A comforting one-pot meal famous in temples and mess-style hotels.
Ingredients
For Pressure Cooking
- Rice – 1 cup (Langhar ponni rice)
- Toor dal – ½ cup
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Water – 4.5 cups
Vegetables (any of these)
- Drumstick – 1
- Brinjal – 2
- Carrot – 1
- Beans – 6
- Potato – 1
- Small onions – 10
Tamarind
- Lemon-sized ball soaked in warm water
Masala for Grinding
- Oil – 1 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
- Chana dal – 2 tsp
- Dry red chillies – 4
- Fenugreek – ¼ tsp
- Grated coconut – 2 tbsp
Tempering
- Ghee – 2 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Jeera – ½ tsp
- Hing – 1 pinch
- Curry leaves – few
Step-by-Step Recipe
Step 1 – Cook Rice & Dal Together
- Wash rice and dal together.
- Add turmeric and pressure cook for 4–5 whistles until mushy.
- Mash lightly and set aside.
Step 2 – Prepare the Fresh Masala
- Heat 1 tsp oil.
- Roast coriander seeds, chana dal, red chillies, fenugreek.
- Add coconut at the end and switch off heat.
- Grind into a thick paste.
Step 3 – Cook the Vegetables
- In a large kadai, boil vegetables with salt and turmeric.
- Add tamarind water and boil until raw smell disappears.
- Add the ground masala paste and cook for 7 minutes.
Step 4 – Combine Everything
- Add the mashed rice-dal mixture into the sambar gravy.
- Add hot water if needed to get a semi-thick consistency.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 5 – Tempering
- Heat ghee.
- Add mustard, jeera, curry leaves, hing.
- Pour over the sambar rice.
Serve with: Appalam, pickle, and Cucumber Raita
(Semma taste idhu – we have tasted it).