This is one of my all time favorites, and I can literally gulp it down like soup.
The combination of idli pieces, soaked in sambar for 5 minutes, then dipped in chutney, is DIVINE. God bless the person who ever invented it!
A little interesting fact about this dish.
The origins of this dish are uncertain, although legend has that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler Shahuji during the 18th century from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is believed that Shahji had a liking for a dish called amti which had kokum as one of its main ingredients. In one particular season, the kokum, which was imported from the Maratha homeland, ran out of supply, and someone suggested to him that the locals used tamarind pulp for sourness. Shahji experimented with the pigeon peas, vegetables, spices and the tamarind pulp and served his coterie and his cousin. The court liked the dish and named it sambhar after the guest of the day, Sambhaji, second emperor of the Maratha Empire.
Bon Appétit