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Hotel style Sambar is an easy, tasty and quick side dish for idli, vada, dosa or rice. This is just like the one served at Tiffin Centres and restaurants.
Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew, cooked with red gram and tamarind broth. It is a dish of great prominence in the South Indian cuisine.
It is one of the most commonly cooked dishes in the South Indian household, which has managed to make a place in the hearts of people around the world. Personally, sambar is one of my most favorite dishes. My mother used to cook sambar mostly when she made idlis, but I would include sambar in the three meals of the day. In the morning, when it is freshly made and piping hot, I would add a few drops of ghee to it and have it with idly (this one you should definitely try, as the ghee gives the already tasty sambar a unique flavor).
In the afternoon, I would have it with steaming hot rice and pappadam. As it is made primarily from red gram and tamarind juice, it stays fresh and tasty even till night and we can have it with rice or idly at night.
There are several other serving suggestions like you can have it with dosa, vada, idiyappam or you can even sip it from a bowl (like a soup). The last suggestion seemed a bit confusing right…but it is a common habit in South India and my favorite serving suggestion too.
There are many variants based on different regions like the Tamil sambar, Udupi sambar, chaaru, etc. Here I am going to describe the procedure for the plain hotel style sambar.
Sambar without vegetables
After many trials and errors I finally ended up with a super delicious Hotel style sambar recipe especially for idli and dosa.
A delicious sambar can do wonders to breakfast.
Jaggery is the secret ingredient here which makes this sambar just like the one you get in breakfast hotels in India and i am sure you will relish and enjoy the subtle sweetness of jaggery in sambar.
This hotel style sambar has a hint of sweet taste with a bit of spiciness. Goes well with idli dosa pongal.
The recipe is very easy and simple to make with few basic ingredients.
Here are the key ingredients required –
Lentil (dal): Lentils form the base. Usually it’s made with toor dal (split pigeon peas lentil) but can also be made by mixing moong and toor dal or masoor (red lentils) and toor dal.
You can cook the dal either in a stove top pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Sambar powder: the taste of the sambar depends heavily on the sambar powder which is a spice mix made by grinding several spices. Use your favorite brand of sambar powder or make one at home.
Tamarind & Jaggery: these ingredients add the little tartness & sweetness to the sambar respectively.
Other Ingredients – Other than the above ingredients, you will need turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, curry leaves, dry red chilies, oil, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, green chilies, onion, and tomato.
Use fresh curry leaves, as they are very aromatic and deliver a nice flavor in the Sambar.
The consistency can be adjusted to preference. This particular sambar should be on the thinner side.
Every household has its own recipe for making this scrumptious lentil stew.
Hotel Style Sambar| Easy tasty sambar for idli and dosa
Recipe by Syed AsmaCourse: Main CourseCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium
Servings
3
servings
Prep time
10
minutes
Cooking time
30
minutes
Total time
40
minutes
South Indian lentil stew made with onion, tomato and spices!!! This flavorful, tasty sambar goes well with Idli, Vada, Dosa and Rice.
Ingredients
Ingredients to be pressure cooked
Toor Dal (split yellow pigeon peas) – 1/4 cup
Turmeric – 1/8 tsp
Salt to taste
Water – 1 cup
Ingredients for Sambar
Oil – 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Red chilies – 2
Onion – 1 medium sized (diced)
Tomato – 2 medium sized (diced)
Salt to taste
Green chilies – 2
Chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/8 tsp
Tamarind juice (soak gooseberry sized ball of tamarind) – 2 tbsp (adjust according to taste)
Water – 3 cups
Sambar Powder – 3 tbsp
Jaggery – a small 1 inch piece or 1 tsp
Coriander – a few sprigs (chopped)
Directions
Pressure cook dal
Rinse 1/4 cup toor dal, changing water several times until water runs clear.
Put rinsed dal into a pressure cooker and add 1 cup water, 1/8 tsp turmeric and salt to taste.
Pressure cook the dal for 4-5 whistles or until dal is soft.
Once the pressure settles down, open the cooker. Mash the dal and keep aside. (Use a hand blender or traditional way to mash dal).
Let’s make Sambar
Now, in a heavy bottom kadai (or keep the cooked mashed dal aside and use the same pressure cooker.) add 2 tbsp oil.
Once the oil is hot, add 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds.
Once they splutter add a few curry leaves and 2 red chilies.
Now add diced onion and cook until the onion softens.
Then add diced tomato, salt to taste and cook until tomato completely melts and sort of disappears.( Meaning no firm pieces of tomato should be there).
Add 1/8 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 2 green chilies and cook for another 5 minutes on medium flame. Stir it at regular intervals.
Now add pressure cooked dal, 2 tbsp tamarind juice(or as per taste), and mix well.
Add 3 cups of water.
Now add 3 tbsp of Sambar powder and stir well. Cover and let it cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes open the lid and adjust the taste. ( If needed, adjust salt and tamarind juice etc).
Now add a small 1 inch piece or a tsp of jaggery(or as per taste) and mix well.
Add chopped coriander leaves and let it cook for another 3 minutes on medium flame.
The Sambar is ready. Serve the sambar hot with idli, vada, dosa or rice.
Notes
The sambar should not be too thick, so do not overcook it at the end.
You can mix sambar powder with a little bit of water and then add it.
The sourness and sweetness of tamarind and jaggery depend upon a lot of factors so always adjust them to taste.
Throughout the cooking process, keep the flame on medium.
It is simple, healthy, nutritious, comforting and loaded with the goodness of tuvar dal. It is rich in protein. When served with rice or idli makes up for a complete meal.
I have made this many times to perfect it. If you make it and love it, please rate it.
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Paneer Jalfrezi is a delicious, gluten-free, one-pot Indian stir fry (sabzi) with cottage cheese (paneer) and vegetables. It is quick, easy, tasty and takes less than 30 minutes to get ready. Jalfrezi is probably the best side – dish to serve with roti or naan.
The word ‘Jalfrezi’ or ‘Jhalfrezi’ or ‘zalfrezi’ is a combination of two words Jhal + Pharezi. Jhal is a Bengali word for spicy and Pharezi in Urdu means suitable for diet. Hence, a spicy stir fry of vegetables suitable for eating.
Originally, it was invented in eastern India during the colonial era to suit the British palate. A medium-hot Indian dish consisting of paneer with fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions.
Over the years the vegetable jalfrezi became highly popular because it’s so easy to adapt and customize. Plus the taste has a hint of spices yet not so much chili or heat. Perfect for a novice Indian food lover.
I think of it as an Indian stir fry packed with a blend of mixed vegetables, some protein & a lot of spice.
Recipe by Syed AsmaCourse: Main CourseCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
15
minutes
Cooking time
15
minutes
Calories
350
kcal
Total time
30
minutes
Paneer Jalfrezi is a simple Indian Vegetarian side dish made with vegetables, paneer and Indian spices. This easy paneer recipe is made in just 15 minutes and tastes best paired with warm rotis or parathas or naans.
Ingredients
300 Gram Paneer (cottage cheese), cut into strips
1 Cup sliced onion or 1 big onion sliced
1 Cup sliced yellow bell pepper or 1 medium sized yellow bell pepper
1 Cup sliced green bell pepper or 1 medium sized green bell pepper
1 Cup sliced tomato or 1 big tomato sliced (discard pulp and seeds)
1 Teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 Teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 Tablespoon ginger & garlic paste
1 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Teaspoon turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
2 Teaspoon coriander powder
4 Tablespoon mustard oil or cooking oil
1 Tablespoon Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenugreek Leaves crushed
Ingredients For Garnish:
Ginger juliennes – Thinly sliced ginger
Chopped coriander leaves (Cilantro)
Directions
Heat 4 tbsp oil in a wok or stir fry pan over medium flame.
Add a tsp of cumin seeds and a tsp of nigella seeds. Cook for 10 seconds. Add 1 cup sliced onion, fry till onion softens. Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute.
Next, add 1 tbsp tomato ketchup/ sauce, salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder and 2 tsp coriander powder. Stir to combine. cook the masala over low heat for 2 minutes.
Add the colored bell peppers( you can use red or yellow in combination with green) , and fry again on high flame for 2 minutes to cook the vegetables.
At last add 300 gms paneer strips, 1 cup sliced tomato, 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, and gently mix them until all the masalas coat all the vegetables and paneer. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes but do not stir very frequently otherwise paneer will crumble.
Sprinkle ginger juliennes and chopped coriander leaves before serving.
Jalfrezi is a quick stir-fry and has a crunch to it. Hence, do not cook the vegetables for too long.
Cut all vegetables and paneer lengthwise for this recipe.
Adjust the amount of red chili powder as per your taste preference. If you want to make it spicier, add sliced green chili.
Instead of tomato sauce, you can add tomato pasta sauce or canned tomatoes along with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
You can even add slit green chillies if you like it hot and spicy.
My secret to a restaurant-style Vegetable Paneer Jalfrezi is adding a little tomato ketchup. Ketchup adds sweetness and binds this curry well. You may add tomato paste instead with 1/2 tsp of sugar.
How to make Vegan Jalfrezi?
To make vegan jalfrezi either skip adding paneer (cottage cheese) or use tofu instead of paneer for Tofu Jalfrezi. Vegetable Jalfrezi without paneer is naturally vegan.
What to do with leftover Paneer Jalfrezi?
The leftover jalfrezi can be stir-fried along with steamed rice to make a pulao/fried rice or use it as a stuffing for wraps and sandwiches.
Paneer Jalfrezi Hot Dog.
You can even put this jalfrezi in a hot dog bun with your favourite sauces(Mayonnaise) and make a Paneer Jalfrezi Hot Dog.
Can you make this stir fry ahead of time?
Yes, you can do it two ways-
Slice the vegetables and paneer and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days in advance and just stir fry when needed OR
Make the stir fry and store it in the fridge for 2 days ahead of time.
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Finally, I’d love to know your thoughts about this dish!! Please leave a comment or share a picture on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #thecraftsandkitchen or #craftsandkitchen or #craftsnkitchen or tag me @thecraftsandkitchen.
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