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TRS Iyengar
INGREDIENTS
Method:
In the frying pan, first dry roast, Fenugreek, Jeera and Mustard. Roast
till Fenugreek
becomes brown and mustard starts popping. Remove from heating and
let it cool.
Now add oil in the pan first, put Black pepper. Once black pepper starts
bursting,
add chillies and Dhania and Turmeric roots made into small pieces.
toast and turn till it equally fried.
The above is just a ready-made Rasam Powder that can be used for 20
days to one month for a family of four. One heap
teaspoon is sufficient to make Rasam for 4 of a family. You can add
according to your needs.
Note: Keep the heat to sim or minimum to avoid the ingredients getting
blackened. Attend to it and toast/mix contineously.
Now - to prepare the Rasam with above ready-made powder, please use
the following method:
Take it out of stove, now take a teaspoon of Gingili Oil, boil it, add the
mustard seeds in the oil, let it pop-up and settle; then add
this oil into the prepared Rasam and cover it with a plate.
You can get the above mixed and ground at any flour mill. Do not powder it too nice but a
little more crushed would suffice. Leave this for a while in the open and then put it in
bottle/tin and keep the lid tightly closed. This Sambar powder can be used for a time over 45
days to two months for a family of 4 members, if used daily. For larger gatherings and get
together preparations, this would be handy to use. While preparing the sambar, please add
salt to tase and Asafeodita (Hing known in Tamil as perungayam).. Add cut egetables in little
quantities while boiling the Sambar proposition. This simply superb Sambar is very tasty with
fine odour for your taste.
What is sambar?
Sambar is a thick liquid item, which optionally has little amount of cut
vegetables added to is. Sambar can be used as side dish for mixed rice like
curd rice
or even for tiffin items like Chappathi, bread etc.
Keep toor dhal (Bengal gram) with little turmeric powder mixed, in cooker.
Once it gets cooked, add 2 or 3 ladles of the cooked toor dhal to the boiling
sambar during step 7.
Steps/To-do:
5. Soak tamarind in water in a bowl & drain the water ('puli jalam') into a
vessel.
6. Add salt & fried mixture (from step4) into puli jalam (Tamarind juice).
7. Boil the liquid of step 6.
8. After 5 to 7 mins of boiling, pour a mixture of flour (any flour like rice flour,
wheat flour, etc) + water into the boiling sambar.
9. boil for 2 mins & there, your paruppu sambar is ready to eat! enjoy!
If sambar powder isn't readily available from shop, the following preparation
is to be made:
a. Take the following:
coriander powder (3 spoons)
channa dhal (1 & 1/2 teaspoon)
dry red chillies (5 nos.)
fenugreek (1/4 spoon)
b. Pour oil in frying pan & heat it. Put the above ingredients in pan & fry it till
they turn brown.
c. Grind them in mixer. Add coconut pieces if available & grind that too.
d. The above preparation is to be added instead of sambar powder.
By TRS Iyengar
Ingredients: (Choose only any one from the list : Manathakkali vattal,
Sundaikkai, or fried Pakarkai - Karela)
For Seasoning:
Method:
Fry the 'vatha kuzhambu masala' as listed above ingredients first. Each
seperately in little oil, till they turn to golden to reddish color. Infact very
aromatic! Then wet-grind them togather, using very limited water. Set this
masala aside.
In a non-reactive bowl, soak tamarind with 1-2 cups of luke warm water for 1-2
hours. In a blender, run this along with the same soaked water and extract a
thick tamarind milk. Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan,add few spoons of oil. Fry the dry vathal
(either one 'manathakkali/ sundaikkai). Fry them till they turn to dark brown to
black, Set aside.
In a the same pan, heat remaining oil. Now add thick tamarind milk, salt,
turmeric powder, jaggery, rice flour and chili powder. Cover and cook over
medium heat for about 12-15 minutes.
When the tamarind's raw odour leaves the pan and it starts to consolidate; add
'vatha kuzhambu masala' and 'fried vathal'! Bring this to boil. Again switch to
medium heat and cook without lid. Maybe till the raw odour of wet-ground
paste is gone. The gravy should really thicken now. Wait till oil shows up on
sides and top. Then remove from heat.
In a seperate pan, heat oil, add the tempering spices one by one and wait till
they pop. Now run this seasoning over the gravy made above. Always season
your gravy at last, like a final touch...it makes it really aromatic!!!
Now Iyengar speciality Vathal kuzhambu is read to serve warm with plain
steamed rice. A spoon full of gingili oil would go with it. Enjoy the " Iyengar
Vathal Kuzhambu" a speciality of Srivaishnavas!