SAMBAR

 SAMBAR

Ingredients

250 gms small sambar onions/shallots

2 drumsticks cut into 3-inch pieces
Tamarind -size of a lemon.
oil 3 tbsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Tuvar dal 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 string
Mustard seeds 1 tsp.
Roast the following in 1 tbsp oil :
Bengal gram dal 1 tbsp
coriander seeds 2 tsp
fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp 
dried red chilies 4-6 nos 
asafetida powder 1/4 tsp
4/5 small onions (optional)
Grind the above roasted ingredients with 1/4 grated coconut to a fine paste

Method of Preparation

Cook the tuvar dal with water in a pressure cooker thoroughly. It should have consistency of a pulp when cooked.
Pour 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the peeled onions/ shallots till they become translucent. Add hot water and cook drumsticks in it till soft.
Extract juice from tamarind, add 1cup of water. Add to this the fried onions and drumsticks with the turmeric powder and salt and cook it well
When the onions are cooked, add the ground paste, the cooked tuvar dal .

Add water to get the right consistency and boil. 
Remove from stove. In a small pan/kadai pour 1tbsp oil. Add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. When the mustard starts spluttering garnish the sambar with this.

Variations. Instead of onions you can add, carrots, yellow(ripe) pumpkin, elavan, Arbi(chembu) brinjal, sugar baby mango, potatoes or ladies finger. Only onions and ladies’ fingers must be roasted before cooking in tamarind juice, just so that they don't break apart easily. Arbi/chembu should be pressure cooked and peeled. All the other vegetables can be cooked directly in tamarind juice.