Sambar is a popular dish in south India. It goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Rice, Rava Idli, Upuma, Pongal etc., Sambar is made of toor dal/Yellow Pigeon Peas and vegetables. You can use any of your choice vegetables. May be mixed vegetables are just one or two vegetables will also be fine. Just make sure, if you are using the lady finger/Vendegai/Bendi/Bende kai/okra fry them nicely before adding this vegetable into tamarind juice.
You can use ready made sambar powder or can make the fresh sambar masala mixture. Here I am using the fresh one. It gives a special taste to it.
Ingredients:
- Toor Dal /Yellow Pigeon Peas - 1 cup
- Vegetables of your choice
- (eg. potatoes, peas, beans, carrot, cauliflower , Lady Finger/Okra, Pumkins, Drumsticks, radish, Avarai or Board Beans, etc,)
- Onion - 1 no.
- Tomato - 1 no.
- Tamarind Juice - 2 cups
- Haldi/Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
- Salt as per taste
- Jaggary tiny ball (Indian Sweetener made from sugar cane juice - available in India)
- Curry Leaves few
For grinding
- Chana Dal / Split Black Chickpeas - 3 tsp
- Dhaniya / Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp
- Red Chili- 8 to 10
- Fenugreek/Methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
- Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
For Seasoning
- Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp
- Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
- Urud Dal / White Lentils - 1/2 tsp
- Whole dry Red Chili - 1
- Asafoetida /Hing powder - 1/4 tsp
Time Required: 30 mins
Method:
1) Cook the Toor dal in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water
2) Soak tamarind in one cup of water for ten minutes, then squeeze well and strain out juice.
3) In a thick pan add a teaspoon of oil, and add all above mentioned ingredients of grinding and fry them nicely (keep a eye-do not to burn it)
4) Once the fried ingredients cooled down grind it smoothly adding water and keep it aside
5) In a thick bottom pan add oil, onion and tomato and fry them for 2 minutes, then add vegetables, tamarind juice, one cup of water, salt, turmeric powder, Hing and curry leaves cook until vegetables well done
6) Add blended fine paste and 1 cup of water, bring to boil for 3 to 4 minutes or till they turn aromatic
7) Mash cooked dal with a spoon and add dal to the above mixture and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes
8) Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add the mustard, urud dal seeds, red chili and hing wait to splutter and slide this seasoning in the sambar slowly.
Enjoy the sambar with Rice, Idli, Dosa, Upuma, Pongal, Rava Idli or anything of your South Indian dish choice.
