Sambar - Tamil Nadu Style

Ingredients:

Thoor dhal – 1 cup

Tomatoes – 2 (diced)

Garlic – 5 cloves with skin (optional)

Castor oil – 1 tsp (optional)

Any chopped vegetable of your choice – 2 cups

:- you can use veggies like raddish, brinjal, okra, drumstick, capsicum or chow chow.

Shallots/sambar onion/pearl onion – a handful or small red onion – 1 (sliced lengthwise)

Green chilies – 5 (slit)

Tamarind pulp – from a cherry-sized ball of tamarind

sambar

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Coriander leaves – a handful

Sambar powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Vegetable/cooking oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

For tempering 1:

Fenugreek/methi seeds – 1 tsp

Asafetida/hing – 1/2 tsp

For tempering 2:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Dry red chilies – 5

Asafetida/hing – ½ tsp

Method of preparation:

1. Pressure cook thoor dhal with tomatoes, garlic and castor oil.                                                    :- adding castor oil will help dhal cook real well.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a deep vessel. Stir-fry the vegetable and keep aside.
3. Add more oil to the same vessel and add the tempering 1 ingredients.
4. Now add onions, green chilies and curry leaves and sauté till onions turn translucent.
5. Now add the fried vegetable and 2 cups of water.
6. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt and cook covered till a nice aroma arises. (about 6-7 mins)
7. Now add the tamarind pulp, one more cup of water and cook covered for about 5 minutes.
8. Now mash the dhal well with a ladle and pour into the mixture. Check for salt and cook covered till the sambar is frothy and reduces a bit.
9. Check for salt and throw in roughly chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
10. Heat remaining oil in a small wok and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, throw in the rest of the tempering 2 ingredients and pour this onto the sambar.

Serve hot with rice or idli or dosa!!