sambar vada recipe | how to make south indian sambar vadai

Method10 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Soak the 1 cup urad dal in separate water for 3 hours, then drain. Meanwhile, pressure cook the ½ cup toor dal, tomato (1), turmeric (0.25 tsp) and its 1½ cups water for about 5 whistles according to your cooker instructions, until soft. Let pressure release fully before opening.

   Soak urad for vada · 180 minUses ½ cup toor dal · 1 tomato · 0.25 tsp turmeric · 1.5 cup water · 1 cup urad dal · water for rinsing and soaking urad dal

2. 2

   Step 2: Grind the drained urad dal into a thick, fluffy paste, using about 4 tbsp water and adding only enough for a thick paste. Beat the paste in a bowl to incorporate air. Mix in the 2 green chillies, chopped ginger (1 piece), curry leaves, fresh coriander (2 tbsp), dried coconut (1 tbsp), hing, rice flour (2 tbsp) and ½ tsp salt reserved for the vada.

   Uses 2 green chilli (finely chopped) · 1 piece fresh ginger · curry leaves · 2 tbsp fresh coriander · 1 tbsp dried coconut · 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) · 2 tbsp rice flour · ½ tsp salt

3. 3

   Step 3: Heat the deep-frying oil over medium heat. With wet hands, form small rounds of batter with a hole in the centre. Carefully lower into the oil and fry on both sides until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Drain.

   Uses oil for deep frying · ground beaten urad with chopped aromatics, rice flour, coconut, hing and vada salt

4. 4

   Step 4: For sambar, heat 3 tsp oil with the mustard, sambar hing, dried red chilli (1) and sambar curry leaves. Add the 2 slit green chillies and half onion reserved for the sambar and saute for 1 minute.

   Saute sambar onion chillies · 1 minUses 3 tsp oil · 1 tsp mustard seeds · 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) · 1 dried red chilli · curry leaves · 2 green chilli (slit) · ½ onion (petals)

5. 5

   Step 5: Add the tamarind extract (½ cup), jaggery (½ tsp) and 1 tsp sambar salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the tamarind is cooked.

   Simmer tamarind · 10 minUses ½ cup tamarind extract · ½ tsp jaggery / gud · 1 tsp salt · mustard hing driedchilli curryleaves tempered with onion/greenchilli sauteed one minute

6. 6

   Step 6: Whisk the cooked toor dal and tomato smooth, then stir into the tamarind base.

   Uses pressure cooked toor dal tomato turmeric mixture after full pressure release, whisked smooth · tamarind jaggery salt in fried aromatics simmered ten minutes

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the separate 1½ cups water to adjust sambar consistency and bring to a boil. Stir in the sambar powder (1 tbsp).

   Uses 1.5 cup water · 1 tbsp sambar powder · whisked cooked tomato dal mixed into tamarind base

8. 8

   Step 8: Add the 1 tbsp ghee and boil for 2 minutes. Keep the finished sambar hot.

   Finish sambar with ghee · 2 minUses 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter · sambar adjusted with final one and a half cups water and sambar powder

9. 9

   Step 9: Put the fried vada in warm water with ¼ tsp salt. Soak for 10 minutes, until the vada absorb water, then gently squeeze out excess water and place on serving plates.

   Soak fried vada · 10 minUses warm water for soaking fried vada · 0.25 tsp salt · vada fried golden crisp and drained

10. 10

    Step 10: Pour the hot sambar over the drained vada just before serving. Top with a little chopped onion if desired.

    Uses a little chopped onion for optional garnish · fried vada soaked ten minutes then gently squeezed and plated · complete sambar finished with ghee and two-minute boil