Sunday, December 6, 2009

Sunday Feast

Ever since I found out about the Indian grocery down the street, this has become my favorite meal of any sort. The cell phone pictures don't do it much justice, but I highly recommend trying this if you can find the time/ingredients...



Ingredients:

MTR Instant Sambar mix
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils
1 large handful of green beans
1 tomato
1 carrot
1 garlic bulb
1-3 cups uncooked rice
Mango is optional

Preparation:

1 - cook lentils & chickpeas if they are not pre-cooked
2 - peel, wash & cut all vegetables
3 - par boil carrots, onions & green beans
4 - Boil 6 cups water in separate pot
5 - Add Sambar mix, par boiled vegetables, chopped garlic, and tomato
6 - cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes stirring frequently
7 - add lentils & chickpeas
8 - continue cooking for 3-5 minutes
9 - serve over rice
10 - feast!



*This can cost less than 10 dollars total depending on where you shop & can feed up to 10 heads if you cook enough rice. Trust there will be leftovers.

5 comments:

Samantha22 said...

nice work

Jessica said...

Looks good but aren't Goya beans a little high in preservatives. And is the "MTR Instant Sambar mix" really high in salt? I can't do mixes but is there an alternative? Please don't beat me up. I just want to know because I have diabetes. Thanks in advance.

Anonymous said...

Jessica -

I always run water over canned beans in a strainer to rinse before using, but you can cook the chickpeas yourself instead of buying canned. As for the MTR Instant Sambar mix, yes it is fairly high in sodium (910 mg per serving or 38% of daily value).

Here is an alternative that does not include salt or sugar...

Ingredients for Sambar:

Bengal gram dal (urad dal), 1 Tbsp
Coriander seeds, 2 tsp
Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (dana methi), 1 tsp
Hing (asoefetida), 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
Red chili powder, 1 tsp
Black pepper, 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves, dried (curry patta), 5-7
Coconut grated, 1 Tbsp
Oil, 1 tsp

*these ingredients should be available at the Indian grocery.

Preparation:

1 - Spray oil in a non-stick frying pan and roast each of the above till they turn aromatic.
2 - Mix all the ingredients and grind into a fine powder using a grinder.
3 - Store sambar in an air-tight container.

Hope this helps.

Jessica said...

ok, thanks. I am a little new to being a vegetarian and I hope I didn't disrespect you guys in any way. Just want the fact especially since I have my condition. Thank you and I will let you all know how it turns out. Peace and thanks for constantly feeling my brain.

Anonymous said...

No prob - glad we can help!