Weekends at my kitchen is a typical south indian breakfast or brunch. This weekend it was Idly and red pearl onion/sanna erulli sambar. This is one of my favorite combination to eat with idlies.
Recipe for Sambar
- Pearl onions- 1 cup
- Potatoes- 2 medium
- Toordal- 1/2 cup (cooked till soft)
For grining into paste
- Red onion -1 small
- Tomato – 1 small
- Sambar powder- 2 tbsp( can substitite with curry powder)
- Coconut- 2 tbsp
- Tamarind paste/ water- 2 tbsb
- Cinnamon – cloves- 2 each
- Spice powder- 1 tbsp (optional)
Making Sambar:
- Pressure cook toordal till soft and mash and keep aside.
- In mean time peel skin of onion, potato and cook untill soft. 10- 15 mins will be good.
- Grind the above ingredints.
- In a vessel add cooked and mashed dal, grind paste enough water to make it thin and cook untill the raw smell is gone. Then add onion and poatotoes. Cook for 5 more mins.
- Do the seasoning with oil, mustard and hing.
- Enjoy !
* Can use pressure cooker to cook veggies, have to be careful to not make it mushy.
After many trail and error from last 6 years living in Alsaka, I have figured out the recipe for idly which really works for me, its paraboiled rice(I use uncle ben’s brand) wich make idlies soft and gives very nice texture like adding rava. And have changed my blender to indian mixie(Preethi chef-pro), this really worked well for me, gives me the right consistancy.
Here is my recipe for Idly.
- Par boiled rice- 2 cups
- Urad dal- 1 cup
- Poha/ Avalakki- 1/2 cup ( makes idly soft and gives bright colour)
- Fenugreek/ methi/ menthya seeds- 2 tbsp
- Soak rice, poha and methi seeds in one bowl and urad dal in seperate bowl for atleast 8 hours.
- First gring urad dal to smooth and fluffy consistancy adding enough water.
- Then grind rice,poha mixture to meduim consistancy adding enough water. Using parboiled rice gives little texture like rava, so it won’t be very smooth.
- Then mix with urad mixture, add little salt mix well , cover and keep in warm place. ( I keep inside microven,this is the warment place I have for frementing
). - Let it ferment for 8 more hours.
- Add oil to idly moulds and steam cook for 10- 15 mins. Let it cool a bit and serve with sambar.
Enjoy !



November 5, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Aaahhh!! dunking a warm idli in pipping hot sambar!!! YUMMY!
Oh yeah! Thanks Manasi.
November 5, 2007 at 6:44 pm
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. lovely pics…:)
Thanks siri.
November 5, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Wow, looks wonderful this is my ideal combination too. Whenever I feel hungry in the morning, I crave for idli, sambhar and chutney also.
I like idly and chutney too..but don’t like combining sambar and chutney together. Its one or the other.
November 6, 2007 at 12:13 am
Ruchi, feel like coming now. Very nice. Viji
Viji you are welcome, I’ll be happy to cook for you.
November 6, 2007 at 4:47 am
Love them. I can just feel eating them, i am coming over.
Please do, will happy to cook for you.
November 6, 2007 at 4:52 am
as a kid i hated idly..now i love them..tho i never make it..as i have an american blender..i have been thinking of buying an indian mixie tho….idly sambhar..yumm
You hated idlies ? Glad you like it now, hope to see some idly,sambar or chutney post some day at your blog.
November 6, 2007 at 6:28 am
Idli and hot sambar is an ultimate breakfast right? Your recipe for sambar is very different from the one I make. Have bookmarked it. Enjoy winter!!!
Yes always comforting, Thanks do try it some times.
November 6, 2007 at 8:52 am
idli, vada and sambar rocks!!! i can never get tired of eating them(it was not the same when i was in my hostel though)
Vada , now I am in mood to have some. Hostel food ha…
Idlies are always comforting.
November 6, 2007 at 9:27 am
Delicious. Love the madras erulli Sambhar. I stopped adding aloo in the sambhar, makes it thick and bland. Cooking for Deepavali?:)
I didn’t know these were also called madras erulli, Making some sweets and snacks for deepavali. will do post it.
November 6, 2007 at 4:10 pm
the bowl of sambar looks very delicious, slurrrrp
never added cinnamon though! idli sambar is such a fav at my house
November 7, 2007 at 6:48 pm
yumm idli sambarr delecious onions looks soo beautiful
November 8, 2007 at 6:41 am
idlis are looking so moist and sambar pretty spicy. Though I dont like idlis, I can have one with that sambar.