Sambar

This dish is common in the South made of toor dal. It is usually served with steamed rice and some vegetable side for a good lunch. With iddlis, sambar make a great breakfast/dinner.

Ingredients:

Drumsticks/Brinjals - 1 cup
Sambar powder Shakti masal - 1 tsp
Toor dal - 1 cup
Tamarind - lemon size
Onions thin cut lengthwise - 1/2 cup
tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 1
curry leaves - 4
corriander leaves - handful
cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp
mustard/urad dal - 1/2 tsp
fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
asofetida - a pinch

Sambar:

1. Boil the toor dal with turmeric powder and cummin seeds adding 1 tsp of oil (I like to use idhayam nallanai in particular for this)
2. Soak the tamarind in water and microwave it for 1 min. Once it cools, take the extract. throw out the pulp.
3. To the boiled dal add the cut vegetables, onions, tomatoes, green chillies, sambar powder, tamarind extract, asofetida, salt and sufficient water and pressure cook for one whistle
4. In a separate pan heat oil and add mustard, urad dal, cummin seeds, feugreek and curry leaves
5. Add the studd from step 4 into the cooker and decorate it with corriander leaves.