Sambar

Sambar is generally served with Idlis or Dosa. It is a very simple and basic south Indian recipe, yet very delicious. 

Servings :
For 4 persons (approx.)

Ingredients :

For basic Dal:

1/2 cup tuvar dal (Arhar Dal)
1 cup water
1 tspn vegetable oil
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
1/4 tspn asafoetida powder
Salt to taste

For Tamarind water :
A small lemon sized tamarind
2 cups water

For Tempering :
2 tbspn vegetable oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn fenugreek seeds
1 tspn cumin seeds
1/2 tspn asafoetida powder
2 chopped dry red chillies
7-8 curry leaves

For Sambar :
1 large onion (chopped in cubes)
2 small eggplants (Chopped in cubes)
1 large tomato (Chopped in cubes)
1/2 potato (Chopped in cubes)
1/4 cup red pumpkin (chopped in cubes)
1 drumstick (cut into 4-5 pieces)
2 cups Tamarind water
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1 cup water
3 tbspns Sambar Powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh corriander leaves
Tempering  ingredients (as given above)
Salt to taste

Method :

To cook Dal :
Wash the tuvar dal and transfer it into a pressure cooker vessel. Add a cup of water, vegetable oil, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Pressure cook the dal. Set aside for using it in Sambar.

To make tamarind water :
Soak tamarind in 2 cups of lukewarm water for almost 15-20 minutes. Mash it and extract juice from the tamarind. Strain the water by using Muslin cloth. Set it aside.

To make Sambar :

Heat oil in a large pan. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder and saute. Then add dry chillies and curry leaves to the tempering. Now add onion and saute it for a minute. After onion is a bit transculent, add other vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes, potato, pumpkin cubes and drumsticks. Saute it for 2-3 minutes. 

After sauteeing vegetables, add tamarind water and plain water. Then add turmeric powder and Sambar powder. Let the veggies get cooked into the tamarind water and sambar powder. Cover the pan with a lid. Bring it a boil and simmer on medim flame for 15-20 minutes. Check if the vegetables are cooked. Lastly add pressure cooked tuvar dal and simmer for few minutes. 

Garnish it with chopped corriander leaves and serve hot with Idlis or Dosa.

Notes :

SAMBAR POWDER :
Samar powder is readily available in market. However, it can be made at home by following the recipe given below:

Ingredients :
6 dry red chillies
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
7-8 black peppercons
1 tspn rice grains  
1 tspn tuvar dal
1 tspn chana dal  (Split bengal gram)
1 tspn urad dal 
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tspn oil

Method :
Take oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients for a minute or two. Grind the ingredients into fine powder.

Stepwise Pictures: