Sambar Vadai Recipe | Hotel Sambar Vadai Recipe | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar Recipe

Today's recipe is an interesting and delicious South Indian appetizer recipe, Sambar Vadai. Sambar Vadai is nothing but a Soft Medhu Vada served with lots of Tiffin Ghee flavored Sambar. For Sambar Vadai you can use any tiffin Sambar recipe but the freshly roasted and ground sambar spices aka Arachivitta Sambar gives lots of flavor, perfect texture and taste to Sambar Vadai. This Arachivitta Sambar recipe was shared by my friend's Mom. I have tried this sambar a number of times with and without vegetables and every time it turned out finger licking good and flavorful. That too with a extra spoon of ghee on top ghee lovely flavor and taste.

And this Sambar is perfect with any tiffin item like Idli/Dosa, Pongal, Oothappam, Paniyaram, Sambar Vadai, Sambar Idli and Plain Rice too. If you haven't tried Sambar Vadai at home please give this recipe a try and you will love it for sure. Now off to the recipe..

Medhu Vadai Recipe

Prep Time : 3 hours | Cook Time : 25 Minutes

Recipe Category : Appetizer | Recipe Cuisine : Indian

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1. Urad dal   3/4 cup
2. Salt  to taste
3. Ginger   2 tsp (finely chopped)
4. Green chilli   4 no. or to taste (finely chopped)
5. Cilantro    2 Tbsp, finely chopped
6. Oil    for deep frying

Method

• Soak urad dal for 2-3 hrs and grind it to a smooth fluffy paste with  very little water.
• then transfer the grounded urad dal batter to a bowl,add enough salt and pinch of baking soda(optional) and sprinkle a tsp of water and beat the batter well until it is fluffy, airy and soft.
• Then to the batter add finely chopped ginger, green chilli, cilantro and mix well.
• Heat oil in a wok (for deep frying),Wet your  palm with water, take a lemon size ball and flatten it slightly and make a hole in center using thumb finger and drop gently in to the hot oil.
• Fry in medium flame until light golden brown on both sides.
• Then remove the fried vadas from oil using a slotted spatula and drain the excess oil in tissue paper.
• Meanwhile Prepare Sambar For Sambar Vadai

Step By Step Medhu Vadai Photos : 

Sambar Vadai Recipe

Prep Time : 20 Minutes | Cook Time : 20 Minutes

Recipe Category : Appetizer/Tiffin | Recipe Cuisine : Indian

Serves  3-4

1. Ingredients
2. Toor Dal   1/2 cup
3. Turmeric Powder   1/4 tsp
4. Pearl Onion   10 no.
5. Tomato  1 no.(chopped)
6. Cilantro   few finely chopped
7. Sambar Powder   1/2 tsp(optional)
8. Salt   to taste
9. Jaggery   1/2 tsp
10. Tamarind   1 small lime sized soaked in water and extract the juice

To Roast & Grind

1. Oil   1/4 tsp
2. Channa Dal   2 tsp
3. Methi Seeds    1/8 tsp
4. Coriander Seeds   2 Tbsp
5. Dry Red Chilli   4 or 5
6. Dry Coconut    1/2 Tbsp
7. Jeera   1/2 tsp

To Temper

1. Ghee &  Oil   1 tsp each
2. Mustard seeds   1/2 tsp
3. Jeera   1/4 tsp
4. Curry leaves   1 sprig
5. Hing   1/4 tsp

Method

• First Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric powder and enough water for 3 or 4 whistles and switch off the stove.
• Then heat 1/4 tsp oil in a small pan, add channa dal fry for few seconds, then add dry red chilli, coriander seeds, jeera, methi seeds and roast for a minute in low heat and lastly add coconut and stir fry well and switch off the stove. 
• Allow the mixture to cool for a while and then grind it to a fine paste using little water and keep aside.
• After that heat oil in a pan,when it is hot add the tempering ingredients one by one and fry well.
• Then add sliced or whole pearl onion and saute for 1-2 minutes and then add chopped tomatoes and saute until it turns soft and mushy.
• And add tamarind extract and bring it to boil, once it starts boiling add the ground sambar masala paste and stir well and boil well.
• When its boiling add the cooked and mashed toor dal, enough salt and water(this sambar tends to thicken upon cooling so add water accordingly) mix well and allow to boil.
• After one boil, add some finely chopped cilantro, jaggery stir well and simmer for few minutes and switch off the stove.
• That's it...Flavor rich tasty tiffin sambar ready.
• To Make Sambar Vadai : 

• In a wide bowl take some hot water and add 1/8 cup Sambar(optional), little salt, mix well and and to it add the fried vadas to the Hot Water and soak it for 30 minutes.
• After that squeeze the excess water from the soaked vadas and transfer it to a serving plate.
• To the soaked vadas, add piping hot sambar util it is 3/4th filled, if desired drizzle a tsp of ghee over it. Lastly add some finely chopped onion and cilantro and serve immediately.

Step By Step Sambar Recipe :