OATS SAMBAR SADAM/LENTIL AND OATS MEDLEY

I made this dish especially to aid my husband’s diet plan. He has been on a weight loss plan for the past 1 month and he seemed to have lost a lot of weight already, almost like 15 pounds. This plan mainly includes salads, soups, and sometimes whole grains like oats, barley, and grains like that. There is no rice in this plan, so I thought of making sambar sadam/kadama sadam, oats, and lots of veggies, so there was no change in any of his “diet plan” and he still got to eat his all-time favorite food. I have used Irish oats instead of regular oats here because Irish oats tend to retain their shape well when used as a rice substitute and there was no difference in taste. This was like the regular dish I make with rice and much heartier. I have prepared this dish in a pressure cooker to save time since Irish oats take a long time to cook. Alternatively this dish can be prepared in a slow cooker or a regular pan under reduced flame for 1 hour.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Toor dhal or red lentils, 1/2 cup
2. Irish oats or any type of oats, 1 cup.
3. Small onions, peeled, a cup, 2.
4. Tomatoes, medium size, 2.
5. Mixed vegetables, like carrot, green beans, broccoli, spinanch, peas etc, all coming around 1 cup when chopped.
6. Green chili,.1
7. Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon.
8. Tamarind, a small lemon-sized ball or 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp.
9. Asafetida, 1 pinch.
10. Salt as per taste.
11. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
12. Curry leaves, 1 sprig.
13. Chopped cilantro, a handful.
14. 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.

TO GRIND:

1. Shredded coconut or dry coconut powder, 1 tablespoon. (I have used a low fat shredded coconut here. In US, this is available in stores like Wegmans, Whole Foods, or Trader’s Joe).

2. Coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon.

3. Red chilies, 2-3 depending on spice preference.

4. Fenugreek seeds, ¼ teaspoon.

5. Cardamom, 2 pods.

6. Cloves, 2.

PREPARATION:

Wash the lentils and let it soak for 15 minutes. Dry roast the ingredients given under the “to grind section” one by one for 2 minutes under medium flame and let it cool. Grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside. Extract thick juice from the tamarind. Peel the onions, dice the tomatoes and the other vegetables and slit the green chilies into 2. Heat a pressure pan or pressure cooker with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the vadagam and fry for a few seconds. Add the small onions and curry leaves and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are tender. Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies and keep sautéing until everything is blended. Now add the ground paste and fry everything for a minute until the raw smell goes. Add the tamarind juice along with asafetida, salt and 4 cups of water and boil for a few minutes. After 10 minutes (the tamarind mixture should boil at least for 5 minutes to get a good taste, 10 minutes boil is ideal and at this stage the water should have evaporated to 3 cups) add the lentils, the chopped vegetables, and oats, mix everything and cook under pressure for up to 3-4 whistles. Once the pressure is down, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with potato chips and pickle.