VENGAYA THAL SAMBAR/ GREEN ONION SAMBAR



Sambar recipes don’t need any introduction. Sambar is the ultimate comfort food to many south Indians. When we plan for get-togethers, some of my friends go for a second helping of sambar with rice rather than any elaborate dishes like briyanis or naans. This is my hubby’s favorite too, he can have this with anything, rice, idlis, or even puris. I remember a funny conversation with my mother-in-law just as soon as I got married. We discussing about her regular cooking and she asked me to prepare just sambar and papads for her son and he’ll be contended with that! So you can imagine how often I will be preparing this :) Coming on to this sambar with scallions, this is my dad’s favorite sambar. The flavor of this sambar is simply awesome. This is my regular sambar recipe with some added scallions. I have used just one bunch of scallions here, so that it does not overpower any other ingredients added in the sambar. May be another ¼ cup of chopped green onions can be added in the end for some color.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Toor dhal or red lentils, 1 cup.
2. Small onions, 1 cup.
3. Scallions, 1 bunch.
4. Tomatoes, medium size, 2.
5. Garlic, 2 cloves (optional).
6. Turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon.
7. Tamarind, a small lemon-sized ball or 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp.
8. Chili powder, 1 teaspoon.
9. Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons.
10. Sambar powder, store brought or homemade, 1 teaspoon.
11. Asafetida, 1 pinch.
12. Salt as per taste.
13. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
14. Curry leaves, 1 sprig.
15. Chopped cilantro, a handful.
16. Vadakam, 1 teaspoon, (optional). This is a mixture of dried onions, garlic, and a few spices. I use vadakam for seasoning sambar, rasams, and kuzambus. This can be omitted if not available.

PREPARATION:
Peel the onions and dice the tomatoes finely and slit the green chili into 2. Cut the scallions into small rings. Extract thick juice from the tamarind and keep aside. Wash the toor dhal well and cook the toor dhal along with the turmeric powder, onions, white part of the scallions, tomatoes, and garlic cloves in a pressure cooker for up to 3 whistles. The dhal should be mashed well along with the added veggies. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the vadakam and fry for a 2 seconds. Then add the tamarind juice, along with the chili powder, coriander powder, sambar powder, and salt along with 3 cups of water and let it boil for 10-15 minutes. Then add the mashed dhal, the remainder of the scallions (the green part) and a pinch of asafetida and let it cook for a few more minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Garnish with curry leaves, chopped cilantro, and scallions and serve hot with rice, idlis, or dosas.

34 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Vengaya thaal sambar kanna parikuthu...superaa irruku Gita..

Nithu Bala said...

Making sambar with vengaya thal is very new to me..looks so delicious.Thanks for sharing such a lovely dish..Thanks Dear for your wishes and comments on my blog..

Yasmeen said...

Love this green variation of the spicy sambhar :D

Abhilash Pillai said...

Sambhar is also the favorite curry for my sister. She loves it a lot and even can be seen having it after the idli or dosa has been finished. : )

Treat and Trick said...

Never tasted before, yours look very
tempting Gita..


http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

Nithya said...

I love sambar and this one is tempting too :)

Mythreyi Dilip said...

I love this sambar Gita, my granny used to make both sambar and kootu with vengaya thal. Your recipe reminds me the yummy taste. Thanks for sharing such divine recipe da:)

Sushma Mallya said...

Really interesting,very flavourful and yummy

kitchen queen said...

Hmm----Lovely delicious sambar.I am coming over to have a taste.

chef and her kitchen said...

Never used them in sambar..nice idea dear..

Nandinis food said...

It looks vibrant with that color! I'll try it and I'm sure it'll taste good!

Cham said...

Beautiful color and different flavor!

priya said...

sambhar looks yummy, dear...,must b great with hot rice!

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

This is a different sambhar with different flavour

Deepa G Joshi said...

nice recipe and beautiful click.

www.foodlyrics.com

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Sambhar looks tempting and delicious.

Padma said...

Looks so nice in color and also very healthy Gita.

Malar Gandhi said...

Lol, quite often vengaya thaal sambar...huh:)

I simply love onions, yeah really onions, scallions, spring onions, leeks dominate in my kitchen:)

Agree definetely aromatic sambar.

Ambika said...

Wow, this is new to me, but I'm pretty sure I will love it :)

Parita said...

I love green onions and your sambhar looks fantastic!

Vrinda said...

Lov anything which has onion flavor,nice recipe Gita,very flavorful sambar..

Rachana said...

I love Sambar, this one looks really delicious:)

Siddhi Shirsat said...

hey Gita this is my first visit to ur blog...u hv a awesome blog with yummy recipes...this green onions sambhar recipe is 2 good, i loved the idea of baking chikpeas, vl try it sun and the chocolate pudding luks yummm...i am following ur blog so that i can track all ur future recipes and visit them.

http://siddhiscookingexperiences.blogspot.com/

Namitha said...

Have tasted with sambar onion but this is so innovative, Gita..Looks fantastic :-)

Sarah Naveen said...

This is a new recipe for me..Sounds so yummy...Looks really tempting too

Tina said...

Its a new recipe to me..Sounds yummy and different...

vidhas said...

Sambar with vengaya thal is new to me, looks and sounds yum!!

Shri said...

Slurp!!Mouthwatering Gita!

Raks said...

My MIL makes kootu with this,sambar too a nice idea,I will tell her :)

Hayley said...

wow...looks delicious and tempting...very colourful..waiting for a parcel from you..

Usha said...

Green onions in sambar is such a cool idea, looks delicious !

Vikis Kitchen said...

Very unique recipe to bring in the onion flavor by the onion leaves. Bet it could have tasted lovely like our vengaya sambar. Love to try this version soon.

Deepikaharri said...

I tried your Vengaya thal sambhar and it came out delicious.. I seriously dint know wat to do with spring onions and I googled found your recepie.. Thx a lot.. I made for lunch and kept the sambhar for dinner with Dosa, coconut chutney and Sabhar was divine.. thx a lot

MadhuBala said...

Gita,
AN excellent recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us. Do share more post like this.