Vegetable Sambar

Sambar or Lentil soup is an popular South Indian recipe. It is served in breakfast, lunch and dinner. In breakfast it is served as a side for idly, vada and dosa and for lunch and dinner as a side for rice. In South Indian homes meal is incomplete without sambar. We can make sambar by using one vegetable or a combination of vegetables.

*Note - Adjust oil, salt and spices to your taste.

Ingredients:

• Toor dal/Kandipappu/Pigeon dal - 1/2 cup
• Sambar powder - 1 tsp (I am using homemade, if using store bought use more)
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind - big lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves 

For Tempering/Poppu:

• Mustard seeds/Avalu - 1 tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper cons - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 tbsp

Veggies:

• Carrot - 1, Small
• Radish - 1/4 cup
• Bottle gourd - small piece, chopped
• Ladies finger - 5 no
• Tomato - 1
• Onion - 1, small
• Green chillies - 3
• French beans - 1/4 cup 
• We can also use Egg plant, Drum sticks and Green Peas 

Preparation ahead:

• Chop all the veggies little big as shown. To make the process easy, cook carrot, radish, french beans and bottle gourd in cooker until 2 whistles (Don't throw the water we can use later for making sambar).
• Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the pulp.
• Wash and cook dal with 1.5 cups water and turmeric powder upto 4 whistles and mash it.
• Let's see how to prepare sambar:
• Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds and jeera. When they pop add garlic, ginger, curry leaves and pepper cons and fry till they turn golden.
• Add onion, tomato and ladies finger and cook. If you didn't cook veggies a head add along with onion and fry for 5 minutes and add sufficient water (up to 3 to 4 cups water. we can use also the vegetable water) and cook till veggies are done. (Don't add tamarind pulp with veggies).
• If like my sambar thin so I added little more water. 
• Add dal, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, red chilli powder  and salt and cook until a boil.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice.