Sprouts Sambar (Huli)

# of servings:  4
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  30 mins

This sambar tastes very different from any other variety and rightfully so!  The fragrance of the ingredients and the method of preparing each ingredient makes it so special.  Nutritious and delicious are the words that can describe this entree. 

Ingredients:

• Sprouts of green gram (or) horse gram (or) moth gram - 2 cups
• Onions - 2+1 medium
• Garlic - 6+3 cloves
• Grated coconut - 0.75 cup
• Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
• Jaggery (or) brown sugar - 1 tsp
• Sambar powder - 2 tsp
• Salt
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Cloves - 5 
• Kapok bud (maratha moggu) - 1
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 stalks

Method:

• Take one medium-sized whole onion and roast it along with the skins.  Can be done in the oven (or) an air-fryer at 380° F (190° C) for 20 mins
• When done, remove the skin and chop the top and bottom of the onion 
• Add the roasted onion to a blender jar
• Also add grated coconut, tamarind paste, jaggery, sambar powder, half the salt and 3 cloves of garlic to the blender jar
• In a cooker vessel, dry roast the cloves, cinnamon and kapok bud till they turn aromatic ('Saute' mode in IP)
• Add them into the blender
• Dice the remaining onions and garlic
• Add a little oil to the cooker vessel and season with mustard seeds and curry leaves
• Scoop them out and set aside
• Into the same oil, add the chopped garlic and onions
• Saute for a couple minutes and add the green gram sprouts
• When they roast and become aromatic, take out two ladle fulls of the roasted sprouts and add it to the blender jar
• Add a cup of water and the remaining salt to the sprouts in the cooker and cook well ('Pressure' mode for 1 min in IP or just cover and cook till the sprouts soften)
• Blend the contents in the blender jar into a smooth paste
• Add it to the cooked sprouts and add enough water to bring it to the required consistency 
• Bring the sambar to a nice boil and add the mustard seeds seasoning 
• Mix well and serve hot with a bowl of rice, roti or chapati

Tips and Tricks:

• Instead of roasting the onions in the oven or air fryer, they can just be chopped and sauteed in a vessel.  But the smokey flavor of the roasted onions adds to the aroma and taste of the sambar
• Sauteing the sprouts before cooking helps keep their shape rather than disintegrating into the gravy
• Note the usage of very little tamarind and jaggery than other sambars.  This is to enhance the flavors of the sprouts and the roasted onions
• Adding half the salt to the sprouts ensures even taste of the sambar than have a very salty gravy and saltless sprouts

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: