Mini Idli with Sambar

Ingredients For Making Onion Sambar

• • Thuar dal - ½ cup
• • Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
• • Onions (small) - 1 cup
• • Tamarind (soaked & extracted) - lime size
• • Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon
• • Salt - as required
• • Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
• • Tomatoes - 2
• • Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• • Coriander leaves - a little

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Ingredients For Grinding

• • Oil - 2 teaspoons
• • Besan dal - 1 teaspoon
• • Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
• • Red chillies (dry) - 2
• • Asafoetida - ½ teaspoon
• • Coconut - ¼ cup
• • Water - as required

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Ingredients For Seasoning

• • Oil - 2 teaspoons
• • Mustard seeds - ½ teaspoon
• • Fenugreek - ¼ teaspoon
• • Red chillies (dry) - 2

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Method To Make Onion Sambar

• 1. In a pressure cooker, place a vessel with thuar dal and turmeric powder. Add sufficient water in the vessel and in the pressure cooker. Cook for 3 whistles. Keep aside.
• 2. Fry onions in oil until transparent. Keep aside.
• 3. In a frying pan, heat oil. Fry besan dal, coriander seeds, dry red chilly and asafoetida until golden brown.
• 4. Grind smoothly the fried ingredients with coconut and sufficient water. Keep aside.
• 5. In a saucepan, add tamarind water, sambar powder, salt, turmeric powder, fried onions and tomato. Cook until onions are cooked and the raw sambar powder smell disappears.
• 6. Add cooked thuar dal, the grounded mixture, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Keep aside.
• 7. In a frying pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek and dry red chilly. Fry until the mustard seeds start spluttering and fenugreek becomes golden. Add this seasoning to the sambar.
• 8. Serve with rice or have as an accompaniment to idli or dosa.

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Ingredients For Making Idli

• • Par boiled rice - 3 cups
• • Urad dal - 1 cup
• • Rock salt - 3 teaspoons
• • Ghee - 1 tablespoon
• • Coriander leaves - a bunch

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Method To Make Idli

• 1. Soak dal and rice separately for 3 hours.
• 2. Grind dal till smooth and frothy.
• 3. Grind rice coarsely.
• 4. Mix ground dal & rice with salt. Keep aside to ferment for 15 hours.
• 5. Pour the batter into greased mini idli plates. Steam for 7 to 8 minutes in idli or pressure cooker.
• 6. In a bowl, add idlis. Pour sambar on top of the idli to cover.
• 7. Pour melted ghee.
• 8. Garnish with coriander leaves.