Idli sambhar
Steamed rice and lentil idlis with a vegetable sambhar
Soft, fluffy steamed idlis of rice and urad dal, served with a tangy, lightly sweet pigeon pea lentil sambhar full of vegetables: aubergine, drumsticks, bottle gourd and potato, tempered with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves and kokum. Serve with coconut chutney. The batter is ground the day before and left overnight.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 15
Ingredients
For the idli
For the dal
For the seasoning
For the tempering
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Wash 1 ⅛ lb pishori rice and 4 ½ oz husked black gram lentils (urad dal) and soak them separately in water for 7 hours.
5 minStep 2: Grind each separately into a thick paste, adding only a little water. Mix the two pastes with 2 tsp salt and leave overnight.
Step 3: When making the idli, stir in 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp black pepper and 3 tablespoons of warm 8 tbsp oil. Grease the idli moulds with a little of the remaining oil.
Step 4: In a small bowl, mix 2 cups of batter with 1 teaspoon of 3 tsp fruit salt (Eno) thoroughly. Pour into the greased moulds and steam for 10 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
30 minStep 5: Let the idli cool slightly before removing them from the moulds.
Step 6: For the sambhar, heat 2 tbsp oil and add 3 dried red chillies, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 4 cinnamon sticks, 15 curry leaves and 3 kokum. Add 3 medium onions and sauté until tender.
5 minStep 7: Add 1 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp green chilli paste, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 4 tbsp jaggery, 2 tsp sambhar masala, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp tamarind juice and 2 tsp salt, then 9 oz pigeon pea lentils (toor dal), 1 medium aubergine, 3 drumsticks (moringa), 5 ½ oz bottle gourd, 1 medium potato and 4 ¼ cups water. Mix well.
Step 8: Cook for 10 minutes. Add 6 tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
25 minStep 9: Garnish with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve the sambhar with the idli and coconut chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does idli sambhar take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 15 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of pishori rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of husked black gram lentils (urad dal)?
- Bengal gram lentils (chana dal), same amount.
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