Sambar Rice | Sambar Saadam | How to Make Sambar Rice

Boiled Vegetables, Tamarind juice, Sambar Powder, Salt, and Chilli powder are added to soft boiled Toor Dal and Rice and finally given a Tadka of seasoning. The Sambar Rice prepared in this traditional way is delicious and ideal for packing in Lunch Boxes!!!

Sambar Rice is relished greatly by people of TamilNadu, more than the Telugu people. In Tamil Nadu this preparation is called Sambar Saadam. When you don’t have the energy to make an elaborate meal, and yet want to cook something which takes little time and gives big satisfaction, you can think of Sambar Rice. It is a perfect dish to cook just for these reasons. I call Sambar Rice a 20 minute wonder dish. The Vismai Food style Sambar Rice recipe is simply superb in taste!!!

Even if the Sambar Rice is considered to be a commonly well-known dish, the whole difference lies in the ingredients used, the measurements, and the cooking method. The recipe that I use is perfect because, the way I cook it, the Sambar Rice will never lump up even when it is cold. And, it is tasty no doubt. Before you get down to cook the dish as per the given recipe, I suggest you look at the detailed Tips.

You may also like this recipe Aloo Rice

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Tips

How to cook dal and rice:

• Wash the Rice and Toor Dal and soak for at least one hour. This will ensure that the Rice will cook to a soft consistency when boiled.

• Let the rice cook till soft. But do not mash to a paste. When the Rice cooks in the Sambar, it will anyway mash up a little.

Vegetable Pieces:

• You may use any vegetable in Sambar Rice except Bitter Gourd (Karela). The vegetables that are to be used definitely are Drumsticks, Sambar onions, Ash Gourd, and Ladies’ Fingers. I have used ten kinds of vegetables. You may use more or less than my number! Anyway, use any vegetables that are available to you easily.

• Take care not to use more than 275 grams of vegetables in all, for the measure of rice that I have indicated. If you use more vegetables, the dish will have excess of vegetable pieces, and the taste of the rice will be lost.

Some more Tips:

• If you feel the need to thin out the sambar Rice, add some hot water.

• Mix the sambar Powder, Salt, Chilli Powder and turmeric in the Tamarind juice. This will help to mix the spices in the rice evenly.

• Adding Ghee at the very end is definitely compulsory! The flavour of the Sambar Rice will go to another level of flavourful-ness when ghee is added!!

Sambar Rice | Sambar Saadam | How to Make Sambar Rice - Recipe Video

Sambar Rice | Sambar Saadam | How to Make Sambar Rice

Flavored Rice | vegetarian
  • Prep Time 15 mins
  • Soaking Time 1 hr
  • Cook Time 20 mins
  • Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
  • Serves 6

Ingredients

  • For Boiling the Rice:
  • 3/4 Cup Rice
  • 1/3 Cup Toor Dal (Pigeon Peas)
  • 1/2 tbsp Turmeric (Haldi)
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 litre Water
  • Tamarind Juice:
  • 1/2 Cup Tamarind Extract (from 40 gm Tamarind)
  • 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
  • 2 tbsp Sambar Powder
  • Salt (as per taste)
  • 1/4 tbsp Turmeric (Haldi)
  • 35 gms Jaggery
  • For sambar Rice:
  • 6 tbsp Oil
  • 1 tbsp Mustard (Rai)
  • 1/4 tbsp Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
  • 2 Dry Chillies
  • 2 Sprigs Curry Leaves
  • Asafoetida (little)
  • 7-8 Pieces Drumsticks
  • 1/4 Cup Onions
  • 12-15 Sambar Onions
  • 2 Green Chilli Slit
  • 10 Raw Banana pieces
  • 10 Carrot Pieces
  • 10 Pieces Sweet Potato
  • 6-7 Pieces Ladies’ Fingers (Bhindi)
  • 10 Pieces French Beans
  • 10 Pieces Sweet Pumpkin
  • 10 Pieces Cauliflower
  • 1/2 Cup Tomato Pieces
  • 1/2 litre Hot Water
  • 1/4 Cup Ghee
  • 1/4 Cup Coriander Chopped

Instructions

  1. Wash the Rice and Toor Dal together and soak for one hour.
  2. Cook the soaked Dal and Rice in a pressure cooker along with Turmeric and salt. Let the cooker give 4 whistles. Take off the flame and let the steam subside before opening the Cooker.
  3. Soak the Tamarind in hot water and take out the juice. Mix Sambar Powder, Chilli powder, Salt and Turmeric into the juice and set aside.
  4. Heat some oil and fry the Rai and Methi until the seeds splutter. Then add Asafoetida, dry Chilli, Curry Leaves and Green chillies and fry well.
  5. Add chopped onion and other vegetables. Mix well and close the lid. Let it cook over medium flame until the drumstick pieces get soft.
  6. Once the drumstick gets soft, add the Tamarind juice. Once the tamarind juice comes to two boils.
  7. Add the cooked Dal-Rice mixture and hot water. Close the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
  8. Take the pot off the flame and mix in ghee and chopped Kothmir. Serve with fritters/ fryums (Vadiyalu).

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2 comments

  • S
    sanjana tanguturi
    Recipe Rating:
    Easy and very tasty recipe .I like the whole recipe .Very calm and clean.
  • S
    sanjana tanguturi
    Recipe Rating:
    Easy and very tasty recipe .I like the whole recipe .Very calm and clean.