Sambar

In Gradients:

Kandi pappu (Toor dal) - 1 Cup

1 tsp cooking oil

Shallots/Sambhar Onions - 10 -12

Mullakada/Drumsticks - 1 (Cut into 2 inch pieces)

Sorakaya/Anapakaya/Bottle gourd - 1 cup (peeled & cubed)

2 medium sized tomatoes - cut into quarters

1 carrot - Wash ,peel & cut into thick slices

4-6 green chillies - slit lengthwise (Adjust to your spice levels)

5-6 curry leaves
1 large lemon sized tamarind - soaked in 3 cups of warm water and pulp extracted

Salt to taste

Pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp sugar or grated jaggery

1 tsp grated coconut

2 tbsps sambar powder(I use 777 sambar powder)

For popu/tempering:

Cooking oil - 2-3 tbsps

3-4 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp avalu (mustard seeds)

3/4 tsp jeelakarra (jeera)

3-4 dried red chillies (tear roughly)

2 pinches of hing/inguva/asafoetida

10-12 curry leaves

Freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish - 3-4 tbsps

Preperation Method:

Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water, 1 tsp oil till 3-4 whistles. Once the pressure leaves, open the lid and mash the dal smoothly or let cool down and grind it in a mixie/blender. Set aside

In a wide bottomed vessel, add all the cut vegetables, tamarind pulp, salt to taste, turmeric powder, curry leaves, green chillies, mix well and bring it boil. Turn  to medium and allow to cook till the vegetables turn soft but not mushy (about 15-20 mts).

Now add in the mashed dal to the boiled vegetables and bring to a boil. Add water if required or to make the sambhar slightly thinner. Add sugar/jaggery. Adjust tamarind pulp, salt if required.

In a small bowl, make a thin paste of the sambhar powder adding little water and transfer this to the boiling sambhar. (Adding the powder directly to the sambhar would’nt dissolve instead forms into lumps and settles down under the vessel.) Cook for around 8 mts on low . Add grated coconut, mix well.

While the sambhar cooks, in another pan heat oil, add crushed garlic and fry for a minute. Add mustard seeds, jeera. As they splutter, add dry red chillies and hing powder. Just before turning off  add curry leaves, toss and turn off the flame. Transfer the popu  to the boiling sambhar.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Turn off  and serve it with hot rice and papad or with idly or dosa