Sambar

Ingredients

* Ingredients 'A'
o 1/2 no: Bitter gourd (pavakkai)
o 1 no: Brinjal (egg plant)
o 1 no: Drum Stick
o 4 no: Ladies finger
o 4 no: Red chillies (split into 2)
* Ingredients 'B'
o 1 cup: Sambar dal (Red gram dal)
o 1sprig: Curry leaves
o ½ tsp: Turmeric powder
o 1 cup: Water
* Ingredients 'C'
o Size of a golf ball: Tamarind
o 1sprig: Curry leaves
o ¼ tsp: Asafoetida powder
o 1 tsp: Red chilli powder
o ¼ tsp: Grated molasses
o 2 tbs: Coconut oil
o Salt to taste
o 1 cup: Water
* Ingredients 'D'
o ¼ tsp: White gram dal
o 2 tbs: Dried coriander seeds
o ¼ tsp: Fenugreek
o 4 no: Dried chilli
o ½ tsp: Coconut oil
* Ingredients 'E'
o 2 tsp: Coconut oil
o 2 no: Dried chillies split into two
o 1 tsp: Mustard
* Ingredients 'F'
o A few: Coriander leaves

Method

1. Clean the vegetables and slice into long pieces.
2. Wash the dal.
3. Boil 3 cups of water and cook dal in it. Add turmeric powder and curry leaves into the dal. Keep it aside.
4. Fry the ingredients D in ½ tsp coconut oil. Grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside.
5. Mash the tamarind in 1 cup water and strain.
6. Boil the tamarind water with red chilli powder, salt, curry leaves, asafoetida and molasses.
7. When it boils, add 2tbs of coconut oil. Add the vegetables except the ladies finger into it. Cook till done and add the prepared dal into it.
8. Bring to a boil and add the ladies finger and the ground masalas. Remove from fire after boiling.
9. Season with mustard seeds and dried chillies. Sprinkle the Sambar with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Various vegetables like potato, carrot, radish, tomato etc can also be added to the sambar.