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Home » Asian » Indian

Published: Jun 10, 2018 · Modified: Apr 7, 2020 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

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Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

I have to confess something! Well, it is not a big deal, maybe....but for me it feels like I learned a whole new thing when I made this Sambhar Sadham recipe. Forever I have been thinking that Bisi Bela Baath and Sambhar Sadham are the one and the same. I was very ignorant and when people tried to explain it to me, I still stuck to my line of thoughts and believed that they are the one and the same.

Finally, it dawned on me that Bisi Bela Baath is a Karnataka specialty and it has a different masala paste. The South Indian Sambhar Rice, is Tamil Nadu special and is very famous in restaurants. Reading further upon it, I read that it is very similar to the araichu vitta sambhar recipe I make.

This week, my theme for Blogging Marathon is One Pot Meals. This is one of my favorite themes to blog about as I love making one pot meals. One pot Meals are a lifesaver on a busy week day nights or a crazy activity filled Weekend lunch.

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I was so excited to make the Sambhar Sadham recipe and made it over the weekend. I make Bisi Bela Baath quite often and that is actually one of my monthly recipes that I make over the weekend. After making the Sambhar Sadham, I think this is going to come in as a competition to my Bisi Bela Baath. My little one loved this and he actually said that he likes this over Bisi Bela Baath recipe.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

I did a few changes in the way I cooked my rice and lentil (paruppu) for the recipe. For Bisi Bela Baath, I usually cook the rice and lentil together and cook it a little mushy. For Sambhar Sadham, I wanted the rice to be not too mushy and hence I cooked them separately. I cooked them Pot in pot in my Instant Pot and again, I can't be more happy than this with the Instant Pot.

Any vegetables that can go into sambhar can be used to make Sambhar Sadham. I used pearl onions, drumsticks, carrots, tomatoes and potatoes. Eggplant would be a great addition for the Sambhar Sadham. I did not have any in hand, but would use it next time when I make it.

Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes
Difficulty level - easy

Ingredients to make Sambhar Sadham - Serves 4 to 6

  • Rice - 1 cup ( I used Sona Masoori)
  • Toor dal / Tuvaram Paruppu - ⅓ cup
  • Vegetables of your choice - 3 cups (I used onions, tomatoes, drumstick, potatoes and carrot)
  • Tamarind - a lemon size ball
  • Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
  • Asafetida - ¼ tsp
  • Jaggery / Brown sugar - a small piece
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Salt - to taste

To fry together and grind -

  • Coriander seeds / dhania - 1 ½ tbsp
  • Chana dal / kadalai paruppu - 1 tbsp
  • Urad dal / Ullutham paruppu - 1 tsp
  • Red chilies - 7 or 8 (adjust based on your spice level)
  • Black pepper - ½ tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds / Vendhayam - ½ tsp
  • Coconut (grated) - ¼ cup
  • oil - 1 tsp

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

Procedure to make Sambhar Sadham -

  • Cook the rice and toor dal separately and keep them aside. Mash the toor dal well and gently mash the rice as well. I like my sambhar sadham a little on the grainy side, so I don't mash my rice too much.
  • Soak the tamarind in hot water ( about 2 cups) and squeeze the juice.
  • Chop all the vegetables and keep the ready.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

  • Fry all the ingredients mentioned under the list and once it cools down, grind it into a smooth paste adding a little water as needed.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

  • In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the pearl onions. Saute it for 2 to 3 minutes in medium heat and then add the rest of vegetables.
  • Fry the vegetables for about 5 minutes and add the extracted tamarind water.
  • Add the sambhar powder, turmeric powder and salt and let the mixture boil well. The raw smell of the tamarind should disappear and also the vegetables should be cooked. Make sure that the vegetables still maintain their shape and not become mushy.
  • At this stage, add the ground paste and mix well. Let it come to a gentle boil and then add the cooked toor dal. Mix well and let the sambhar boil for 5 to 7 minutes in low heat.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

  • Add the cooked rice and mix well. make sure that there are no lumps in the rice.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

  • Let the sambhar sadham simmer for 5 to 7 minutes in very low flame.
  • Serve hot with Appalam / Vadam / Chips.

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

Sambhar Sadham served in a dish

Sambhar Sadham | South Indian Sambhar Rice

The South Indian Sambhar Rice, is Tamil Nadu special and is very famous in restaurants. Reading further upon it, I read that it is very similar to the araichu vitta sambhar recipe I make.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Easy recipe, Lunch Recipes, Main Course, One Pot Meal
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian, Tamil Nadu
Diet: Low Fat, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 255kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

  • plate
  • Bottom Pan
  • spatula
  • bowl

Ingredients

To make Sambhar Sadham -

  • 1 cup Rice I used Sona Masoori
  • ⅓ cup Toor dal / Tuvaram Paruppu
  • 3 cups Vegetables of your choice I used onions, tomatoes, drumstick, potatoes and carrot
  • Tamarind a lemon size ball
  • 1 teaspoon Sambhar powder
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
  • a small piece Jaggery / Brown sugar
  • few Curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • to taste Salt

To fry together and grind -

  • 1½ tablespoon Coriander seeds / dhania
  • 1 tablespoon Chana dal / kadalai paruppu
  • 1 teaspoon Urad dal / Ullutham paruppu
  • 7 Red chilies adjust based on your spice level
  • ½ teaspoon Black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds / Vendhayam
  • ¼ cup Coconut grated
  • 1 teaspoon Oil

Instructions

  • Cook the rice and toor dal separately and keep them aside. Mash the toor dal well and gently mash the rice as well. I like my sambhar sadham a little on the grainy side, so I don't mash my rice too much.
  • Soak the tamarind in hot water ( about 2 cups) and squeeze the juice.
  • Chop all the vegetables and keep the ready.
  • Fry all the ingredients mentioned under the list and once it cools down, grind it into a smooth paste adding a little water as needed.
  • In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the pearl onions. Saute it for 2 to 3 minutes in medium heat and then add the rest of vegetables.
  • Fry the vegetables for about 5 minutes and add the extracted tamarind water.
  • Add the sambhar powder, turmeric powder and salt and let the mixture boil well. The raw smell of the tamarind should disappear and also the vegetables should be cooked. Make sure that the vegetables still maintain their shape and not become mushy.
  • At this stage, add the ground paste and mix well. Let it come to a gentle boil and then add the cooked toor dal. Mix well and let the sambhar boil for 5 to 7 minutes in low heat.
  • Add the cooked rice and mix well. make sure that there are no lumps in the rice.
  • Let the sambhar sadham simmer for 5 to 7 minutes in very low flame.
  • Serve hot with Appalam / Vadam / Chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4777IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Padmajha PJ says

    June 28, 2018 at 11:46 am

    Such a flavorful and yummy dish Sandhya. This is my go to dish when I am in a hurry. Love your pic esp with the vadam /pappad on the side

    Reply
  2. Suja Ram says

    June 25, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    5 stars
    Such a delicious One-pot meals..Perfect for packed lunches..

    Reply
  3. Chef Mireille says

    June 22, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    5 stars
    I love these type of one pot meals - my kind of dish

    Reply
  4. Renu says

    June 20, 2018 at 9:30 am

    5 stars
    This is such a comforting one pot meal. Liked your detail step by step explanation.

    Reply
  5. preeti garg says

    June 19, 2018 at 4:43 am

    I never tried sambhar sadam... But your recipe makes me hungry.. looks so tasty will def try it. Bookmarked.

    Reply
  6. Ritu Tangri says

    June 17, 2018 at 1:39 am

    I love bisi bela bath and this sounds similar to that. Unless I make it, difference won't be clear to me...bookmarking to make it asap. Those papads at the back are tempting me like anything

    Reply
  7. Mayuri Patel says

    June 14, 2018 at 4:14 am

    5 stars
    I've yet to make both sambhar sadham and bisi bela baath. I too would have thought they are the same as they look similar. One pot meals are such a boon for busy days.

    Reply
  8. Gayathri Kumar says

    June 13, 2018 at 10:13 pm

    That sambar saadam looks absolutely yum Sandhya. With appalam on the side this would make a nice filling meal..

    Reply
  9. harini says

    June 13, 2018 at 10:05 pm

    5 stars
    My little one and I along with scores of my close friends are super fans of sambar sadam. Though the masala I use is different I totally agree that BBB is way different from sambar sadam 🙂

    Reply
  10. Priya Suresh says

    June 11, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    Never get bored of this sambhar sadham, my kind of comforting food. Even i love to make my sambar sadham with freshly grounded masala, which makes this rice more flavorful. Am just drooling here.

    Reply
  11. Kalyani says

    June 11, 2018 at 9:10 am

    This is on my weekly menu ; I make with amma’s sambhar powder that has all the masala grounded ingredients listed above 😉 fresh powder is always welcome 🙂
    Psst - and yes , I have had to cry hoarse to my in laws that sambhar saadam is very different from bisi bela early on when we werr married from the opposite sides of the border 😂😂

    Reply
  12. Srivalli says

    June 11, 2018 at 6:27 am

    I love sambar Sadam and love it when it is googy..this is a wonderful dish and I would enjoy making it over the weekend!

    Reply
  13. Varada says

    June 10, 2018 at 2:54 pm

    I am always intrigued by recipes that call for dal and rice to be cooked together. The drumstick and other vegetables with the freshly ground masala must have made this a very flavorful dish.

    Reply

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Sandhya

I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

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