South Indian Sambhar

Sambhar is the most popular South Indian side dish for rice or idli/dosa/vada. There are many variations in sambhar making, I usually make this Sambhar either with Drumstick, carrot, onion, tomato combination (Or) bottle gourd, drumstick, onion, tomato combination. The taste is always delicious, the choice of vegetables is always based on personal liking and are optional. Each vegetable that we used in sambhar gives a different flavour and taste to the dish. The main tastemaker in this sambhar is the Sambhar powder we use. You can use freshly made sambhar powder or you can use MTR madras special sambhar powder. But my mom usually makes this sambhar with freshly grounded sambhar powder. Sambhar is an excellent side dish with hot steamed rice /idli/dosha/ vada especially in rainy or winter seasons. Having Sambhar with hot steamed rice, ghee and papads give you a divine feeling!!! Let us learn how to make Sambhar in South Indian style :)

Ingredients :
Red gram /Tur dal / Kandi pappu     :           3/4 cup
Tamarind                                          : 2 lemon size (can adjust)
Turmeric powder                         :          1/4 spoon
Sambhar Powder                         :           3 - 4 table spoons
Drum sticks                                :            2
Carrot                                           :             1
Onion                                           :             1 
Tomato                                        :             1(finely chopped)
Coriander leaves                         :          2 spoons
Curry leaves                               :            few
Salt                                             :              to taste       
Jaggery powder                          :            1/2 table spoon (optional)

Ingredients for Sambhar powder :
1 tablespoon  coriander seeds
1 tablespoon  Bengal gram
1 tablespoon  black gram
1/4 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4 tablespoon methi /fenugreek seeds
1/2 tablespoon dry coconut pieces
5-6 Dry red chillies
2- 3 black pepper 

For Tempering /Tadka/Popu :
2 tablespoons of oil or ghee
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
few curry leaves
1/4 spoon of asafoetida
1 red chilli broken

Method :
1. Wash Tur dal/Kandipappu 2 times and pressure cook with 2 cups of water for 4 whistles. Dal should be soft and smooth. You can cook the dal in a pot too, but cooking in a pressure cooker will be a little bit easy.
2. While dal cooks, you can prepare sambhar powder. Heat a pan, add coriander seeds first, roast them for a few seconds till they smell good, then fry chana dal and urad dal till golden color, then add dry coconut pieces, methi seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorn seeds fry them few seconds till they begin to smell good. Let it cool down and make a fine powder in a dry mixie jar.
3.  Soak Tamarind in a bowl.
4.  Wash and cut all the vegetables.
5.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan, add onions, saute them few seconds, then add drumstick, carrot, and finally tomato. Saute it a few seconds till the vegetables become transculent.
6.  Add tamarind pulp to the veggies, then add salt, sambhar powder, jaggery powder few curry leaves, and a  cup of water makes it boil till the vegetables are cooked and the raw smell of sambhar powder is gone.
7.  When the pressure goes off, mash the dal to smooth.
8. Add mashed smooth dal to vegetables cooked, add a cup of water, bring it to a boil. Check the taste, add more if needed anything. Add chopped coriander leaves and stir. Cook for a few minutes.
9.  Meanwhile heat another pan with 2 spoons of ghee, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, when they start sizzling, add 1 broken red chili, curry leaves,when the curry leaves turn crispy, add asafoetida/hing / inguva, switch off the flame.

10. Pour this seasoning over sambhar. Stir well and make it cook for a few more minutes till the sambhar becomes flavourful! Yummylicious SAMBHAR is ready now!!!
11. Serve it hot with hot steamed rice, ghee with papads!!