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Monday, December 13, 2010

MINI IDLI SAMBAR (RESTAURANT STYLE) / HOTEL SAMBAR

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambar

An easy to make, healthy breakfast with mini idlies dunked in hotel sambar. Mini idli and hotel sambar? Its just a different way of presenting things. A small variation alongwith the usual things gives the unique taste like hotel sambar. Read further on making hotel sambar. It took more time for me to type this recipe than to make this. Haha..
FOR THE MINI IDLIES:

Pour idli batter (click here for the idli batter) into the mini idli mould using a spoon and steam cook for 8 minutes. Take out from the mould and keep aside.

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambarHow to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambarSAMBAR RESTAURANT STYLE (HOTEL SAMBAR):

INGREDIENTS:
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - half the lemon-sized ball
Pearl onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 2
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Hing
Oil
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few

To fry in oil and grind to a paste:
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Chenna dal( to be fried) or Pottukadalai( need not be fried) - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Dry red chillies / green chillies - 2
Pearl onions - 6(raw) (Grinding the pearl onions raw alongwith the given ingredients gives the hotel flavour).
Scraped coconut - 2 tablespoons

METHOD:

Pressure toor dhal with turmeric powder, mash well and keep aside.

Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract juice.
In a kadai, heat a spoon of oil and fry the items given in "To fry in oil and grind to a paste" (except pearl onions and scraped coconut) until golden brown. Add scraped coconut and raw pearl onions to it and grind to a thick paste using little water.

In the same kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add curry leaves and pearl onions alongwith a pinch of salt and hing. Saute till translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes, sambar powder, required amount of salt, and tamarind extract. Allow it to boil. Now, add the mashed toor dhal and ground paste. Let it boil unil the raw smell is diffused and semi - thick. Transfer it to a bowl. Hotel sambar is ready at home.

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambar
HOW TO SERVE MINI IDLI SAMBHR (RESTAURANT STYLE):
INGREDIENTS:

Mini idlis - 10
Hotel Sambar - 1 cup
Carrot grated - 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves finely chopped - 1 tablespoon

FOR TEMPERING :
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Ghee - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Arrange mini idlies in an oval plate, pour hot hotel restaurant style sambar over the idlies. The sambar should neither be too thick nor too watery. Add the tempering. Garnish with grated carrots and coriander leaves. Add little melted ghee on top. Serve hot.


Variation: Finely chopped onions for topping.

48 comments :

  1. Very intersting Maami. I'm going to try this sambar recipe for sure. And love the little idlis. I love the carrot garnish. My favorite place in Salem where I eat this - they add raw onions too on top. Thanks - will try this soon and let you know.

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  2. Dear Shanti
    Very nice recipe ..I am going to try it,
    and next time I go to a hotel for Idli sambar, I shall call the chef and ask him..." Did you copy this recipe from the blog of Shanti?" Ha ha
    I dont give a dam to the hotel tastes..except that they present the dish very well....and can reproduce the taste, days in days out.
    Every time a friend comment at dinner at my place " Ghosh, it is exactly like hotel".
    My reaction generally is like this...( Jokingly)
    " Is this that bad, I have used cleaned and washed veges..have used fresh oil..all spices are personally ground by me from whole seeds ..Oh God what went wrong, that you are comparing with a hotel dish !!!"
    Actually the fallacy is " When you pay to eat , it is got to be good "!!!
    Have a nice week

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  3. I am suddenly hungry!!! slurrp..

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  4. Hotel polavae irukku! and am sure it tasted better than that!

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  5. Super..........Konjam anuppi vaiunga mam, malai vera peiyuthu.
    Kurinji

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  6. Thanks a lot for sharing this. i never add raw onions while grinding .. will try this variation.. :)

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  7. heygreat recipe dear...love those mini idlis

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  8. this is my daughter's hot favourite.She loves mini idlis more than the big ones.Lovely and delicious sambar to go with it.

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  9. Super mini idlis, clicks are too good.

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  10. This looks so tempting Shanti....pass some over.

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  11. this is my hubby's fav--make it regularly at home !

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  12. too tempting....remembering chennai hotels...we wont get mini idlis here in hyderabad...

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  13. Sambhar idly is looking very tempting,love it anytime, now you made me so so hungry :)

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  14. Hi akka,

    One of my dear favorites...used to buy from Purswalkam hot chips all the time!!:0

    Dr.Sameena@

    http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

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  15. Haiiii yenakku kutty idly na romba romba pidikum :) looks so good and with sambhar, I dont need to say.. soooper :)

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  16. like to grab whole platter ..looks so yummy..

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  17. lovely combo,love this cute mini idlis..

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  18. thanks so much for sharing the pearl onion trick,now I know ;)!!!! The platter looks so yummmyy !!!

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  19. Aree wah..Such a comforting tiffin. I adore all the tiffin varieties of Tamil Nadu...Yummmy...

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  20. Omg, yennaku pasikuthu..damn cute looking mini idlis..

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  21. oh i love this...this is my fav from saravana bhavan in Nyc...ooh i m drooling

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  22. Ho this samabar recipe i'm going to bookmark.

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  23. I sooooooooo would love to have that mini idli mould as I don't have one. I love the idli smabar combo. Very beautifully done :)

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  24. looking beautiful and presntation is very good

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  25. Mini idly sambar is my fav food :) I will give it try to get the hotel flavour...
    btw.. wot is pearl onion?

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  26. this is my fav....this just the best!

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  27. they look adorable! thnx for sharing the valuable tip on pearl onions. hopefully my sambar will taste a tad better next time :)

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  28. very innovative..........going to try it soon

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  29. I love Idli Sambhar, I will try this version of yours, naa India yaale Irrukum varai, school tiffin boxle Inda maari kutty Idli ye naile thochi milagai pudi pot kuduthanupuve, Ippo kooda Idli anna yen pasagalakka Romba romba pudikku, so definitely ide try pannuve. Naa kooda Idli sambhar post pannirukke, quite a long time back, neegalum try panni parungo time kadicha, beautiful clicks shanthi

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  30. What lovely Blog you have Shanthi, I love your recipes, love Indian cuisine, xgloria

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  31. thank you :)
    delicious dish love this

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  32. So nicely presented dear, I love the mini Idlis.
    FOODELICIOUS

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  33. One of my fave. food. Love those cute tiny idlies.

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  34. Shanti didi, I am not sure you remember giving the link to me but a while ago, you sent me a link for pulihodarai. I made it last night and it came out really good. I have also posted the same in my blog. Do take a look below. Thanks a ton. my husband and I LOVED it!

    http://sweetspiceysour.blogspot.com/2010/12/pulihodarai-tamarind-rice.html

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  35. Hi ma'am, the pictures as well as the steps are so well done & written. Its our favorite Sunday breakfast. Though your version is interesting & I am surely going to try.

    do visit me when time permits at: http://www.relishdelish.blogspot.com

    Rgds

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  36. Kutty idli all time fav and too with sambar mmmmmmm yummy and hotel sambar almost I do the same way but addition of poppy seeds and grinding onion is the variation.. So I am going to try this one. And I love ur sambar powder recipe too as we dont add poppy seeds.. I have already bookmarked it but not yet made.

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  37. Thank you verymuch or your immediate response madam. Can you please give any other new snack ideas please.
    jayachandra

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  38. Dear Madam
    Your food blog is excellant and so practical also. No other blog wii compete with your blog.One more truth is your name and your face perfectly match together . I like so much Please do not misunderstand my feeling.

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  39. Very good recipe. thanks for sharing this information.

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  40. Thanks for sharing the post. Its a nice verity of idli menu about Shanthi krishna kumar's. I like your idli menu. Very good service. SelectCiti provides more information about Restaurants in chennai.

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