This recipe, like the previous ones, started with a question - How do I make Sambar that could serve 3-4 persons? I was in Toronto and my cousin's mother-in-law, or maami as I call her, taught me how to make it. The general taste is very similar to my mother's Sambar.
General rules
General rules
- Wash all vegetables before use.
- Cut fine; unless otherwise specified (when in doubt cut it even smaller).
- Always add less salt, it is always easier to add more at the end.
- Lastly I prefer having all my ingredients in place before cooking to avoid looking for things in a hurry.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of pressure cooked Thuvar dal*
- 3 tblsps of cooking oil.
- 1.5 tsps of Mustard seeds.
- 1.5 tsps of Methi seeds.
- 0.25 tsp of Hing (asafoetida).
- 4-5 Curry leaves.
- 2 dried Red Chili
- 2 Green Chili
- 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
- 2 spoonful Tamarind paste
- 2 tsp of salt. **
- Cut 2-3 cups of vegetables. Okra, Eggplant, Green Pepper. Cut them not too small.
- 2 tsps of Sambar Powder. ***
- 3-4 cups of water.
Recipe
- Pour 3 tblsps of cooking oil in a flat bottom pan and set it on a medium flame.
- Once the oil heats, Add mustard and Methi and let them roast (Mustard should explode)
- Add Hing, Curry leaves, Red Chili, Green Chili. Heat till you see incipient signs of charring.
- Add vegetables to the pan.
- Add 2 tsps of salt.
- Add Turmeric Powder.
- Add a cup of Water.
- Cover pan and let vegetables cook on a low flame.
- Take 2 tsps of Tamarind paste, add water, and make a solution.
- Pour Tamarind solution into pan.
- Add 2 tsps of Sambar powder
- Let vegetables cook on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. You should see the Sambar powder foam at the top. This is necessary to remove the "raw" taste of Sambar powder.
- Add cooked dal
- Add extra water for consistency and extra salt to suit taste.
- Let it come to a boil.
- Take it off the fire and pour it into a serving dish.
- * I have substituted Moong Dal without any difference in taste.
- ** After adding water, taste to see if you need more salt.
- *** 1 spoon of Sambar powder if you like milder taste.
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