Already I have posted few sambhar recipes, but I never posted the usual sambhar recipe which I make very often (basic sambhar). I have made this sambhar with carrots and drumstick, but you could also put radish, white pumpkin, brinjal(baby eggplant). Let us move on to the sambhar recipe.

Sambhar

Ingredients:

• Pigeon pea / Tuvaram paruppu / Toor dal – ½ cup
• Onions – 2 nos(medium sized)
• Tomato – 1 no
• Carrots – 2 nos
• Drumstick – 1 no
• Ashgourd / White pumpkin – 1/4 kg
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Sambhar powder – 2 tsp (available in all Indian stores)
• Asafoetida – ¼ tsp
• Tamarind – a gooseberry size
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves- a string
• Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
• Split blackgram – ¼ tsp
• Fenugreek / Methi – ¼ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
• Oil – 3 tsp

Preparation:

• Pressure cook the pigeon pea/toor dal and wait for 3 whistles.
• Prepare the Tamarind extract.
• Peel the onion, carrots, radish, ashgourd. Chop the carrots and radish into small rings, chop the drumstick to 3 inch length, chop the ashgourd into thick cubes,  separate cauliflower into small florets, chop the tomatoes roughly and finely chop the onions.
• Heat oil in a kadai. Add all the spices (mustard, cumin, black lentil, fenugreek seeds) and curry leaves, wait till they crackle.
• Add the onions and fry till they are transparent.
• Add the tomatoes and fry till they are mushy.
• Add the vegetables, turmeric powder, little salt and fry for 10 mins. Pour in a cup of water and add  a tsp of sambhar powder and bring it to boil. Cover with the lid and cook till the vegetables are done.
• Remove the lid, pour in the boiled pigeonpea along with the water and add another tsp of sambhar powder, give a stir. Cover with the lid and keep in medium flame for 20 mins.
• Remove the lid and pour in the tamarind extract. Cover and cook in medium flame for another 10 mins
• Remove the lid and keep in low flame till the oil separates and the sambhar comes to a curry consistency.
• Transfer it to a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice.