SAMBAAR

INGREDIENTS

1. Cucumber (diced) - 1 cup
2. Drum stick (muringakkaa) - 1 (cut into 2 inch pieces)
(Any vegetable like banana, ladies finger, bitter gourd, pumpkin etc. can be used to make sambaar )
3. Toor daal - 1/2 cup
4. Asafoetida - 1/2 tea spoon
5. Tamarind - 1 table spoon
6. Turmeric powder 1 tea spoon
7. Coriander seeds - 1 table spoon
8. Red chilly - 5
9. Chana daal - 1 tea spoon
10. Fenugreek seeds (uluva) - 1/2 tea spoon
11. Scraped coconut 1/4 cup
12. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
13. Mustard seeds
14. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
15. Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 1 Table spoon
16. Tomato - 1 (cut into 2 )

METHOD

Pressure cook the daal with water (1 cup) for 5 minutes

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice

Cook the vegetables in 2 cups of water, 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder and 1/4 tea spoon asafoetida. If ladies finger or colocasia (chembu) is there add a little tamarind juice as well.

In a pan heat 1/2 tea spoon oil and fry the daal, fenugreek, coriander, 3 red chillies and coconut (in this order) When the coconut starts changing colour remove from fire and add 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder and the rest of the asafoetida. Stir well and grind to a paste.

To the cooked veggies add  mashed daal, masala paste, more tamarind juice, curry leaves, tomato and salt. Mix cover with a lid and heat on a low flame. When it starts frothing stir gently for a minute and switch off the stove. Add the coriander leaves (optional)

Heat 1 table spoon oil in a small pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and add 2 red chillies (cut into 3 or 4 ) Stir for 5 seconds and pour on to the sambaar.