Thiruvathirai Sambar | 7 Kari Kootu / Kuzhambu - Vidhya’s Vegetarian Kitchen

square image of thiruvathirai sambar with a maroon fabric on the side with some greens on the other side

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Thiruvathirai Sambar | 7 Kari Kootu / Kuzhambu

Thiruvathirai sambar - Mixed vegetable curry or stew with freshly ground spices & coconut prepared on the auspicious Thiruvathirai day!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Entree, Main Course, rice accompaniment

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Keyword: 7 kari kootu, thiruvathirai sambar

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Saucepan or kadai
Mixer jar or coffee grinder

Ingredients

Measurement Details- 1 cup=240ml; 1 tsp=5ml; 1tbsp=15ml;

Vegetables

5 green beans cut into 2-inch piece
1 yellow zucchini cut into big chunks
1 brinjal cut into chunks
1 potato peeled and cubed
½ carrot peeled and cubed
½ chayote squash peeled and cubed
¼ cup dried field beans soaked for 8 hours

Dal

¼ cup toor dal
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
¾ cup water

To roast and grind-

¼ cup coriander seeds
8 dried red chilies
3 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ cup coconut grated
½ cup water to grind the masala

For the Sambar-

2 tsps oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp asafoetida
1 dried chili
10 curry leaves
2 cups water
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2.5 tsp salt or to taste
1 cup water to cook the beans

Instructions

Pressure cook ¼ cup of toor dal with ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder in your preferred way and mash it well.
Pressure cook the hyacinth beans by adding 1 cup of water in your preferred way. Drain the water from the cooked beans and let it cool.
I cooked my toor dal and the beans using the pot-in-pot method in the stove-top pressure cooker for three whistles.
Chop all the veggies, and you can microwave potato and carrot for 3 to 4 minutes and parboil them. In this way, you can cook all the veggies together on the stove-top. If you do not precook the potatoes and carrots, cook them partially and then add the other veggies.
Heat a small pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, dried red chilies, chana dal, and fenugreek seeds until the aroma comes.
Next, add the coconut and cook for 30 to 45 seconds and turn off the heat.
Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water and set it aside.
Heat a saucepan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, dried red chili, and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds splutter, add in the veggies and mix. Next, mix 2 tbsps of tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and add it to the veggies. Add salt as well and cook until the veggies are soft and tender. As all these are watery veggies, they cook well in tamarind water. You can precook them with plain water and then add the tamarind paste as well.
When the veggies are aldente, add the ground paste and cooked field beans/mochai. Mix well and let it simmer.
Finally, add the cooked toor dal and bring it one boil and turn off the heat.
Garnish it with more curry leaves and serve hot with rice and kali.

Notes

Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
You can add 1 tsp of jaggery also.
We need 4 to 5 cups of mixed vegetables for this sambar apart from the hyacinth or the field beans. You can use veggies of your choice. The cooking time might vary depending upon the veggies you use. So adjust the timing accordingly.
I used byadgi variety chilies, and that adds that deep red color. You can add any variety, but the sambar color might vary accordingly.

Nutrition