Sambhar Uninterrupted

@Amulet,

Thank you for bringing wonderful memories of the Idli, Vada & Sambhar in Welcome Hotel, Purasawalkam. I worked in a place very close to that hotel and I used to leave early from home in Adyar to eat my breakfast here in Welcome Hotel. From 1978 to 1980, I had breakfast in this place everyday.

 

I just red @jskls IDLIISM on Tamil section and @periamma' FB to it. My spouse is just setting the table for me to have Sambhar with idli. Morning we had vadai delivered from Saravana bhawan Porur. Somehow idli vadai sambar an inalienable life patner.
Regards.

 

After Rihana's post, I went on a "Literature Survey" trip on the internet. In the video (#41) I noticed that the servings of sambhars were liberal, viscous, and do not have many floating vegetables.

There is a different sambhar to accompany Tiffin Items (more viscous, no vegetables, and perhaps a little more biting-spicy).

There are a number of youtube videos for making such a Tiffin Sambhar, also called "hotel sambhar", served mostly in restaurants.

Here are some recipes of such sambhars that go with idly, dosa, pongal, and other (usually starchy) tiffin items.

The common theme seems to be the use of Moong dal, pumpkin, and making a fresh preparation of the sambhar masala, rather than use a Sambhar powder.

All of the following videos are in Tamil. [If you do not know Tamil], You may watch them without the audio and catch the drift rather easily.

Saravanabhavan sambar:

Ratna cafe sambar:

Gita Iyer's version:

 

I have watched some of her other recipe videos. She is sweet!

 

She suggests adding some fennel into the masala grind, so as to make the Tiffin Sambar have that familiar aroma of a restaurant sambar !

The reason for my meta-analysis of recipes is to find out the common theme such as sequence-of-addition, identify critical ingredients, minimize the number of ingredients, and see if there are any "pre-mixes" feasible within the recipes, that are conducive to making in larger amounts and storable in the fridge/freezer. The sambar masala (dry or wet) appears to be a good candidate for such a premix. Instead of frying coriander, red chili et.al. and grinding it every time, one should be able to grind enough for a dozen preparations, and put it in the fridge.

 

Yes tats wat I do. Tats easier. But sometimes my DH wants it to be freshly roasted and ground

 

You had made sambhar sound like coffee.

Sambhar powder (sold in stores, as well as made at home) containing roasted red chilis, coriander, and small amounts each of fenugreek, channa, toor, and turmeric is a premix. Good as new if made in small amounts, and stored in the fridge, in a tightly capped bottle. Over a long time, when stored under regular conditions, especially in the tropics, this powder would lose its ooomph, and become more like saw-dust.

When a dH wants it freshly roasted and ground, isn't that a good sign? Any custom request is a good thing to have. In its various facets of martial interaction.

 

I tried Gita's tiffin sambhar. Made sambhar and brinjal potato masala baji

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I am going to send that photo-link to Gita. She will be happy.