South India Sambar is "a red & coconut soup with turmeric and cumin." Warming red and yellow colors mix with nourishing, satisfying coconut. Typically served with dosas (fermented daal crepes), idlys and mint chutney.
Reported by Frank Cook, herbalist and world traveler from North Carolina (http://www.plantsandhealers.com).
Ayurveda Notes (help)
Tridoshic dish from the heartland of ayurveda. Coconut is heavy but spices aid digestion. Tomatoes are normally pitta and vata provoking but here are present in small quantity only.
Dosha: Vata- Pitta- Kapha-
Quality: Heating, Liquid
Taste: Sweet, Pungent, Sour
Recipe - (Help with Cooking)
Soups follow the adage - "Cook with oil, salt, sweetener and simplicity". Then add carrots and onions. For sambar, follow the specific instructions below:
2 potatoes
1/2c mung daal (of all daals, easiest to digest)
1c coconut
1 tomato
1 carrot
1 zucchini or any vegetable of your choosing.
1 onion, sliced in rings and fried.
1tblsp sucanat
1/2tblsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1/4c oil
Spices:
1tblsp cumin
1tsp turmeric
1tsp fennel
1tsp coriander
Mix into a paste with 1tblsp water and fry.
Every South Indian mom has their own Sambar recipe. Other optional flavors include mustard seed, garam masala, cinnamon, lime, garlic, etc.
Mix all the above ingredients into a pot and fill with water until vegetables are covered. Bring to a boil and simmer for twenty minutes or longer.