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Traditional South Indian Sambar

Ingredients

  • Dry Toor lentils or Red Masoor lentils -1 cup(serves -family of four)

  • Garlic-2 cloves

  • Olive Oil or sunflower oil-4 tbsp

  • Ghee-1tsp(optional)

  • Fresh curry leaves only -2 stems

  • Coriander leaves-2 stems for garnish

  • Fine desiccated coconut-2tsp

  • Small round shallots or baby onions - 5(or special sambar onions)

  • Tomatoes-4 medium size

  • Green chillies-2

  • Drumsticks/Mulakkada-1 (peel the skin cut into long  pieces)

  • Carrots-1(peel the skin cut into long medium pieces)

  • Mooli-1(peel the skin cut into medium sized pieces)

  • Tamarind-3tbsp (soak in warm water)

  • Turmeric powder-1tsp

  • MTR Sambar Powder or homemade sambar powder -3 tsp

  • Mustard Seeds-1tsp

  • Urid daal(white lentils-1 tsp

  • Cumin seeds-1 tsp

  • Chana Daal-1 tsp

  • Asafoetida Powder(Hing)-1tsp

  • Jaggery-1tsp

  • Home made sambar powder
  • Dry toor daal-3 tbsp
  • Chana daal-3 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds-2 tsp
  • Urad daal-4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder-half a tsp
  • Red dry chillies-5
  • Coriander seeds-3 tbsp
  • Curry leaves-2 stems
  • Dry coconut powder-4 tbsp
  • Whole black pepper-2 tsp
  • Asafoetida powder(hing)-half a tsp
  • Rice-2 tsp
  • Dry roast all the ingredients to a smooth powder
Method;
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  1. Wash the dry toor lentils(toor lentils takes time 20 to 30 mintues ) or red lentils(red lentils cooks very fast)  in cold water two to three times in a bowl of water . Small tip if you cook lentils in pressure cooker they will cook in 15 mintues only.Now add fresh water in a same pan and cook the lentils with water for half an hour in medium flame on gas until the lentils is fully cooked and become soft and smooth .Check the lentils is ready nicely cooked switch of the flame .

  2. Chop the onion, tomatoes, green chillies, mulakada (drumsticks)carrots into medium size .Try to cut drumsticks by removing the skin and cut it long way .

  3. Now soak tamarind for 10 minutes  in the warm water and squeeze until in get thick paste throw the pulp away and keep the think paste.

  4.  Now put the cooked lentils back on to medium flame by adding in turmeric powder fresh vegetables into the cooked daal mulakada, mooli, tomatoes, carrots, cook until they soft  while this is cooking lets start tempering spices .

  5. Heat a fry pan with medium flame this is called talipu in telugu (tempering) add in the ghee ,olive oil once the oil been heated add in mustard seeds, curry leaves, sambar powder, asafoetida powder, garlic pieces, jaggery, shallots or sambar onion mix all well .Now add in dry desiccated coconut powder mix well .

  6. Allow this to sizzle for a few minutes, then add them into the cooked lentils mix that been cooking .wow the aroma of sambar .

  7. Garnish with coriander and switch off the flame. Enjoy sambar with hot hot plain rice having  poppadum and adding fresh tsp of ghee (optional)

Enjoy this comforting dish with its wonderful aroma .its a very traditional  dish in south India from generations. My family always love to have sambar in my house .
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