Some dishes never fail to remind you of home, of the warmth of mom's touch - in short that luxurious comfort which we never thought we will leave. But life moves on, and so do we. The ache slowly is replaced by new responsibilities and in accommodating new changes in our lives - but BAM! a spoonful of that special dish, one fine day, teleports your memory cells back to the days bygone. And this is exactly what happened when I made Kadambam(mixture in Tamil) Sadam(rice)
Usually on the last day of Pongal - for Mattu pongal, we have a custom of making flavored rice like coconut rice, lemon rice etc. Few households also make this rice. It is an excellent option esp. if you like me get this sudden urge to throw everything you have in the fridge into a pot! If you like Sambar Rice and if you like Bisi Bela Bath, then this is another likable option for you, since I think this dish is between those two dishes. This is my mom's version which was given to her by her elder sister who is an excellent cook herself.
Method
1. Cook rice with 3 cups of water. Meanwhile cook both the lentils together until cooked. Set aside. Par boil the vegetables for approx 10min.
2. Mix the tamarind paste in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil in a pan. Add salt, sambar powder, curry leaves along with vegetables and let it cook for 5 min. The vegetables are par boiled since they are further cooked again here.
3. Add the lentils mixture and stir for another 2-3 min.
4.Finally add rice
and gently mix making sure not to mash the vegetables.
5.Garnish with cilantro and sesame oil/ghee and serve hot with papad.
This is my entry to Harvest : the festival of Rice event. ( Thank you siri for letting me know :) )
