IYENGAR SPECIAL KADHAMBA SADHAM - COOKED MIXED VEGETABLE IN TAMARIND SAUCE WITH ADDITION OF FRESHLY GROUND SPICED INDIAN POWDER

This is a very popular Iyengar recipe which is very traditional among brahmin household.  This is different from the regular sambar rice.  This is a no onion and no garlic recipe.  Many would have tasted this as "Prasadham" from Perumal temple and would have wondered how they get the unique taste.  The combined taste of different native vegetables cooked with freshly ground Indian spices gives an irreplaceable taste which is owned specially by Iyengar cuisine. Here's the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - As needed

Tamarind (lemon size)-  soaked in warm water

Mixed vegetables (Pumpkin, cluster beans, beans, broad beans, carrot, potato, chayote squash, brinjal) - 3 cups

Tomato (optional) - 1 or 2.  The original recipe will not call for tomatoes.

Gingely oil - 2 tsp

Salt - As needed

To roast and grind

Asafoetida- small piece

Toor dhal - 3 tsp

Bengal gram - 3 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Green gram - 2 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 14-16

Coriander seeds -  2 tsp

Fenugreek- 1 tsp

To Temper:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 to 3

Curry leaves - few

Preparation:

1. Cook rice separately in a pressure cooker.

2. Roast and grind the ingredients given in the list.  This needs to be done carefully.  Both less and over roasting will change the taste of the dish.

3.  Extract the water from the tamarind pulp and keep it separately.

4.  Dice the vegetables into big pieces as shown below.

5. In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil and throw in the tempering ingredients.

 6. Add the vegetables, salt, and turmeric powder and cook in medium flame.

 

7. When the vegetables are half cooked, add the extracted tamarind water and transfer the contents to a vessel.  Let this mixture boil for sometime.

 

8. Add the ground spiced powder to the boiling mixture.  Take care not to form lumps while adding the powder. Now you will feel a nice aroma filling the kitchen.  Let it boil for some 5 more minutes.  Switch off the flame.  You can also add fried vadais to this kuzhambu (I didn't do!!).

9. Add the kuzhambu to the cooked rice adding two teaspoons of gingley oil. Mix well.

 

10.  Now the aroma-filling kadhamba sadham is ready to serve.  

11.  Serve this delectable dish with pappads/fryums.