Sambaar ( सांबार not सांभर) dish that evokes very strong emotions in South India. The most quoted story is that Thanjavur Maratha ruler Sambhaji gave his own spin to Amti & used tamarind instead of kokum & thus this dish was born. This may not be true as Sangam literature which may be around 2000 years old does mention lentils being cooked with tamarind and spices like pepper. The Maratha contribution could be the addition of red chillies through Trans Columbian exchange & use of toor dal to make Sambaar. Also the concept of tempering with mustard seeds & curry leaves continues till date in a spiced buttermilk called Sambharam , particularly in Central & North Kerala. While we can debate on this , like Biryani every region of South India has its own version of Sambaar. For a cuisine profuse with the use of coconut, Travancore surprisingly doesn't use coconut in the sambaar & what I grew up eating was one made with a melange of chunky vegetables, toor dal & a sambaar podi made with roasted coriander, chilli, asafoetida & tamarind. My aunt makes an excellent fragrant version of this , especially with red Amaranth leaves. I used to also really like the less tangy soupy Tiffin Sambaar I used to get in Tamil Brahmin Vegetarian restaurants. One of the summer lunch specials in my university used to be this aromatic Maambazha sambaar made with mango which is at the cusp of ripening. One of the signature dishes of Mylapore Maamis , the best rendition of this I have experienced is with cousin's mother in law who makes a rather thick one with a host of vegetables which would be unspoilt even for a week. Today I made an arachuvitta drumstick sambaar with the addition of ripening mango & red Amaranth leaves.It uses a freshly ground mix of coriander , cumin, red chillies, Fenugreek , kadalai Parippu ( chana dal) , urad dal , a few peppercorns dry roasted with some fresh coconut added in the end . Since this is a tiffin sambaar , the sourness has deliberately been scaled down with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves & shallots. Mini idlis dunked in them with a touch of ghee makes for a great breakfast! #sambar #arachuvitta #mambazha #idlisambar #mini (at Thiruvananthapuram) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBaQ8S1FciL/?igshid=o4k9az0xzno7
