Mixed Vegetable Araichuvitta Sambar / Kadamba Sambar

Kadamba Sambar is a special sambar made on special occasions and contains more vegetables and lentils in it, and its very filling too. With a good side curry or aviyal or vadai, it tastes very good. Uses of making this kadamba sambar are countless in our house. I can either serve this kadamba sambar separately with a good curry or make a quick kadamba Rice for everyone at one shot or serve this Kadamba sambar with Idly, Dosai, Pongal during tiffin time. So I tend to make this sambar very often at home.

Ingredients

Cooked Toor Dal / Thuvaram Paruppu / Kandhi Pappu - 1 Cup

Tamarind Juice - 1.5 cup

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Sambar Powder - 2 tbsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds / Vendhayam / Menthilu - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 stem ( if you have )

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar or Jaggery - 1 small teaspoon

Vegetables List

Small Onion - 10 or 12 

Ripe Tomato - 1 Medium Size

Chow Chow - 1/2

Carrot - 1 Small Size

Drumstick - 1 Medium One

Brinjals - 4 Small Size or 2 medium ones

Potato - 1 Medium Size

Beans - 5 or 6

Frozen  Peas or fresh peas - 1 Handful

For Grinding

Coriander Seeds - 2.5 tbsp

Fresh Coconut or dry coconut powder - 1 tbsp

Dry Red Chillies - 4 or 5

Black Pepper - 4 or 5 seeds

Method

1. First wash the Thuvar Dal and cook it in a pressure cooker. After its cooked, mash it thoroughly and keep it aside.
2. Soak a lemon size tamarind in a luke warm water and extract the tamarind juice without any of its dirt and pieces and keep it ready.
3. Wash all the vegetables and cut them into smaller cubes. Cut the drumsticks into five medium size parts. Keep all the veggies ready.
4. Now, in a heavy bottomed vessel, add little oil and add coriander seeds, dry red chillies, black pepper seeds and coconut. Slightly fry them till you get a nice aroma on a medium flame. After it cools down, grind them together in a mixer grinder and keep it separate. Dont keep it open.
5. In the same vessel, on medium heat first add the Olive Oil. When it gets heated, add the Hing  / Asafoetida , mustard seeds, jeera , fenugreek seeds ( Vendhayam / Methi seeds ) , one dry red chilly, Curry leaves.
6. When tempering is done, add all the small onions into the vessel. Add a pinch of salt to it. Fry them for 2-3 minutes till they get fried and look semi cooked.
7. Now add the ripe tomato pieces into the vessel. Fry them nicely till it becomes soggy and pasty.
8. Add all the powders now to the mix in the vessel. Mix and fry them for a minute.
9. Add all the cut veggies into the vessel now. Add a pinch of sugar only. No salt at this stage too.
10. Fry all the contents in the vessel ( all veggies mixed with the powders ) for a minute. Close the vessel with a lid and let them cook with the steam inside for 2 minutes. Keep the heat on a low flame.
11. After 2 minutes, open the lid and add the extracted tamarind juice into the vessel.
12. Add little more water making it half the vessel. Add salt at this stage into the vessel.
13. Mix everything once more and close the lid. Let the sambar cooks and and you will smell a nice aroma coming out of the closed vessel. Now your kadamba sambar is in good form.
14. After 8 - 10 minutes, open the vessel and check to see if the vegetables are cooked fully. If not, close it and let the process continues.
15. After its all cooked, you will notice that the sambar would have become little thicker and the quantity would have reduced little lower in the vessel.
16. Then add the mashed dal water to the sambar. Make sure that the heat is on medium level only not on High.
17. Add the grounded powder also into the Kadamba Sambar.
18. Let the Sambar cooks for 3-4 minutes. Then switch off the flame and let the sambar settles down completely with all the spices, veggies and Dal.
19. After that, the tasty kadamba Sambar is ready to serve with Rice or in any form.

Variations

You can add any vegetables of your choice but try to cut the veggies into uniform shapes.

You can add more dry red chillies if you want the sambar to be more spicy.

You can generously add 1 or 2 tbsp of ghee on the top of Sambar before serving if its served on special occasions.

Tips

If you dont cook the dal softly, the sambar consistency will not be proper. Make sure that the Toor dal is cooked completely.

Dont cut the vegetables in bigger form for this Sambar. If its in medium size, they cook faster and easy for the kids too to eat all the veggies if given as Kadamba Rice. ( They wont be given a chance to pick their unwanted veggies and keep it in the side while eating!!!)