MINI IDLY SAMBAR

south india's famous breakfast, evening snack or dinner recipe... tastes awesome when served hot and with a lot of ghee... though my mom makes this at home frequently from my childhood, i started liking it only after having it in one of my friends place... have to mention what a great cook my friends granny was.. i miss her food these days anyway... my mom got the sambar recipe from her and started preparing this recipe from then on... i eagerly wait for my mom to prepare this because idly is something very rarely cooked in our kitchen since no one likes idly in my home... and now even i learnt how to cook this sambar... but the recipe shown here is cooked by my mom.. because it taste best when prepared by mom's.. there is some magic in mother's hand...  hope this recipe will make you droll... :-) :-)

TIME TAKEN: 20 - 25 MINS, SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:

MINI IDLY’S	AS REQUIRED
FOR SAMBAR:
TOOR DAL	½ CUP
SMALL ONIONS	10 – 15
RED CHILLI’S	2
CURRY LEAVES	10 – 15
ASAFOETIDA / HING	A PINCH
MUSTARD SEEDS	½ tsp
TAMARIND PASTE	2 tbsps.
CUMIN SEEDS (JEERA)	½ tsp
SALT	TO TASTE
TUMERIC POWDER	½ tsp
FOR SAMBAR MASALA:
RED CHILLI’S	4
BENGAL GRAM DAL	1 tbsps.
CORIANDER SEEDS	1 tbsp
FENUGREEK SEEDS (MENTULU)	½ tsp.
BLACK GRAM	1 tbsps.
OIL	½ tsp
FOR GARNISH:
ONIONS	1 (FINELY CHOPPED)
FRESH CORIANDER	FINELY CHOPPED

METHOD:

Ø  Clean, wash and soak the toor dal for 10 – 15 mins. Now add 1 ½ cup water to it and pressure cook it for 2 – 3 whistles. Once the pressure is released, add salt and turmeric powder and mash it softly. Add tamarind paste, 2 cups water, mix well and keep it aside.

 

Ø  For masala, heat ½ tsp oil in a kadai, fry red chilli ’s, now add all the masala ingredients and saute them and off the gas. Cool it down and grind it into fine powder.

 

Ø  Heat 4 – 5 tbsps. Of oil in a kadai, temper 2 red chilli's (optional), mustard seeds and cumin seeds, now add onions and curry leaves and fry them till light brown. Now add asafoetida (do not fry hing for long time, it will turn brown).

Ø  add the dal mix to the onions, and the powdered masala and stir it well without lumps. Allow it boil, off the gas and add fresh coriander (optional) to it.

Ø  In a serving bowl, take mini idly ‘s, add enough sambar to it (till idly ‘s are completely submerged) and add 1 tsp ghee on top of it. Garnish it with finely chopped onions and fresh coriander.

 

Serve it hot…