Recipe for Simple and Easy Sambar

Ingredients:

Thuvar Dal - 1 cup

Onions - 2 nos

Tomato - 2 nos

Green Chilly - 1 or 2 depending upon the size

Garlic - 2 cloves (optional)

Turmeric Powder - 1 tspn

Tamarind - a lemon size

              or

Tamarind Paste - 2 tbsp

Sambar Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup

Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Bengal Gram - 2 tbsp

Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Chop onions and tomatoes finely. Slit the green chillies into 2 (care to be taken not to cut them into two vertical halves, simple sliting is enough). Pressure cook the thuvar dal along with garlic, green chillies, tomato and onion and mash it thoroughly. Extract thick juice out of tamarind or add 1 cup of water to the tamarind paste to make thick juice.

In a pan add 2 tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds when it is hot. When the seeds splutter add bengal gram and saute till it becomes golden brown in colour. Add half of  the curry leaves and fry them too for a while. Add the tamarind juice and mix chilly powder, coriander powder, sambar powder, asafodeita and salt. Add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil till the smell of the raw tamarind and sambar powder is gone. (This will normally take 10 to 15 mins). Add mashed dal and cook for a few more minutes till it thickens. 

Cut the remaining curry leaves finely and garnish it on top of the sambar along with coriander leaves. 

Makes a great side dish for idlies and dosas. 

Note: If the same is to be had with rice, vegetables like Lady's finger, Brinjal or Drumstick can be added along with tamarind water and cooked in it so that the taste of tamarind, spiciness of sambar and the taste of salt gets into the vegetables in the right proportion.