Step by step making of Arachhu utta sambar OR Fresh Sambar

(The meanings to the italiced words are given at the end of the post. It would have been blasphemous to replace those words with translations for they would not have done justice to the meanings they convey in the original language - Tamil!). Sorry for the inconvenience caused to readers!

Aracchu utta sambar - The name is so musical it sounds like poetry rather than gibberish even if one does not know the language, doesn't it? (The first word is similar in sound to Picchu as in Machu-Picchu!) I like mouthing it and listening to the words as they form on my lips and in my mind, because it brings back a sea of memories and the taste, smell and flavor of a warm kitchen.

I see my periamma's face as she grinds the coconut, roasted pulses and aromatic coriander seeds in her aattu-kallu (grinding stone). She would rhythmically gather the coarse paste with her fingers, pushing them further into the center of the rolling stone and run the obelix shaped stone hard against the spices, crushing them to bring out the flavor and form a smooth paste. There is a charm about the movement of the hands, the grating sounds of the stone as it goes round and round that one cannot describe or enjoy while grinding in a mixer. I will always miss these sounds that have got lost with the advent of machines though I do love the way they make my life easier!

Since we were constantly changing places every year my mother soon did away with our small black grinding stone. The taste of her sambar is every sip as tasty as the one that comes from the stone but the images get superimposed ever so often!

I generally prepare the easier version that does not require coconut and is made with ready sambar powder. Whenever a bout of nostalgia hits I make 'aracchu utta sambar'. The taste must be quite like my Mum's because my daughter often calls it 'pati's sambar'. This Summer when I had been to Bangalore, I got my mother to part with all her mundane, routine recipes and practically irked her! "Wouldn't you like something more exotic?" she would ask. "No, I just want something that will bring back memories of the aattu-kallu music to everybody else," I would reply. She found it ridiculous but relented as she always does! To me mundane stuff with lovely visuals is more exotic than exotic food with no visuals!

Come, let's visualise the making of a simple sambar. I hope you see the hands that push the stone, that fed the family with love and that..... rocked the cradle! (Just to end it with something nice!)

Name of the dish: Aracchu utta sambar (A mix of lentils and vegetables in a tangy, soupy gravy)
Yield: 4-5 gluts
Time taken:30minutes including the time needed for grinding masala
Source: My mother

First soak a lime sized ball of tamarind before proceeding to the next step.

Ingredients and method for the masala:

Coriander seeds / Saboot Dhania - 3tsp.
Bengal gram / Chana dal - 1.5tsp.
Dry red chillies - 5 bedgi chillies (3 if using spicy variety)
Fenugreek seeds / Methi dana - 1/4tsp. level (Do not increase as it makes the sambar bitter)
Asafoetida / Hing powder - A generous pinch
Oil - 1/8tsp.
Fresh grated coconut - 3tbsp.

Ingredients for the gravy:
A lime sized ball of tamarind
A cup of diced vegetables. Vegetables are usually diced into slightly big cubes for sambar - about 2sqcm. in size. If using onions, slice thick. Brinjals need to be quartered lengthwise to about 1.5 inches.
1 cup cooked tuvar dal or pigeon peas.

Seasoning:
A tsp. of sesame oil
A tsp. of mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
2-3 red chillies

Method:
Preparation of the spices:
Heat a seasoning wok or small pan with the oil. When just hot, roast the dal till pink. Roast all the other ingredients separately till the chillies turn dark, methi turns a shade and the hing exudes its characteristic aroma.

Mix the roasted ingredients with fresh coconut well and grind with very little water to form an almost smooth paste. Set aside and proceed with the next step.

Gravy:
Extract the tamarind juice using not more than a cup of water.

Saute the vegetables slightly in a drops of oil to get rid of any sliminess especially when using okra. Cook the vegetables in the tamarind extract alongwith a little salt and turmeric powder till just cooked through.

Tranfer to another vessel. Add the cooked pulses and ground spice paste. Add water to bring to the consistency of soup.

Bring to a boil. Remove. Heat a seasoning wok or small pan with 1/2 tsp. sesame oil. Splutter mustard seeds followed by rest of the seasonings. Pour and watch the sambar sizzle and take in the aroma!


Vegetables generally used for sambar:

Okra (Cut into 1 inch cylinders)
Small onions (shallots in whole but peeled!)
Okra and onions together

Potatoes, tomatoes and capsicum together.
Radish or turnips make a very delicious sambar by imparting characteristic tang
Raw podded groundnuts (not a favourite with me!)
Drumstick leaves (considered a delicacy)
Drumsticks
Colocassia or arbi. I love this one!




Glossary to Tamil words used in this post:

Arachhu utta sambar
Arachchu - Ground, utta - poured, sambar - the name of a dish made with lentils, masala and vegetables.

Periamma - Older sister of a parent, an aunt.

aattu-kallu - grinding stone used in earlier days instead of an electric mixer. It was a larger version of a pestle and mortar. See the picture here.

Pati - grandma

Palaharam - Many South Indians prefer a light tiffin at night rather than a full dinner. This is called palaharam and it is usually had early in the evening by 7:00p.m.