Thiruvathirai Sambar 7 Kari Kootu Kuzhambu

Check out how to make this recipe in detail with step-wise pictures.

Thiruvathirai-

Thiruvathira or Thiruvathirai or Arudra Darisanam is a popular event that is celebrated in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It usually falls in the full moon day of the month of December-January / the Tamil month margazhi. It’s a significant event/festival in all the Shiva temples, and a lot of abishekams and rituals will take place. Growing up in Periyakulam, which has three major Shiva temples, Arudra Darisanam is a big event. Even though we don’t have a custom of preparing kali and kuzhambu, growing up in Tamil Nadu has its impact. At my mom’s place and husband’s place, we make this Thiruvathirai kali and kuzhambu.

The story behind kali and kootu-

One among the 63 Nayanmaars wanted to offer something for Lord Shiva. But he didn’t have anything except for some dals, broken rice (kurunai), and veggies. So he made Kali with the dal and rice and thick gravy/kootu with all the veggies he had. He offered this to Lord Shiva in the temple, and the next day, the neivediyam was inside the shrine, indicating Lord accepted it, and Lord Shiva blesses him with the Arudhra Darshan. So from that point on, Kali and seven kari kootu or the sambar became the prasadam for Thiruvadirai.

Seven kari kootu | Thiruvathirai sambar-

We make a thick stew or curry with seven vegetables. Kari here refers to vegetables. You can call this as sambar, kootu, curry, or thalagam. As we add toor dal and freshly ground mix, we always call this as sambar, and it’s a variation of arachuvitta sambar.

Veggies used for the sambar-

As Thiruvathirai falls during the winter months, we mostly use seasonal winter vegetables like ashgourd, fresh hyacinth beans, raw banana, etc for this Thiruvathirai sambar. But you can use whatever you have in hand. These are veggies that what I used,

I adapted the recipe from Meenakshi Ammal’s “Samaithu Paar” book. There are many versions without toor dal, but mine has a minimal amount of toor dal, though. The steps for this Thiruvathirai sambar might sound lengthy, but it is more like arachuvitta sambar. We first pressure cook the dal, roast the spices, and prepare the masala. Then make the sambar.

Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this Thiruvadirai sambar or the 7 kari kootu-

Cook the toor dal-

Pressure cook ¼ cup of toor dal with ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder in your preferred way and mash it well.

Cook the field beans-

Pressure cook the hyacinth beans by adding 1 cup of water in your preferred way. Drain the water from the cooked beans and let it cool.

I cooked my toor dal and the beans using the pot-in-pot method in the stove-top pressure cooker for three whistles.

Prepare the veggies-

Chop all the veggies, and you can microwave potato and carrot for 3 to 4 minutes and parboil them. In this way, you can cook all the veggies together on the stove-top. If you do not precook the potatoes and carrots, cook them partially and then add the other veggies.

Prepare the masala for the sambar-

Heat a small pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, dried red chilies, chana dal, and fenugreek seeds until the aroma comes.

Next, add the coconut and cook for 30 to 45 seconds and turn off the heat. Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water and set it aside.

Prepare the Thiruvathirai Sambar-

Heat a saucepan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, dried red chili, and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add in the veggies and mix. Next, mix 2 tbsps of tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and add it to the veggies. Add salt as well and cook until the veggies are soft and tender. As all these are watery veggies, they cook well in tamarind water. You can precook them with plain water and then add the tamarind paste as well. When the veggies are aldente, add the ground paste and cooked field beans/mochai. Mix well and let it simmer.

Finally, add the cooked toor dal and bring it one boil and turn off the heat.

Garnish it with more curry leaves and serve hot with rice and kali.

Recipe Notes-

Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. You can add 1 tsp of jaggery also. We need 4 to 5 cups of mixed vegetables for this sambar apart from the hyacinth or the field beans. You can use veggies of your choice. The cooking time might vary depending upon the veggies you use. So adjust the timing accordingly. I used byadgi variety chilies, and that adds that deep red color. You can add any variety, but the sambar color might vary accordingly.

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