For south Indians, tamarind is a must for making sambar. Locallly called puli (L as in lion, if L is pronounced lightly as in love, it means tiger!), it is extensively used in pulisatham, rice mixed with tamarind, in travels, as it remains fresh for two or three days.

Some chemical in tamarind dissolves excess fluoride in the bones and allows it to pass through urine, according to today’s Indian Express!

Salt obtained from the sea (containing iodine, calcium, potassium etc. in traces), turmeric, asafoetida, curry leaves, green dhanya leaves, green chillis, mint leaves, lemon, curd etc., routinely used by Indians, are all healthy food ingredients.

Some useful tip for our Western brothers.

Time Required –

20 minutes

To Serve –

4

Ingredients –

• Tamarind juice – 3/4 cup
• Green chillies – 5 to 6
• Jaggery – 1 marble sized piece
• Vegetable of your choice – 500 grams
• Toor dal – 1.5 cup
• Turmeric – 1 pinch
• Water – 1 cup (Alternatively, one can use the water left during vegetable or dal boil also)
• Salt to taste
• coriander leaves – handful ( chopped)

Preparation –  

1) Boil Toor dal and vegetables saperately and keep.

2) In a separate vessel, add boiled vegetable, salt, jaggery, green chillies and turmeric powder.  Now, add tamarind juice and boil it with in medium flame for 2 minutes.  (Keep stirring)

3) Add boiled toor dal and boil the sambar 1 minute.  Add seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves

Serve it hot with rice or chapathi

Alter -  You can use more coconut while grinding and avoid putting toor dal. 

Vegetables that can be used –

• Pumpkin (Both varieties)
• Beans (all varieties)
• Carrot
• Potato
• Onion
• Mangalore saute(cucumber)
• Tinda
• Ladies finger
• Brinjal
• Ash gaurd

Great combinations –

• Beans and carrot
• Potato, tomatoes, green peas and onion
• Brinjal and chickpeas

Time Required –

30 minutes

To Serve –

4

Ingredients –

• Grated coconut – 1 cup
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Dhaniya (coriander seeds) – 2 tsp
• Menthe (Fenugreek seeds) – 3 – 5
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Red chillies (Byadige variety) – 5 to 6
• Curry leaves – 5 to 6
• Tamarind juice – 1/2 cup
• Green chillies – 2 to 3 (optional)
• Jaggery – 1 marble sized piece
• Vegetable of your choice – 300 to 400 grams
• Toor dal – 1 cup
• Turmeric – 1 pinch
• Water – 1 cup (Alternatively, one can use the water left during vegetable or dal boil also)
• Salt to taste
• coriander leaves – handful ( chopped)

Preparation –  

1) Heat oil in a kadai and fry dhaniya, jeera, urad dal, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, curry leave in the same.  Fry it till the red chillies become a little dark red.

2) Grind the fried ingredients with coconut.  Add little water to make it into a smooth paste.

3) In a separate vessel, add boiled vegetable, salt, jaggery, green chillies and turmeric powder.  Now, add tamarind juice and boil it with in medium flame for 2 minutes.  (Keep stirring)

4) Add ground paste to the same and boil it.  Add 1 cup of water and keep stirring frequently.

5) Finally add boiled toor dal and boil the sambar again for 30 seconds.  Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve it hot with rice, idly, dosa or chapathi

Alter -  You can use more coconut while grinding and avoid putting toor dal. 

Vegetables that can be used –

• Pumpkin (Both varieties)
• Beans (all varieties)
• Carrot
• Potato
• Onion
• Beet root
• Mangalore saute(cucumber)
• Tinda
• Tondekayi (Tindora)
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage

Great combinations –

• Beans and carrot
• Potato and onion
• Cabbage, onion and tomatoes
• Cauliflower, potato and tomatoes
• Beans, Tindora, carrot and potato

National Bird of India is commonly found in its sublime form in Bandipur National Park. I caught this majestic male Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) on a rainy day around Mulapura area of Bandipur. The largest deer in India, Sambar (Cervus unicolor), looks on.

Rain made these beauties keep still and gave the lovely saturation colors.

Step 1: Soak Tamarind in water and Boil Dhal in the pressure cooker. Vegetables to be cooked separately with minimum water. A little salt to be added while boiling the vegetables

Step 2: Extract Tamarind juice and add Sambar powder, turmeric and salt

Step 3: Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida.

Step 4: When they become red, add tamarind juice and boil for few minutes

Step 5: Add the dhal and the boiled vegetables and let it simmer. Add water as required and Voila! tasty sambar is ready

The Real Story -

Step 1: Woke up and after performing all other necessary activities, finally decided to make Onion Sambar

Step 2: Hunted for Tamarind in the kitchen, fridge and all possible places and finally found it. Dithered on the amount of tamarind to be added and guesstimated an amount (guessed from vaguely remembering mum doing it ages ago and estimated from POTA – pulled outta thin air – numbers) and soaked it in water.

Step 3: Went to nearby supermarket to buy onion and other provisions. Chanced upon a packet of readily cut mixed vegetables. Quick decision. Onion Sambar upgraded to Mixed Veg Sambar.

Step 4: Back in the kitchen, basic confusion on which Dhal is the Thur Dhal. Tried to guess but realized it was a high risk aspect. Called up Subject Matter Expert (SME) aka Mum, got an approximate description of how it looks, did not help and then mum ,in all exasperation, described the container in which it was kept,(Bless her) and located it.

Step 5: Added 2 spoons of T.Dhal and top up the container with water. Placed the contraption without dropping it into the cooker and (most important) added water to the sides of the container in the cooker and let it boil/cook/do its job.

Step 6: Took the pre-cut vegetable and mulled over whether to cut them further. Realized it was a task beyond me and let it boil in water with little salt added.

Step 7: Extracted Tamarind juice from Step 2. Guesstimated amount seemed to high. So used only half the tamarind extract.

Step 8: One spoon of Sambar powder and a pinch of turmeric powder to be added. Question is how to differentiate between the 2? Both to me looked similar. Compromised by adding quarter spoons of both, hoping that roomie could identify which was what. Salt also added in little quantity. (Salt can be added anytime later, so its better to not overadd it)

Step 9: Determined which oil had to be added. (The cookbooks just say oil!! How is one supposed to determine which oil) by vaguely remembering that Sundrop is meant for cooking and not for oil bath. Heated it and added mustard seeds to the same and added fenugreek once the mustard seeds started to boil.

Step 9.5: Note to self. Never try to cut vegetables on an uneven surface, as the resulting touch, dexterity and balance from my side with the knife is liable (in 100% of the cases), to ensure that the floor is given a fair share of vegetables

Step 10: Added the tamarind extract + added ingredients to the content of Step 9 and since the resulting mixture seemed too little, added a glass of water to the same and left it to boil. It also helped that I was really praying at this stage

Step 11: Allowed the mixture to boil, while removed the cooked T.Dhal from the cooker (without any incidents. Wow! I really must be getting a hang of things)

Step 12: To the boiling mixture from Step 10, added the T.Dhal in stages. We, after all don’t want to make it a paste do we?. Also added the cooked vegetables and allowed the mixture to boil.

Step 13: Got vaguely concerned when the resulting “sambar” looked very liquidy. In desperation, tasted a bit and determined, it tasted just like colored water. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Added the other half of the tamarind paste

Step 14: Panic sets in. The “Sambar” now tastes like tamarind water. Roomie sauntered in and determined which is sambar powder. Feeling relieved, added a spoon of Sambar powder to the simmering brew. For good measure, added salt too. As a further back-up, started to dial Just-Dial to get nearby Dominoes’ number

Step 15: Faint glimmering of hope emerged after boiling, as the scent starts to be sambar-ish. Further tasting confirms the first impression and corriander leaves added for flavor and the sambar is ready.

Step 16: Thulped and Thulped. Tasted half decent too. (All this and modesty too, I simply rock)

Step 17: Woke up next day and determined that I was still alive (the power was out. In Utopia, I would not be suffering powercuts and be woken up at 9AM on a Sunday. In hell, I probably would not be even be allowed to go to sleep, So this was Earth)

Moral of the story: Dont be so ready to cook unless you are prepared to wash the utensils and clear the resulting battle-field like mess afterwards

PS: Oh btw, roommate also fine. Thanks for asking

Sambar-Sadam - Sambar Rice Dish from South India

   Sambhar and rice are the ubiquitous foods of South India; people eating them on a daily basis. Hence, Sambar-Sadam, a dish originating in Tamil Nadu is only naturally popular in South India. It basically involves rice, dal and vegetables together with all the spices of Sambar and also with tamarind juice, which is an essential ingredient of Sambar. Hence, in principle, the cooking of Sambar-Sadam is the same as the principle of cooking Khichdi as it is done in the Eastern India – rice, Dal and vegetables are cooked together. The diffrence is that the Khichdi uses mild spices and not many of them, while Sambar-Sadam uses full range of Sambar spices. Moreover, tamarind juice is not used in Khichdi. Another difference is that Moong dal is used for Khichdi, while Sambar-Sadam uses Tur dal.

   I had the first occasion to taste Sambar-Sadam at my professor’s house, who was from Tamil Nadu and had trained her Bengali maid expertly to cook authentic South Indian food! Since then, I have enjoyed this dish very much, but the taste from my Professor’s kitchen has never been matched.

   The best website I have come across so far for its recipe is http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/sambar-sadam-bisibelabath.html, eventhough Bisi Bele Bhat mentioned there is really a spicy rice and dal dish from Karnataka – another rice and dal dish I like very much, but is different from Sambar-Sadam. Moreover, Sambar-Sadam tastes much better without dry fruits garnishing as shown in this picture. And, just like Khichdi, it tastes good with a spoonful of pure ghee or clarified butter on top! Because it is easy to cook, with all the ingredients being cooked together, it is quite popular as an easy to cook and tasty to eat traditional dish, without having to go for unhealthy fast food.

“There is an Indian Belief that everyone is in a house of four rooms: A physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room everyday, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete.” — Rumer Godden

Our Indian neighbour Kala was cooking this morning and I decided to say hi and check out what she was making. Her kitchen was opened so you could easily smell the pungent aroma. My youngest sister and I have always been curious about different cultures including the food so Kala offered and we did not hesitate. Again, I don’t know what this is called exactly but she put Tiger and Sambar powder. Either way it definitely made me tear up lol but not all things that make you cry are bad for you I guess lol.

Sometimes the best things in life are discovered entirely by chance. Like yesterday night when we came across this tiny shack near the rear exit of Anzal Plaza in Sector-22, Gurgaon. All of us were in a mood for a quick bite and that was probably why “Vada Pav” caught my eye so quickly. “Vada Pav“, a native of Maharashtra is a rare sight in Gurgaon. So, it was pure ecstasy to find it tucked away in this remote corner of the universe.

We were delirious with anticipation as we approached and immediately spotted the Vada’s from far away. We rubbed our eyes and pinched each other to make sure this was no mirage. The Vada’s were definitely there for the taking, but Pav, nope, Pav was exhausted. We were heart broken but decided to try the Vada anyway. Soon, steel plates with Vada’s swimming in coconut chutney and red chilly paste were passed around. My god, amazing Vada’s, authentic Mumbai flavour mouth watering Vada. We nearly exhausted the restaurant’s Vada inventory. My friend in the meantime couldn’t resist a chicken soup which he later claimed to have tasted a bit like Sambar! There were many more alluring items on the menu like chicken lolly pops, varieties of soups and momos. The food was warm and hygienic. The setting was informal; sweet chill of incipient winter was in the air, and steaming Vada’s melted in our mouth.

The owner was thin, dark and pleasant faced. He was from Mangalore. He asked if we were Malayalee’s and as we nodded in a semi trance induced by Vada, he told his story. He had come to Gurgaon, 11 years ago and had never returned to his native town. He could understand Malayalam, but could hardly speak the language, though he had many friends from Kerala. The shack primarily catered to students from nearby colleges and he was doing brisk business. We could see that. Even at this late hour there were a group of students chatting away at a corner over tea and momos. He had plans to expand the set up to cope up with the demand. He was particularly attentive to us. Compared to his, our lives were easy. Yet, he was optimistic and cheerful at the end of the day. Probably he has to wake up at 4 AM and start over.

Our nocturnal adventure was coming to an end. This was another instance of chance triumphing over well laid plans, reinforcing my belief in serendipity. I vowed to be more open to chance and its unexpected delights as we drove away.

Where to find Shetty’s

It’s on the lane next to Anzal’s Plaza in Sector – 22, Gurgaon. Shetty can be reached at 9718559669.

A quick wikipedia search yields:

“Sambar is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

South Indian food, people and culture are inextricably linked to a ubiquitous dish as in idli and sambhar, sambhar and rice and so on. Each state in the South prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment.”

Can’t really argue with much of that. Sambar is indeed a vegetable stew or chowder based broth made with tamarind and dal and is very popular within the cuisine of southern India. There are several “strains” of sambar, and south Indians tend to link sambar to several other main components of their meal – dosais, idlis, rice, etc.

Before I begin, let me be honest. Frankly, I am no sambar expert. I cannot cook sambar whatsoever. However, my speciality lies in eating sambar. I can distinguish one sambar from the next effortlessly, and understand the consistency, texture, aromatic smells well made sambars should possess.

To me, sambar is best eaten piping hot, in its most classic form – sambar satham. Sambar over some well cooked basmati rice and a little bit of ghee (purified butter, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee) cannot be beat. Adding a curry and perhaps some banana chips to the plate adds to the taste of course, but is also quick to induce a coma.

Although sambar can be eaten over rice, and that is generally the case – sambar satham remains a staple south Indian dish throughout – south Indians love to throw sambar on all sorts of stuff. A Dosai (a thin rice crepe filled with a potato curry) , for example is often accompanied by a chutney of some sort, and a nice small bowl of sambar. Idlis (soft rice cakes – seeing a pattern here?) are served especially with sambar, making the two foods almost one, hyphenated word – “idli-sambar” or “sambar-idli”.

To me however, there remains only one sambar that mesmerizes me each time I indulge myself in its smell. And that sambar onion sambar. Onion sambar – also known to those familiar with the language as “vengaya sambar” is the king of all sambars – in my books, at least.  There is simply something about the mixture of flavors found within the sambar and onions that causes the tip of my tongue to salivate. The strong, spicy, smell along with a crisp, distinct taste have caused me to return to this classic time and time again. Only on one condition however – that coconuts are ground up and tossed in, and tiny onions are used. See: http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/arachuvitta-vengaya-sambar-onion.html – notice Saffron’s post:

“shammi, ahh arachu vitta chinna vengaya sambar. It was a treat reserved only for special occasions and special guests!! Here in the US, I get red pearl onions that are a reasonable substitute. I have even used frozen pearl onions in cases of culinary emergencies.
You have brought back memories of sunday afternoon siestas after a meal of sambar and roasted potatoes and paal payasam “

Perhaps I should have chosen blogspot instead. I have yet to stumble upon a sambar related wordpress Just kidding, of course. So there you have it I suppose – the method to my madness – why my wordpress is prefixed with words most cannot pronounce. It’s simply my favorite south Indian dish. Memories of cool afternoons spent in Chennai eating my grandmothers sambar enliven my senses. Ahh.

Does it get much better than this?

I’m not really quite sure what prompted me to start this blog. Okay, I lied. Between watching Tim crunch out PDE’s by hand on the white board infront of me, checking the weather every ten minutes, and attempting (yet failing miserably) to solve even one Putnam problem a day, I grew listless. But I have so much to say! So many things to discuss! Why must I succumb to this dormant, static lifestyle within my research cubicle? A sense of intellectual liberation soon overwhelmed me; the things I could talk about if I wrote them down! Alas, vengayasambar.wordpress.com was born.

I have always discussed writing a blog with my uncle - Dr. B. Ravikumar, Professor of Computer Science, at Sonoma State University.  Every summer, I hop on a plane and jettison roughly 6 hours to a small, quiet surburban city outside of San Francisco – Petaluma. It is within his home, overseeing the grand Petaluma hills and the city beneath us, that our dialogue (or for my Tamil readers, our ”penathal”) begins.

Much of this blog will revisit many topics that have caused insomnia between me and Ravi. Although I do pride myself in possessing a smidgeon of literary ability, I do not consider myself a writer. If what comes out on these pages appears to be well written, interesting, and thought provoking, then perhaps what they say is true – every dog does indeed have his day. My job more importantly I feel, is to entertain and bring some of the most obscure subjects within our discussions to life. It should come as no surprise that as a graduate student of engineering, and Ravi himself, a Professor of Computer Science – that many of our topics stem from the sciences. However, they soon take a rather unpredictable turn thereafter. It takes a rather curious duo to dive from the Chinese Remainder Theorem to parallel universes, and then onto cousin couples, and finally stop (if only for the night) at the rituals performed at a South Indian Brahmin Wedding. Then rinse, and repeat.

A long first post, I know. Originally, I had intended the first post to discuss sambar, a delicious south indian dish as well as the url of this blog. Feeling the need for an introduction of some sort, I left the title as is and wandered off into this prefatory piece of writing. Sambar, and all its related entities will be covered in the next post. Until then!

Last week I was on school camp and the food on offer was very different from my usual staple dishes.  So, by Friday running on a diet high in carbs (lots of potatoes and processed bread) and fat (creamy, cheesy, oily dishes), my system was suffering.   So, one of Stacey’s dals was very much needed.  Light, fresh and full of flavour.  The dal I decided upon is my current favourite variation of all of Stacey’s dal recipes.  Using her Golden Dal recipe as a base, I added Sambar powder when heating the spices and adjusted a few of the ingredients.

Using the basic recipe model in Stacey’s dals she has included in our blog, there is a lot of scope for variation in the spices and vegetables used.  These minor changes allows this very easy cooking model become  a treasure trove of new dishes, that are also healthy and inexpensive.

There are two basic steps to cooking a dal successfully.  One, simmering the dal of choice in water and turmeric with any hard vegetables, then adding softer vegetables towards the end.  Ginger can also be added at this stage or it can be fried with the spices. Two, warming the spices to allow flavours to develop, by heating the mustard seeds until they pop then adding others of choice.  Coconut, palm/jaggery/coconut sugar, salt and pepper are added at the end, adjusting for taste.  Just before serving, coriander is added is so desired.

Sambar Moong Dal

1/2 cup moong dal                         

2 1/2 cups water

1 tspn turmeric

1 roma tomato (finely chopped)

1 tspn ghee/olive oil

1/2 tspn mustard seeds

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tab finely chopped ginger

1 tspn sambar powder

1 red chilli (fresh or dried)

 2 tab coconut (fresh or dried)

1 tab coconut sugar/palm/unrefined brown sugar

handful finely chopped fresh coriander

salt to taste

Combine the moong dal, water and turmeric in saucepan.  Bring to boil, turn down heat and allow to simmer  for 30 minutes, or until dal is soft and fully cooked.  Add the tomato and stir.

Heat ghee/oil in a small saucepan.  When it is hot, toss in the mustard seeds, allow to turn grey and pop.  Add the cumin seeds, ginger, sambar powder and chilli.  Heat through to allow ginger to soften.

Pour this into the dal, add the coconut, sugar, salt to taste and fresh coriander.  Serve with rice.

Shared goodness from Donna

Print recipe

I was walking to Starbucks this morning as I didn’t eat breakfast at home… As I was getting there, the aroma of hot sambar/pitlai, hot from the stove filled my nostrils… don’t know from where… and I was instantly transported to the little hotels of kumbakonam…. where a hot breakfast of  idli/vada/pongal, with sambar and thenga chutney is served on a banana leaf.

Gosh! What I wouldn’t give for that… now.

“Sambar” sounds like the infinitive of a verb meaning “to dance to seductive rhythms in far-away places.” It’s actually a legume dish characteristic of Southern India.

Close enough.

The defining feature of sambar is the sambar masala (spice mix). I skip the fenugreek and some of the other more exotic ingredients found in a traditional sambar masala and use what I usually have on hand: cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, crushed red chili pepper, a little shredded coconut and lots of black pepper. Simmered with yellow split peas, it makes a hearty vegetarian filling for a sandwich or wrap. Add some veggies and a drizzle of yogurt dressing, you say? Even better!

Ingredients (for 6 wraps):

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

pinch ground ginger

pinch ground cardamom

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup yellow split peas

3 cups water

1 heart of romaine

2 carrots

6 whole wheat tortillas

For the yogurt dressing

3/4 cup plain yogurt (fat content of your choosing)

1 lemon

more salt and black pepper

Steps:

1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic and spices. Add coconut if you like. Sauté until the onion is soft.

2. Rinse and drain the yellow split peas. Add to the saucepan. Add 3 cups water.

3. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes until the peas are completely soft. Allow to cool. Refrigerate to cool completely.

4. Remove the center ribs from the romaine lettuce leaves. To chiffonade the lettuce, stack several leaves and starting at the top, roll them into a tube.

5. Thinly slice the roll of lettuce to get long chiffonade strips. Repeat with additional lettuce leaves.

6. Trim and peel carrots. Using a vegetable peeler, make wide carrot ribbons. Stack several carrot ribbons and run the tip of the knife down the stack of carrots to make thinner ribbons.

7. Make the yogurt dressing by mixing the yogurt, juice of one lemon, salt and ground pepper. Use a fork to blend.

8. To assemble, spoon 1/6 of the sambar mixture on the bottom third of a whole wheat tortilla. Add lettuce, carrots and 1-2 spoonfuls of yogurt dressing. (If the wrap is going in a packed lunch, skip the yogurt dressing for now and pack it in a separate container so the wrap doesn’t get soggy). Fold one side over towards the center. Leave the other side open. Roll the tortilla up. Repeat with the other five tortillas or refrigerate the ingredients for later. Enjoy!

]]> http://madhyapradeshtourism.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/madhav-national-park/ Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:20:50 +0000 Shalini http://madhyapradeshtourism.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/madhav-national-park/

Mahav National Park is one of the jewels in the state of Madhya Pradesh located in the Shivpuri district in Gwalior region. The National park comprises of 156 sq. km. The park was the hunting ground for ancient kings in olden days; today it is a protected area. The National Park is a storehouse for wide varieties of animal and plant life. The right time to visit Madhav National Park is from October to February. A four wheeler drive is unavoidable in the rough terrain of Madhav National Park. The jungle safari can give a bird’s eye view on the wildlife treasures in the National Park. There are wide varieties of animals and birds like, Indian gazelle, chinkara, wild boar, leopard, four-horned antelope, jackal, sambar, sloth bear, tiger, monkey, blackbuck etc.

The National Park is near to Gwalior, hence the easiest means of travel will be by air. Gwalior airport and Jhansi Railway stations are close by. There are several hotels and resorts near the destination.

Craving for dosas this semester? We are your answer. Mark your calendars!! Everyone’s favourite restaurant, Sambar, returns on Wednesday September 16th. But wait, there is even more good news! Sambar is now every other Wednesday for the entire semester. Come and enjoy some steaming dosas and other great Indian food at the only South Indian restaurant on campus.

YOU eat delicious, home-cooked food = YOU help the underprivileged children in India= ONE Sweet deal!

Location: Red Herring Restaurant at the Basement of the Channing Murray Foundation Building (south east corner of Matthews and Oregon)

Date: Wednesday September 16th, 2009

Time: 6:00pm to 8:30pm

All proceeds go toward the education of underpriviledged children in India. So bring your friends! Nowhere else in Chambana can you eat scrumptuous Indian food and do a good deed at the same time!

MENU

Plain Dosas – $4.00

- Crisp crepes made from fermented batter of rice and lentil flour, served with coconut chutney and Sambar (a spicy lentil and vegetable soup). For any South Indian, the world isn’t an illusion, it’s simply made of dosas!

Masala Dosa- $6.00

- Crepe stuffed with seasoned potatoes and onions.

Pav Bhaji- $4.00

-Nothing exemplifies street food like Pav Bhaji!Potato based curry served with lavishly buttered buns topped with freshly chopped onions & cilantro

Papdi-Chat – $3.00

- A melange of flour crisps, boiled potatoes and onions topped with tangy chutney and chilled yogurt.

Sev Puri- $3.00

- A melange of flour crisps, fried delicacies, chopped tomatoes, onions, potatoes and tangy chaat masala.

Tomato Bhaat - $4.00

- The Indian Paella: Rice slow cooked in a mixture of onions, tomatoes & aromatic spices (Served with raita).

Thaali - $ 7.00

- A combo meal with Jeera (Cumin) Rice, Chana Masala, Aloo Gobi & Pickle

Chana Masala – Chickpeas cooked in spices with onion, ginger & garlic

Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower & potatoes tossed in a curry sauce

Pickle – Spicy accompaniment that makes everything taste better

Mango Milkshake – $2.00

- Our all-time best selling drink!

Pista Kulfi – $3.00

- Traditional creamy Indian pistachio ice-cream. Gotta try!

Feel free to contact us for questions, comments or feedback about Sambar.

Contact

Rakesh at itsrakeshk@gmail.com
Varun at kumarsingh.varun@gmail.com

What Champaign-Urbana without its favourite dosa place? That’s why we at Asha bring you steaming hot masala dosas and various other Indian delicacies semester after semester, all at student-friendly prices.

Mark your calendars because the first Sambar is just around the corner on Wednesday, September 2nd. It will be held as usual, at the Red Herring restaurant, at the basement of the Channing Murray Foundation Building which is located on the South East corner of Mathews and Oregon, from 6 PM – 8 PM . Below, is a map showing the location.

View Larger Map

All proceeds go toward the education of underpriviledged children in India. So bring your friends! Nowhere else in Chambana can you eat scrumptuous Indian food and do a good deed at the same time!

Date: Wednesday, September 2nd
Time: 6 PM – 8 PM
Venue: Red Herring Restaurant, South East corner of Mathews and Oregon

MENU

Plain Dosas – $4.00

- Crisp crepes made from fermented batter of rice and lentil flour, served with coconut chutney and Sambar (a spicy lentil and vegetable soup). For any South Indian, the world isn’t an illusion, it’s simply made of dosas!

Masala Dosa- $6.00

- Crepe stuffed with seasoned potatoes and onions.

Papdi-Chat – $3.00

- A melange of flour crisps, boiled potatoes and onions topped with tangy chutney and chilled yogurt.

Bhel Puri- $3.00

- A melange of rice crispies, chopped tomatoes, onions, potatoes and tangy chaat masala.

Bisibelabath - $4.00

- It takes rice with sambar to a whole new level with spices and essences to give it a unique character (Served with papad).

Thaali - $ 7.00

- A combo meal with a mixed vegetable curry, mixed dal and paapad.

Mixed Vegetable Curry – A medley of fresh vegetables curried in a rich sauce.

Mixed Dal – An assortment of lentils cooked in mild spices. Nothing brings back memories of home like dal with warm rice.

Paapad – A crunchy thin wafer, served as an accompaniment.

Mango Milkshake – $2.00

- Our all-time best selling drink!

Gaajar ka Halwa – $3.00

- A deliciously rich carrot dessert loaded with nuts and served warm.

Feel free to contact us for questions, comments or feedback about Sambar.

Contact

Rakesh at itsrakeshk@gmail.com
Varun at kumarsingh.varun@gmail.com

After nearly a decade of dining in Seattle, I finally – finally – made it to the esteemed Le Gourmand this past weekend.  Hallowed amongst food enthusiasts and Francophiles, chefs Bruce and Sara Naftaly are revered for their impeccable cuisine and lifelong dedication to local and organic food culture.  A full quarter of the printed menu is committed to acknowledging their farm sources and providers.  Still, the Naftalys are hardly newcomers to the locavore bandwagon, and in fact the evening’s experience called to mind Alice Waters and her pioneering approach to cooking at Chez Panisse in Berkeley.  There was an ease and elegance to the food that can only come from years and years of devotion, and countless mornings spent in the garden.

Since I never knew Le Gourmand during its previous incarnation, I can only imagine the transformation it must have undergone after a (reportedly) dramatic remodel early last year.  The space is wonderful, like nowhere I’ve ever been, a singular room out of time.  Like a fairytale.  This is in no small part due to the wizened visages of the three hand-carved puppets watching over you from the far wall (the puppets were not nearly as freaky as I had heard – really, the craftsmanship, concept and execution were singular.  They were also quite a bit larger than I had anticipated).  Even though this is serious cooking, and you will be dropping serious cash, the puppets remind you not to take things too seriously.

The dining room is very small, very intimate and very relaxed.  White tablecloths, a porthole peering into the kitchen through an upholstered swinging door and soft light bursting from wonderful, exploding blossoms of glass.  Like if an allium went supernova.  The music is unobtrusive but upbeat, the pace of the service is leisurely, and my partner and I could actually whisper to each other across the table (despite the constant low level murmur drifting through the doorway from the Naftaly’s adjacent, equally beloved lounge, Sambar).  Really my description cannot even begin to capture the magic of the place.

Nor, I’m afraid, can I fully do justice to the exquisite four hour, seven-course Late Summer tasting menu that I enjoyed.  But I will try.  The tasting menu doesn’t actually feature any of the items listed on the regular menu, though they are happy to substitute if so desired.  Also unlisted: a mini-flight of various wines to accompany the courses (there was nothing mini about it – the pours were immensely generous).  Our server was very thoughtful and attentive, easy-going and cheerful.  There was a fluidity to the service that I thoroughly enjoyed, a subtle capriciousness (the wines seemed paired mostly on the fly, the sorbet course was still TBD, etc.)

I started with a remarkable glass of Sancerre rosé – full-bodied, with a nice mineral bite, a perfect way to end the season.  The first course was a tiny cup of radish soup (!!), smooth and creamy, simmered in duck stock and topped with fresh julienned radishes and Claudio Corallo cocoa-nibs.  As you well know, I adore radishes.  It was perfect pink.  My partner opted for à la carte, but joined me on this course with a beautiful bowl of heirloom tomato soup – deep red, rich and earthy.  Next up was a screamingly good pork sausage meatball stuffed with foie gras.  The dollop of paté was almost (almost) upstaged by the freshness of the herbs used in the loosely packed sausage – marjoram, savory, thyme, and Italian parsley.  It also didn’t hurt that the pork was from Wooly Pigs.  An absolutely sensational dish.

For the third course, a tantalizing bowl of early season chanterelles bathed in a decadent cream sauce that reminded me of butterscotch and apricots.  The mushrooms were meaty and warm, tiny caps mixed in amongst the larger ones.  Thankfully, the portion sizes were well-controlled throughout the evening, as this dish in particular was exceedingly rich.  A somewhat sweet Vouvray bridged this course into the next – local Albacore tuna gratin, layered with basil, sweet red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and baked in a scalloped half shell with comté and gruyère cheeses.  Perhaps out of everything I ate during the tasting menu, this dish in particular was closest to my heart.  There was something so soulful about it, so comforting, the flavors so well-balanced, that I found myself mopping up the shell with the previously untouched bread on the table.  It’s no wonder that the basil guy gets his very own special shout-out on the menu (respect due, Dennis Williams).  Simply unparalleled.

Before the main course, a small scoop of sorbet was served as a palate cleanser.  Apparently they had settled on a sweet and light blend of honey, nectarines and champagne (with a tiny garnish of that incredible savory from earlier – an herb that, until I sat down to dinner, I was entirely ignorant of).  The sorbet served it’s function, but was otherwise neither here nor there.  No matter, as soon the squab was upon me.  Bathed in an earthy lobster mushroom sauce, the medallions of tender, pink pigeon meat were wrapped in chewy grape leaves straight from Le Gourmand’s garden arbor.  I found it a great deal richer than the usual poultry, with more depth of flavor, and very moist.  The squab was served with a plate of vibrant vegetables – kale, cabbage, new and purple potatoes, butter, some salt and pepper, more butter.  My partner’s boneless rack of lamb in a plum and garlic sauce was undeniably brilliant (although it’s worth noting that it was listed on the menu as “wrapped in house-made bacon”, said bacon nowhere to be found on the plate.  Not that this was necessarily an issue, but there was never any explanation).

As all things appropriately Euro should be, the final course was Salade le Gourmand: green and leafy lettuces straight from the garden, tossed with colorful nasturtiams and other edible flowers in a Blackwood Canyon Chardonnay vinaigrette with mustard seed.  It was a little bit bitter, and a whole lot earthy.  The best possible way to end a meal, unless you’ve somehow managed to save room for one of Sara Naftaly’s desserts.  Sadly, we were informed, Sara had been called away unexpectedly to attend to her son who had gotten into a skateboarding accident (although, we were assured, he was going to be just fine).  This may explain why the chocolate soufflé we ordered was runny in the center, not cooked all the way through.  There was a rich hazelnut sauce to pour over the soufflé, and best of all, a garnish of golden raspberries and blackberries.  I can’t even remember the last time I ate golden raspberries, and that was about all the dessert I needed anyway.

As I contemplated the meal through a haze of synaptic fireworks, Bruce Naftaly came out from the kitchen to introduce himself and thank us for our patronage.  I was starstruck and awkward as ever, but he was appropriately gracious and humble.  We said our farewells and wandered down the street, savoring the fleeting summer night.  It was truly an epic dinner, and I had one of the most intense food highs I’ve had in ages.  Endorphins for days.  In many ways, Le Gourmand is completely off the map – not least of all physically, tucked away on Northwest Market in that little area of town that’s not quite Fremont, but not yet Ballard (Frelard?).  So too, it seems to reside on the edge of the epicurean consciousness.  Like a fairytale.

Em algum dia de anos atrás investi um tempo ensinando meu amigo Moreno Veloso a sambar feito carioca. E ele me ensinou a sambar que nem o baiano de Santo Amaro. Graças a ele eu tiro onda de saber sambar feito santo-amarense até hoje.

Este é o motivo de eu ter sido ligeiramente citada no vídeo abaixo – a menina Clarice, no min 1:37, sou eu! – no meio de uma explanação do Moreno sobre a diferença entre o jeito carioca e o baiano de sambar.

Eles (Moreno e Caetano) explicam a diferença dos pés no tempo forte de um jeito de sambar e de outro. Pra tentar entender o que eles falam, é bom ter uma noção mínima de tempo na música… Toda música tem um pulso: na canção Parabéns pra você, por exemplo, é aonde marcamos as palmas.  No samba, basicamente, neste pulso estão as pancadas do surdo. No vídeo eles chamam este pulso do samba de “tempo forte”.

Agora vamos à minha versão do que eles explicam: pra mim, a diferença básica é que o baiano marca o pulso levando os pés à frente (calcanhar ou peito do pé) e, o pulso no “sambar carioca” está atrás, com o apoio nas costas. Isso na dança de mulher carioca, pois os homens, pelo menos no Rio, sambariam diferente.

Outra diferença importante é que a carioca requebra não só os quadris mas também a parte de cima do corpo, mexendo ombros e braços. Pelo que eu entendi do samba baiano, mexe-se mais da cintura pra baixo.

É muito provável que eu tenha reinventado um pouco do que o Moreno me ensinou, fazendo um jeito carioca de sambar santo-amarense e ele idem ao contrário… Mesmo assim valeu quebrar a cabeça pra tentar identificar as sutilezas de cada cultura.

Last month was my birthday month and turned out to be a super-party month. There were so many occasions to celebrate that towards the end, my mind and body were left whirling.

Summary of activities:

• July 17 – Shopping the sales at Sanctuary in search for nice birthday dress and shoes. Successfully scored these beautiful tops…shoes were not happening


Green patterned top



Striped top with a Purple Border

• July 20 – Lunch with friends at Indijoe, stuffed face at buffet and then went on a long stroll to walk away the fullness.
• July 21 – Lunch with friends at Ginseng – the Chinese restaurant at Royal Orchid. Mmm…heavenly food, huge smile on face for the rest of the day
• July 22 – Second unsuccessful attempt to score some good shoes at the Lifestyle sale. Ended up buying some much-needed basics for the snubnose (shoes and socks). No shoes for me I did spot some heavenly white flats, but what I am looking for are sensible black pumps for work. So, resisted the temptation quite nicely (pat on the back for me)
• July 25 – Drinks and dancing at the Ice bar in Taj Residency. Super page-3 featured party and we had a whale of a time dancing and people-watching. A highlight was the Michael Jackson tribute break-dance feature
• July 29 – Drinks and snacks at a friend’s place followed by Bollywood ishtyle dancing at ZeroG. The DJ played some awesome tracks from Love aaj kal and Kaminey. Super- music, just did not want the evening to end.
• July 31 – Birthday lunch treat at South Indies – massive buffet spread consisting of rice, sambar, appams, accompanied with appalam and sundal. Totally yummy; sambar just like my Grandma prepares it. Will definitely take my folks here for lunch/dinner next time they come.
• August 1 – Night-show of Love aaj kal with friends.
• August 8 – Lunch and shopping with friends at Serengeti in Total Mall

Whew, what a hard-core party girl lifestyle I have been leading this past month thanks to all who made these past couple of weeks so memorable!

Enjoyed myself thoroughly but now it is back to some serious work!

Cheers,