All I can say is that the secret of the tastiest South Indian Sambhar or Kuzhambu is revealed here!
Method:
Ingredients:
- Small onions - 5 kg very finely chopped
- Black mustard seeds - 100 gms
- Fenugreek seeds - 10 gms
- Jeera - 100 gms
- Urad dal (broken) - 50 gms
- Kadalai Paruppu (Bengal gram) - 50 gms
- Crushed Garlic - 1/2 kg
- Rock salt - 3 tbsp
- Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
- Curry leaves - 2 bunches
- Castor Oil - 5 tbsp
Method:
- Take a huge bowl, mix onion and crushed garlic.
- Then add all the other ingredients except oil.
- Keep mixing until all the ingredients even out.
- Press it firmly into the bowl, almost forming a cake.
- Pop a lid and leave it for 2 days.
- On the third day, squeeze out all the water from the mixture and add to another dry plate. Do not discard the water.
- Sun dry the tempering mixture for 8 - 9 hours ( 7 am to 4 pm), then add this again to the water and soak till next morning.
- Squeeze the water out again (quanity may have reduced), and dry the mixture again.
- Repeat this cycle, till no water remains. Once this happens, dry it our for 3 days. Ensure a little moisture remains.
- Now take the castor oil, pour 1 tbsp and a time and mix. the consistency should be sticky enough to make balls.
- Dry this out for 10 days. This process is important for tempering balls to have great shelf life (2 - 3 years)
- Use this little by little for tempering in sambar, kuzhambu, gravies and more!