SAMBAR

Sambar made with lentils and vegetables is the most loved dish for rice, idli, dosa, vada, etc in South India. Here I have used drumsticks, but drumsticks can be substituted by any vegetable of your choice, for example, a combination of brinjals, ladies finger (okra), potatoes, carrots, beans, small onions, pumpkin, raddish, raw mango, etc.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Toor dal -- 1 cup.
2. Turmeric powder -- 1 tsp.
3. Onion -- 2 medium-sized finely chopped or you can use 10-15 small sized pearl onions.
4. Tomato -- 1.
5. Tamarind -- small lime sized ball.
6. Drumsticks -- 2 each cut into 3 inch pieces.
7. Sambar powder -- 2 tbsp.
8. Salt to taste.
9. Oil -- 2 tbsp.
10. Curry leaves -- 1 sprig.
11. Coriander -- 5 sprigs chopped.

To temper,
1. Oil or ghee (clarified butter) -- 1 tsp.
2. Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tsp.
3. Urid dal -- 1/2 tsp.
4. Asofoetida (hing) -- pinch.
5. Cumin seeds (jeera) -- 1/2 tsp.
6. Curry leaves -- 1 sprig.

METHOD:

1. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick juice.

2. Pressure cook dal in enough water with turmeric powder and tomato.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep pan, add onions and saute it.

4. Add about 2 cups of water to the pan, when it boils, add the drumstick pieces, add salt, sambar powder stirring slowly to avoid lumps and the tamarind extract, and close the pan with a lid and simmer till the drumsticks are almost cooked.

5. Now mash the dal well and add the dal to the pan and let it simmer for 10 more minutes.

6. Check salt and the consistency of sambhar, as it should not be too thick or too watery.

7. Now do the tempering, heat 1/2 tsp of ghee or oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add urid dal, cumin seeds, hing, and curry leaves. Now add this to the sambar and gently mix.

8. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice, idli, dosa or vada.