Recipe- Speciality From South India Vegetable Sambhar

Sambhar is a specialty from Southern part of India and is also the most popular dish which paired very well with Idli, dosa, vada, rice and many other snacks or tiffin varieties.

There are many versions and variations of making this curry depends on each region and individual taste. Every family have their special secrete spice mix to add in this lentil curry.

Ingredients

1 cup Pigeon peas/ Tuvar daal
3 tbsp Sambhar powder
2 tbsp Jaggary/ gur
2 tbsp tamarind/ imli
1.5 tbsp fresh coconut optional
3/4 tsp Turmeric/ haldi
2 tsp Chili powder
1 cup Tomato chopped
1 tsp Ginger/ adrak
10 Curry leaves

Vegetables To Add

1 Drumstick/ Sehjan phali
3/4 cup Bottle gourd/ lauki chopped
3/4 cup Brinjal chopped
3/4 cup Okra / bhindi chopped

Tempering

4 tbsp Cooking oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds/ Rai
3/4 tsp White lentil/ urad daal
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds/ Methi dana
4 Dried red chilies
1/2 TSP Asafoetida/ hing
10 Curry leaves

Method

* Wash and soak tuvar daal for 20 minutes.

* Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water and then mash it well and remove the fibre and seeds and keep aside the pulp

* Peel drum sticks and make 2 inch long pieces.

* Now add the soaked daal along with the water and 1 tsp of oil in a pressure cooker.

* Add little extra water if needed,the water level should not be more than 1 inch above the dal,otherwise it will spill out.

* Pressure cook for 3-4 whistle or cook till it become soft and mushy.

* Now open the cooker and mash it well with a whisk.

* Heat about 4 tbsp of oil in a cooking pan and add chopped okra and stir fry till they become golden.

* Remove the okra from the pan and keep aside.

* Now add all the tempering ingredients in the pan and cook till mustard start crackling and urad dal become golden

* Now add chopped bottle gourd and brinjal cubes(or any vegetable you want to add in the sambhar) and stir fry for a minute.

* Add turmeric powder,chili powder,sambhar powder,tamarind water,chopped tomato and 1.5 cups of water.

* Let this mixture boil on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.

* Add mashed daal , 4 .5 cups of water, jaggary/gur, salt, ginger,chopped drum sticks and curry leaves.

* Let it simmer for about 30 minutes on low flame.

* Add stir fried okra/bhindi and simmer for 10 minutes.

* Now add grated fresh coconut and fresh coriander and give it a boil.

* Serve hot with idli, dosa or steamed rice.