Sambar

Ingredients:

1 cup tur dal

3-4 cups of cubed bottlegourd

10-12 small sambar onions (or shallots)

2 medium tomatoes quartered

pinch of turmeric

1 large lemon sized tamarind (extract the juice in 1 cup water)

1 tbsp jaggery or sugar (optional)

1 1/2 tbsps sambar powder

salt to taste

coriander leaves for garnish

For tempering/poppu/tadka:

1/2 tbsp oil/ghee

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing/inguva or 3-4 crushed garlic flakes

2 dry red chilli (tear and de-seed)

10-12 fresh curry leaves

1 Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water and a pinch of hing. Once pressure cooked, mash, add 2 cups of water, shallots, bottle gourd pieces and turmeric pwd. Bring to a boil, reduce flame and cook for 8-9 mts on low to medium flame.
2 Once vegetables are half cooked, add the tamarind extract, salt and jaggery and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 12-14 mts, till the rawness of the tamarind disappears.
3 Add the sambar pwd and combine well. Let it cook for another 6-7 mts.
4 Heat oil a separate pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add hing and red chillis and roast for a few seconds. Don’t burn them. Lastly add curry leaves and immediately add to sambar.
5 Turn off heat and place lid. Keep covered for at least an hour and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.