How to Cook Sambar Vadas

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 30 mins + 1 hour (inactive)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients needed to make Sambar Vada:

For the sambar:

• 7 oz yellow lentils
• 1 green chili, stemmed and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 fresh curry leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 5 tbsp tamarind water
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp store-brought sambar powder
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• Salt to taste

For the vada or doughnut:

• 7 oz black gram lentils, soaked in water for an hour.
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp rice, soaked in water for an hour
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• 16 fl oz sunflower oil
• Pinch of bicarbonate of soda

Cooking instructions for Sambar Vada:

• To cook the sambar, wash the lentils under, drain and dump them into a large pan, along with the chopped tomatoes, onions and green chili.
• Sprinkle a dash each of ground turmeric as well as red chili powder and pour in 7 fl oz water into it.
• Give them a good stir to mix well and bring the mixture to a boil over moderately high heat.
• Cook them for the next half an hour or until the lentils soften and stir in a pinch of salt to season.
• Meanwhile, drain out the lentils and rice into a food processor, along with a splash of water.
• Blitz them into a thick puree ad stir in a pinch each of salt as well as soda bicarb, followed by chili and chopped onion until mixed thoroughly.
• Scrape the thick batter out into a bowl and set aside.
• To finish cooking the sambar, drizzle a tbsp of oil in a large skillet and heat it over moderate flame.
• Throw in the whole spices and stir fry for a while until it start popping up.
• Stir in the curry leaves and sambar powder until well combined and continue to sauté the mixture for another minute, stirring regularly, until its turns fragrant.
• Stir in the cooked lentils and drizzle the tamarind water over them.
• Stir to mix well and bring the mixture to a simmer; continue to do so for next 5 minutes.
• Back to the dough nuts, pour the sunflower oil into the deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Moisten a cling film with few drops of water and ladle few spoonfuls worth of doughnut batter on it.
• Make a hole in the centre of each splodge of batter, using your fingers and lower them into the hot oil, in batches.
• Fry them for several minutes, flipping them once while cooking, until they turn golden brown and transfer them onto a plate, lined with absorbent papers to soak away excess oil.
• Ladle the sambar into small serving bowls and place a cilantro sprig on top to garnish.
• Serve the fried doughnuts or vadas warm alongside the sambar.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on May 17, 2013 by