Vathal Sambar:(Country Style)Kathirikkai Vathal Sambar/ Manghai Vathal Sambar. Sun dried Eggplant/Brinjal + Mangoes in Sambar.Most of us would be familiar to ‘Vathal’ in ‘Kuzhambu’ but not in ‘Sambar’! Well…..its a country style dish. I happen to taste it few times when I was little girl. During summer, my mother dutifully prepares an array of sun-dried vegetables for the later use. Which she occasionally uses them in regular cooking! When there is nothing fresh lying in the pantry, this is like a rescue dish to cook sambar with dried brinjals/eggplants and mangoes. It has its own taste, and I believe one will acquire it very soon:)

Ingredients:

Thoor dal/Thuvar dal 1-2 cups
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Onion 1 large chopped
Tomato 1 small chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Coriander seeds powder 1 spoon
Sambar powder 1-2 spoons
Oil 1 cup.

To be Chopped, Salted and Sun Dried:

Eggplant/Brinjal 1/4 kilo
Raw Mangoes 1/4 kilo

For Garnishing:

Crisply fried curry leaves 1 cup
Coriander leaves (optional)

Method:

Pressure cook dal. Add 4 cups of water, salt and few spoons of oil to it. The thin film of oil on top of the water….will allow the dal to get cooked properly, without allowing all water to get evaporated. (My Dad told me this method)

Okay…..once the dal is done, set aside in a bowl.

In a wide non-stick deep pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida and dry chilies to it. Let them pop and splutter well.

Then add onions and tomatoes to it. Followed by turmeric, chili, coriander and sambar powder.(remember not to add any salt again…..as the vegetable-sundried vegetable itself has enough salt)

Fry them real good for a while and add cooked ‘thuvar dal’ to it. Allow them to boil well and have nice ‘sambar’ consistency.

Add sun-dried vegetables now(the dry vathal) to this sambar. Cook over medium heat for long time. Maybe until this vegetables are cooked.

After cooking the ‘Vathal’ should be soft and easy to bite.

Garnish with fried curry leaves on the top.

This sambar would be really aromatic than the regular sambar. So….enjoy with nice steam cooked rice.