Sambhar or Bust!

This weekend I spent sometime in an Indian kitchen. A friend's mother was in town from Madras, Tamil Nadu India which is home to one of South India's most delightful stews -- sambhar. Typically served with idli -- a soft steamed pancake made from rice and/or lentils or semolina wheat (rava) and yoghurt -- sambhar originated in the 1600's. The stew is named after a king of Tanjore, Sambhaji. The Sambhaji's chef was making a similar dish called amti which called for a sour fruit, kokum. The imported kokum was not available so the chef used tamarind and whallah -- sambhar was born and named after the king.

A good Indian dish delights all senses of the tongue -- sour, sweet, salty, and spicy hot. Sambar is no exception. It starts with a quick fry of whole coriander seeds, red hot peppers, hing, and a bit of pigeon peas. Once these turn golden, they are removed from the heat and set aside. Whole raw cocktail onions, water, salt, sambar spices, and tamarind paste (which adds the subtle sour to the taste of the soup) are exchanged in the pot and boiled until the onions are tender. Meanwhile, yellow split pea is pressure cooked until it is a soft baby food texture. And in the meantime, a curry paste is mixed in a blender from the fried coriander seed mixture, shredded coconut (which adds the sweet punch), and water. Once the onions are good and soft, the mashed yellow split pea is added and the curry paste. The end result is a a stew that one could eat until they bust.