Leeks Sambar

Blogging Marathon#64: Week 4/ Day 3

Theme: Mega BM Bookmarked Recipes 

Dish: Leeks Sambar from Vidhya

For the final day of this month's marathon, I have an interesting sambar made with Leeks from Vidhya's blog. I bookmarked it the minute I saw it on her blog and made it once I got my hands on some leeks.

Leeks belong to the 'Allium' family along with onions and garlic. They have a mild onion-like taste and are crunchy when eaten raw. But they get soft and mild when cooked. I buy leeks quite often and make pasta sauces or dry sautes with them. Vidhya's leek sambar sounded very interesting and delicious.
Sambar turned out delicious. Vidhya's method of making sambar was a little different from my mom's method. I made some homemade sambar powder (I will share the recipe soon) and it gave the dish a nice flavor. We had it with steamed rice for lunch and then with idlis the next day.

Recipe from Vidhya's Home Cooking:

Leek Sambar

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Leek, thinly sliced
• ½cup Toor dal
• 1tbsp Sambar powder (homemade or store bought)
• 1tsp Turmeric
• 2tbsp Fresh Coconut, grated
• To taste Salt
• 2tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
• 2tsp Oil
• 1tsp Mustard seeds
• 1tsp Methi seeds
• ¼tsp Asafoetida/ Hing
• 6~8 Curry leaves
• 1tbsp Tamarind paste
• 1~2tsp Jaggery, grated (optional)

Method:

1. Cook toor dal until completely tender and mushy.
2. In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat oil; add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and hing. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the curry leaves and chopped leeks. Cook for about 3~4 minutes.
3. Add the grated coconut, mix well and cook for a minute.
4. Now add the tamarind paste, salt and let it simmer for about 3~4 minutes.
5. In the mean time, whisk sambar powder in ½cup water and add to the pan. Simmer for 2~3 minutes.
6. Stir in the cooked toor dal along with 1~2 cups of water depending on the desired consistency. Bring to a boil and adjust the seasoning. Add a tiny bit of jaggery if desired. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with steamed rice.

 

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 64.