Sambar is the South Indian curry cooked with tamarind and lentils. Typically we have it with rice. But its also the main side dish served with our other dishes like idly , dosa etc. By the way many people incorrectly pronounce it as Sam-bur ...its saam-baar !
Today for a change i decided to do poetry and my poem is on the Sambar!
The mustards cackle like they picked up a fight;
The cumin seeds join with gusto and equal might;
Breaking into a sweat are the onions sliced thin ;
Shrivelling curry leaves emit the aroma from within;
Into the pot, the red and green chillies make their way;
The tomatoes and tamarind have the final say;
Bravely marches the spice powder with the turmeric and the salt!
Finally mashed lentils do their act of exalt;
Sambar , sambar in the pot !
Slice of heaven when steaming hot!
Food from other lands:
Soups! I am a big fan of soups and love making them too. Good old tomato soup, brocolli soup, corn soup, minestrone soup, mushroom soup, noodle soup and the list goes on. Soups are an integral part of the local food cuisine in South East Asia.
I don't like canned soup though. The smell of preservatives is too strong and i guess its not a healthy choice. Initially I was of the belief that soup is just an appetizer thats served along with the main course. Later realization dawned that a rich soup by itself constitute a whole meal.
Whats your favorite soup ?
Food for thought:
The Tamil (my mothertongue) saying for today is also from ancient works of literature!
Seivana thirundha sei!
Seivana - Whatever you do
Thirundha - in the best manner or perfect way
Sei - Do
I think thats self explanatory. Whatever you do, do it with perfection!
I love sambar, especially kalyana muhoortha lunch sambar. Awesome. Do you by chance have a recipe for that?
ReplyDeleteThats usually araithu vitta sambar .... ( chaba dal, dhaniya seeds, little fenugreek, red chillies and coconut roasted and ground is used instead of sambar powder) and the aroma comes from the vegetables that go in like pumpkin , ladies finger etc
DeleteThe sambar poem explains the process quite tastefully! Good one :)
ReplyDeleteI love soups too - Favorite being anything lemoney - may be Lemon coriander soup. We make soups a lot too. GOod dinner replacement and fulfilling!
Good day!
Then you must love Tomyum soups from Thailand
DeleteHa, you turned your recipy into poetry, cool stuff!
ReplyDeleteLove the saying, too. It's one of my mottos.
Mine too.... :)
DeleteHow fun - a sambar poem. I love it! I love soup and look forward to autumn and winter when it's cool enough to make it often. One of my favorites is an African soup that is tomato based with rice and peanut butter among its ingredients.
ReplyDeletePeanut butter in soup ?? Interesting...should look up the recipe
DeleteThis "Sambar , sambar in the pot !
ReplyDeleteSlice of heaven when steaming hot!"
should be copyrighted. It could so easily be a jingle for a sambhar powder ad.
Salivating after reading your Sambhar poem Jayashree. Thank you:)
Thanks Arti, maybe I should.
DeleteThanks Arti, maybe i should ha ha
DeleteTinned Heinz Tomato or better still, Mulligatawny soup is a guilty pleasure, preservatives notwithstanding... But if I make soup myself, then a brown vegetable soup as long as it has Jerusalem Artichokes in!
ReplyDelete