Instant sambar for idli

Instant sambar for idli

Idli is a staple south Indian breakfast. Steaming hot idli with piping hot sambar is one of my favourite combo. The thought of pressure cooking the tuvar dal and preparing the sambar for breakfast phew!! It sounds very elaborate.
I have stopped doing that now,after having discovered  this effortless instant sambar.
here goes the recipe. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:
Shallots/small onions- 2 cups
Tomato- 1 big size chopped
Channa dal/split gram dal- 1 tbsp
coriander seeds/dhaniya- 2 tsp
cumin seeds- 1 tsp
dry red chillies- 2-3 ( or more acc to taste)
Cinnamon - 1 " piece
fresh coconut or dry coconut- 2 tbsp
Tamarind pulp- 1 tbsp
turmeric- 1/8th tsp
hing- a generous pinch
jaggery- 1 tsp
oil-1tbsp
coriander leaves- 1 tbsp chopped

For seasoning:
Oil- 1 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
Heat a wok, once hot dry roast the channa dal , coriander seeds, jeera, separately and set aside. Heat a drop of oil fry the red chillies and cinnamon.set aside. Switch off the stove and roast the coconut just for few seconds.
Take all the roasted ingredients in a mixer  jar and grind it into fine powder.
Peel the shallots and keep them ready. Heat a wok add a tbsp of oil once hot add hing and turmeric followed by shallots. Add a tbsp of tamarind pulp and water. Cover and cook until the shallots are done. Now take half the cooked shallots and set aside.

Add chopped tomato cover and cook until tomatoes turn mushy.
Take the tomato and onion mixture along with the ground powder and blend it to smooth paste by adding water.
Take the ground paste along with the remaining  cooked shallots in a thick bottomed vessel. Add curry leaves, more tamarind pulp if required( if tomato is not sour enough) jaggery , add water and adjust the sambar to desired consistency and bring it to a boil. Heat a tsp of oil in a wok add mustard seeds  turn off once it splutters . Add this seasoning to samabar. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve hot with idli.

Note:

To make it even more simple you can skipthe dry masalas/spices( from 3 to 7)

 and the roasting procedure and add store bought sambar pwd  to onion tomato mixture and blend it into smooth paste. grated coconut can be added once the tomatoes are cooked .The rest of the procedure remains same.