While growing up, I rarely had idli Sambar in my home. My mom would make it maybe once or twice a year. Recently, I found out that idli sambar is known to be India's most nutritious breakfast per Times of India. Idli is a savory rice cake made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented lentils and rice. Each plain idli has approximately 39 calories, 2 grams protein, 2 grams dietary fiber, 8 grams carbohydrates, and no fat. Sambar, is a lentil-based vegetable stew.
I usually don't add eggs in sambar and serve egg curry as a separate dish, but I like having eggs as part of a breakfast meal. I decided why not just add it to the sambar for some more protein.
I picked up some fresh vegetables from Patel Brothers on my day off. Vegetables that you don't traditionally find in a grocery store such as Parvar (pointed gourd), okra, drumsticks. I love how this came out and I will be making this again sometime!
Ingredients:
- veggies: potatoes, tomatoes, drumsticks, pointed gourd, okra, carrots
- 3-4 eggs
- 3/4 cup toor dal (pigeon pea)
- ginger garlic paste
- curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sambar masala
- 1-2 teaspoons red chili powder
- lemon
- salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1. In a pressure cooker, add toor dal and 2-3 cups of water.
2. While dal is cooking, heat a medium size pot with olive oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds for 2 minutes on medium heat. Then add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste & 4-5 curry leaves. Saute for another minute.
3. Add cubed veggies to the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes covering the pot with a lid. Stir the veggies every 3 minutes. Once the potatoes have cooked, add boiled eggs and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add cooked dal and a cup or two of water to the pan and stir until the dal blends.
5. Add sambar masala, red chili powder, turmeric, salt and black pepper to taste. Lastly, squeeze fresh lemon juice before serving.
