Sambar is the most popular and most essential dish in South India. My Mom is an expert in making sambar. The secret ingredient is the home made sambar powder. I will post the sambar powder recipe in few days. Here is the recipe

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal – 1 cup
2. Shallots/small onions – 10
3. Tomato – 1
4. Drumstick – 1
5. Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
6. Sambar powder – 2 tsp
7. Tamarind extract – 1/3 cup
8. Oil – 1 tsp
9. Salt – to taste

To temper:

1. Oil – 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
4. Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
5. Asafoetida/ hing – a pinch
6. Red chilli – 1
7. Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

1. Pressure cook Toor dal for 3 to 4 whistles, till it becomes mushy. Mash it with laddle and keep it aside
2. In a kadai, add oil
3. Add chopped shallots, tomatoes, drumstick one by one and saute well for 3 minutes
4. Add this to Cooked dal and add sambar powder and turmeric powder
5. Adjust consistency by adding enough water , allow it cook for 5-7 minutes in medium flame. close it with lid
6. Once the vegetables get cooked, add salt and tamarind extract to it
7. Allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes in medium flame to get sambar consistency
8. Heat oil in kadai, and add items to temper and transfer it to sambar
9. Serve hot it with Rice and your favourite poriyal.

Notes:

1. Dont add tamarind extract until the vegetables get cooked
2. You can replace green chilli instead of red chilli
3. You can add any vegetables like carrot, chow-chow, Ash gourd, pumpkin anything of your choice