Sambhar is very versatile. You can use almost any vegetable to make this wonderful dish . It brings out the real taste and flavour of the vegetable without overpowering it. Eventhough any sambhar is a sambhar (:D) you can't find many similarity in taste between drumstick sambhar and radish sambhar. Sambhar acquires its taste depending on the vegetable used.
Radish sambhar is loved by many. My dad is a great fan of this humble vegetable. Sometimes I think radish is born to pair with sambhar. They make a wonderful combo !!! I hardly could love radish this much in any other form.
I brought a bunch of fresh radish from farmers market. They looked so lovely. I rarely find such small, tender ones here. Most radishes available in grocery stores are almost a feet tall. They are so big and so tall, I normally do not feel like buying them at all. Even if I buy them what will I do with such a big one? They do not taste good too. These small radishes were sooooo tasty I finished half of them when cutting itself.
Scientific name of radish is Raphanus sativus. Radish is a root vegetable and it is a rich source of fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, pottasium and magnesium. They are considered to be very good for constipation, gall stones, kidney stones and even for cancer. Here comes the sambhar recipe :
Ingredients :
Toor dhal- 1 cup
Radish- 4 nos
Onion-1 no
Green chillies- 2 nos
Tamarind- size of a small lemon
MTR sambhar powder- 1 tbspn
or
Coriander powder - 1 tbspn
and Chilli powder- 1 tspn
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tspn
Jeera and mustard seeds- 1 tspn (for tempering)
Coconut scrapping (fresh or dry)- 1 tbspn
Curry leaves- a handful
Coriander leaves- few strands (minced finely)
Oil- 3 tbspns
Salt to taste
Method :
Cut radish as shown in picture. Wash and cook toor dhal with a pinch of turmeric, asafoetida and with a few drops of oil until it turns soft. Soak the tamarind and extract its juice. Mince onions and slit green chillies into two. Heat oil in a pan. When it gets heated add fenugreek seeds. Saute until it turns brown and emits a nice aroma. Now add mustard and jeera seeds. When they splutter add onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until the onions turn translucent. Add cut radish pieces and saute for a minute. Now add sambhar powder or coriander and chilli powder. Fry for a minute, add tamarind juice and enough water. Bring it to a boil and simmer the mixture until radish pieces are cooked. Now add the cooked dhal and simmer for another five minutes. Add salt to taste and garnish with minced coriander leaves and coconut scrappings at the end of preparation. A very tasty sambhar will be ready. Serve with hot rice and a suitable side-dish.
Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Consistency of the dhal is important for a good sambar. Do not overcook the dhal and make it into a paste. Smabhar should not be too thick. It must be on the watery side and do not overcrowd sambhar with vegetables. When you make radish sambhar it is wise to avoid any other vegetable. I never add coriander to any other sambhar but adding coriander to radish sambhar gives it a nice flavour without overpowering the radish smell. Happy cooking !!!
