carrot, green beans and potato lends a nice flavor and taste to this rice,so do not miss adding them to it. I tried this sambar rice and it really tastes yummy. I added the vegetables to my taste and I’ve also added the green chilli. This is really a very nice recipe and easy to make too. I’ve suggested this recipe to my friends and everyone said it came out really good.
- Rice - 1 cup
- Red Lentils - 1 cup ( You can use any lentils u love)
- Turmeric powder - a pinch
- Salt to taste
- Tamarind pulp - 1 table spoon
- Onion chopped - 1
- Garlic crushed - 2-3 cloves(optional)
- Ginger crushed - a small piece (optional)
- Tomato chopped - 1
- ( 2 cups of vegetables of your choice ,I used -)
- Carrot chopped - 2
- Green Beans - a handful
- Potato - 1
- Green Peas cooked - 1/4 cup
- Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Sambar Powder - 1 to 2 tablespoons ( use as per ur spice level , I prefer Shakti brand)
- Grated coconut - 3 - 4 tablespoons
- Curry leaves - 5-6
- Cinnamon - a small stick
- Cloves - 3-4
- Cardamom - 3-4
- Mace - 1
- Dried red chili - 2
- Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
- Oil - 1 tea spoon
- Butter / Ghee- 2-3 tablespoons
- Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon( optional)
- Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
- Curry leaves
- Peanuts / cashew or anything you love - a handful
- Hing - a pinch ( optional)
- Cilantro - for garnishing
- Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain and cook well( almost mushy).Set aside. ( I used a rice cooker ; for 1 cup of rice 3- 3.5 cup of warm water) Wash and rinse red lentils , soak for 15-20 minutes, drain and cook with turmeric , salt and enough water.Soak tamarind pulp in a cup of warm water.
- Spice mix:- Heat a tea spoon of oil in a pan and fry grated coconut and curry leaves , when it starts turning the color add dried red chili and other whole spices and fry . Switch off the flame , add sambar powder and fry in that heat .Grind to a smooth powder in a coffee grinder.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan and add onion and saute , followed by crushed ginger , and garlic. Add tomato , chopped vegetables except green peas, saute for a couple of minutes .
- Add salt to taste, spice powder , soaked tamarind with water , cooked lentils and pressure cook for a single whistle or cook till the vegetables are tender. Uncover and add green peas and hing.
- Slowly fold in cooked rice and combine well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.( or take another pan mix rice and sambar as per your consistency and let heat through).
- Make the tempering and pour over the rice. Serve warm with chopped cilantro and fried pappadums!
