Difference between Tamil,Kerala and Kannada Sambar

[blahblah]

:? Hi guys ,what's the difference between Tamilian,Kerala and Kannadiga sambar?

[Hemant Trived1]

Hi,

If I may answer, Tamilnadu sambar is more on spicy side and is thicker :D .
Kerala sambar (except palakkad) is neither here nor there taste with even potatoes thrown in. :cry:
Dakshin kannada sambar has lots of coconut milk and is on sweetish side . :x
Use of cinnamon may be found in sambar powder.
Karnataka also has different varieties of sambars as in Tamilnadu . :twisted:
More details are found in my website,

http://www.hemant-trivedis-cookery-corner.com/

Hemant Trivedi :D

[vincentshaam]

me goes to taste tamil sambar.

love spicy food, hate sweets.

[NOV]

Hi Hemant-ji

Nice to see you in the new forum. Welcome.

You may be upset to learn that almost all Malaysians make sambaar with potatoes in it. :)

[blahblah]

Hi,Hemantji,I checked your site and was quite useful although it will take more than myself to understand your introductory note. :lol: Since you were in Chennai,had you ever been to the 'Southern Spice' restaurant?I have been to their restaurant in Pune several times but heard their Chennai division was chosen by 'Outlook' as one of the best 20 restaurants in India.Have you ever been to Pune?

[Hemant Trived1]

Hi Blah..Blah....etc,
Dear Nov and all others ,
No.....Southern spice came much after I left Madras .

Yes Nov, Malasian sambar with potatoes would definately upset my old tongue just like My rigid stand upset Mrs. Tarla Dalal when I refused to write articles in her magazine about food with recipes were to be given by her.....(May be I was supposed to become almost a GHOST WRITER for her).
I told her to show me one single food website having 32 pages of feedback from satisfied souls.

I told her that "I am a very earthy cook who sticks to native/earthy taste and earthy recipes " My recipes were to be enjoyed sitting on a charpoy cot like in Dhaba.Meaning finger licking ,slurping the gravy type recipes. "
May be this would not gel with fork/spoon and right side service culture some people are used to.

We parted after breakfast meeting with myself poorer by my rickshaw charges to her hotel. LOL

May be earthy people are not to someone's elite taste !!! :P

Thanks for welcoming me here till our food corner is brought in here.
Happy cooking folks. !!

[Roshan]

Hi Hemant Sir,

Good to see you here :)

[blahblah]

Hi Hemantji,I work for a tourist and shopping guide called Shoppers' Digest.We have it in four cities-Bangalore,Cochin,Chennai and Pune.So far we have been collecting the material for our Gourmet column from Sagar Plaza,Pune or Casino Hotel,Cochin.Do you think it possible for you to provide us with some thing? If you will atleast think about it I will send you a copy of our book by post. :) It is being kept in all the major hotels like Leela Palace,Oberoi,Windsor Manor in B'lore,Le Meridien,Sun n' Sand,Taj Blue Diamond in Pune. :D

[NOV]

LOL Hemant

You have not lost a little of your writing style. :lol:
Yes, we will wait for the transfer of Food Section to the new Hub. Once here, you can write without any fear of miscreants causing heartache. Take care!

[Hemant Trived1]

Hello Roshan, Hello NOV, Hello Vincent Sham,

Yes its a great feeling having a crystal clear webspace minus the unwanted gub.
One major reason for my being AWOL from FH was the gub . :evil:

In fact I had been disgusted with filth spewing outa people being spewed in this column. :twisted:

Now I think we can breath easy.
In fact I celebrated this occassion by making Mexican Soul of cooking.....SALSA yesterday.
I could not get some special peppers but used Indian substitutes . All the same , I got reasonably wonderful Salsa. :D

Yes , I love to be in my old elements and among friends.
And Blah2, let me warn you. I am a lazy bum when it comes to writing.
You may ask my permission to publish some of the recipes in your mag etc.

NOV, thanks for the compliments.

[Surya]

Tamil and Karela Sambar taste good. Tamil tastes the best! 8)

[nirosha sen]

I grind my own Sambhar podi Pa. In the thallipu, I add a spoonful of grated coconut to it to give that aroma and thickening. My sambhar has been praised enough times as it's a cross between Malayalee and Tamil sambhar.

And yes Hemant Ji, I'm a guilty Malaysian for adding potatoes to my sambhar!! Why is it such a culinary sin, Ji???

[Surya]

Wow, :D
Thanks for the tip, I'll try that on my next attempt to cook. 8)

[blahblah]

Hi guys,I know Hemantji doesn't like potatoes in sambar.We better listen to the specialist but I feel in small quantity it adds to the aroma and thickness[if you prefer it] of the sambar.

[Hemant Trived1]

Hello Dear Hubbers,
While we are on topic of sambar with potatoes in it, let me clearify.
It is not a sin to add potatoes in sambar ....but the reason I do not like is,

adding potatoes, eats away salt content, masala content and sometimes if potato JAADHI is not good, the potatoes remain uncooked/semi cooked.
Further more, sambar is to be enjoyed with Rice , which is another carbohydrate. :?

There is a difference between structure of carbohydrate chain of potatoes and Rice.

This leads to your stomach trying to digest two types of carbohydrates.
Obviously there is a problem and your body revolts in form of GAS and then you know what happens. :lol:

So its better to stick to age old practice of using greens/vegetables and known tubers like radish and bulbs like onion, shallots etc.

But if you have no problem.....then I have no problem (As long as there are no stinkers missiles let off) :twisted:

[nirosha sen]

Hemant Ji!! Indeed sambhar is gassy Pa!! I can vouch for it, umpteen x :lol: but I thought since dhall is a pulse (Legume family), it gave me intestinal flatulence?!! Now the reason is potato????? This is news to me, Pa! Matter of fact, in the old days I used to suffer excrutiating pain in my abdomen ( a lot of swirling wind that refused to uhm ....find its way out???) :oops:

Now with a lot of asafoetida in my podi, it's a relief indeed!!! Thanks for the information! I'll try to cut down my potatoes.

[blahblah]

Nirosha,same here. :oops: :oops: :oops: Potatoes out and Jai Hemantji :lol:

[Hemant Trived1]

Hello Nirosha , Blah2,

Now you know what makes people gassy? :wink:

Adding asfoetida and Garlic helps to remove the bad spirits from the bowel.

If you want to thicken the sambar, add ghasaghasa paste or if you are in great emergency and have a problem of not having ghasaghasa or other thickner , just take two to three spoons of Idly/dosai podi and powder it in samll bowl of mixi and add it to sambar. Your sambar will thicken. use it as thicknersafely.

Try it. It never fails.

[blahblah]

Yes Hemantji,please check your mail box.

[camille sundram]

I love potatoes in my sambar. :oops: I love the soft texture as you mash it into the rice. I cannot give it up, I'm afraid. Sambar without potato for me is like kolumbu without the curry powder. :lol:

[Reena]

Same here camille, Potatoes give sambar a thick, gravy like flavor. I always tell my mother to put potatoes in my sambar.

[blahblah]

Well guys,should we add a poll to the topic?the issue of potatoes have become as controversial as the US elections.I won't let potatoes hijack my thread.

[Cindy]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

so much of potato discussion.... now lets begin some garlic or asafoetida discussion too..... just to balance ....

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can we add garlic to sambar... i tried one day without grinding it... cooked while i cooked dal... i think there is no probs in adding....

When do u all add asafoetida in sambar... I heard add only while during seasoning... after the kariveppilai... to get the exact flavor...

[blahblah]

I hope Hemantji will be here to answer that question :lol: .

[NOV]

Well guys,should we add a poll to the topic?the issue of potatoes have become as controversial as the US elections.I won't let potatoes hijack my thread.Well blahblah, how much of comparison can there be? You should be happy that your topic has attracted so many responses. :)

Cindy, we always add garlic when cooking the dhall, in Malaysia. :)

[camille sundram]

My sambar recipe was given to me by my Hyderabadi friend - when I went home I made for my Dad, he loved it so much that I had to cook the same thing three nights in a row. 8)

I put peeled whole garlic cloves with the vegetables. I am a fan of garlic too - that is why I like Italian and Mediterranean food because they put garlic.

[Sandeep]

My mom cooks sambar with potato & large onions, sambar with drumsticks, sambar with brinjal and ofcource sambar with small onions.

I have my self prepared sambar with potato & large onions only as small onions and drumsticks are not widely available here.

Whatever curry I cook i have problem with it being too thinny. Now with idle/dosa trick of Hemand my Sambar days seem bright.

[davie]

sambar with vegetables is always nice
ilove to have califlower in sambar. Wow it makes the sambar smell and taste good

[Kavitha Ravi]

Dear Hemantji Sir,
since now I know the reasons ,why potato cannot be added to sambar, I will ban it from my kitchen when I am making sambar.
Thanks, and I hope you will continue to give us good tips.
Kavitha Ravi

[Sujana]

Is there any digestive problem with two different types of Carbohydrates ? I think the structure is different even for Ata Powder ( which is used for making Rotis) then how the northindain people are digesting with two differnt kinds of carbohydrates ?They use more potatoes than South Indian people ..??What about their Stomach :?:

[dev]

Hi Camille sundram,

Could U pls post ur sambar recipe(the one given by ur hyderabadi friend)?

[buddha_brixton]

Hi Hemant Ji,

I always use 4-6 cloves of garlic with 100g of Lentils for Sambar. Is it Ok??

Regards,

PS my mates think it is Yammy.
PPS I use one Potato also?????

BB

[guhapriya]

Hai

Can anybody tell me how to cook brussels in Indian way , I mean are there any recepies which would suit to the taste of brussels