Chinna Vengayam Araichu Vitta Sambhar | Pearl Onion Sambhar
It is very typical in the South Indian family to make Chinna Vengayam Araichu Vitta Sambhar the day before the Diwali/Deepavali festival. I make it usually when I am expecting visitors or for a weekend special spread.
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 145kcal
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chinna Vengayam / pearl onion peeled fresh or frozen
- large Tamarind A large Marble size piecesoaked in about 2 cups of hot water
- ½ cup Tuvaram paruppu / toor dal
- ½ teaspoon Sambhar powder optional
- few Curry leaves
- to taste Salt
- 1 teaspoon Jaggery / brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Oil
Fry and grind together –
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 tablespoon Kothamalli vidhai / Coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon Kadalai paruppu / Channa dal
- 1 teaspoon Ullutham paruppu / urad dal
- 5 Red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- ¼ cup Coconut grated
For seasoning –
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ullutham paruppu
- Few Curry leaves
Instructions
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 15 minutes and then squeeze out the extract.
- Cook the tuvaram paruppu in a pressure cooker until very soft and mushy. Once cooked, mash it well with a ladle and keep it aside.
- Peel the pearl onions are using fresh ones. I used frozen ones and all I had to do was drop it into the pan.
- In a pot, add about 2 teaspoon of oil (preferably gingelly oil) and sauté the onions for about 5-7 minutes, until aromatic.
- Now add the tamarind extract, sambhar powder, and salt and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a small pan, fry all the ingredients (except coconut) mentioned under grind together to about golden brown. Then add the grated coconut and fry for a minute more until it is lightly golden.
- Let it cool down a bit and then grind to a coarse paste using very little water. Keep it aside.
- Check and see if the vegetable is cooked and then add the ground paste. Let it come to a quick boil and then add the cooked paruppu/dal. Mix well and add a little more water (if needed) to adjust the consistency. Also add the curry leaves now and let it simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Stir it often in between since the sambhar tends to settle down in the bottom.
- Heat oil for seasoning and then add the ingredients mentioned above. Add the seasoning to the sambhar and then turn off the flame.
- Serve hot with rice and ghee!
Nutrition
Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 357IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg