Sambar Recipe

                                                                     Sambar Recipe

Sambar is a  traditional  part of most South Indian cuisine. Sambar is usually served with steamed rice, idli, dosa,Vada. It is tasty and nutritious. In everyday south Indian cuisine, Sambar is served with rice as one of the main courses. Every family are experts in making sambar fantastic.Sambar is combination of lentil and vegetable like okra, carrot, radish, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal(eggplant) and whole or halved shallots or onions.Vada sambar and iddly sambar are popular for breakfast or evening snack in the south Indian states.

Ingredients:

• Arhar dal/toor dal - 1/2 cup
• Gourd(lauki) - 1/2 cup
• Brinjal - 1 (small)
• Lady's finger (okra) - 3 to 4
• Tomatoes  - 3 to 4
• carrot - 1/2 
• Potato - 1 small
• Green chilli - 2 finly chopped
• Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
• Onion - 1 small finly chopped
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Sambar powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves –  For garnish
• Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
• Salt - add to taste
• Oil - 1 to  2 tbsp
• Curry leaves - 7 to 8
• Mustard seeds -1 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

                                                          Method 

1. Wash and soak the Toor Daal for 1 hour.
2. Put it with 2 times more water  in the Pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles.
3. The dal should become soft and mushy.
4. Soak the tamarind in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes.Squeeze well to remove all juice.
5. Put whole vegetable (Gourd, Brinjal, Lady's finger (okra) , tomatoes, carrot , potato)  in a pan with enough water and cook the vegetables till they become soft.
6. Heat the oil in a large pan and add mustard seeds,when it splutters.
7. Add hing, curry leaves and add finely chopped onions and saute untill turn into golden.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft.
9. Now add turmeric powder, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, ginger, coriander powde and saute for a few minutes.
10. Add tamarind water , salt and sambar powder. If the consistency of sambar is thick, then add some water.
11. Cook until it boil.
12. After the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid  and mash the dal amd mix well.
13. Sambhar comes to boil cook it for another 3-4 minutes. Sambhar is ready.
14. Take out Sambhar in a bowl garnish with green coriander leaves. 
15. Serve Sambhar with Idli, Dosa and rice.