Soulful Sambar

Preparation

Making Sambar

1. Soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze and set aside the tamarind puree.
2. Rinse and add about 100 grams of toor dal, then pressure cook for 4 whistles in a cooker with 1.5 liters of water. Make sure the dal is soft and mushy; keep it aside.
3. Cut your choice of vegetables – ash gourd, brinjals, okra, drumsticks, carrots, or small onions. It can be a mixed bag of veggies or a single vegetable, as per your preference. (I usually use only one vegetable, preferring ash gourd or drumsticks the most).
4. Add around 1.5 to 2 cups of water, or enough to cover the cut veggies. To this, add some salt (as per taste) and turmeric, then let it cook until soft.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked until soft, add the tamarind puree to the cooked vegetables along with 2-3 tbsp of Soulful Sambar Podi for aroma. Allow the mixture to cook until the sambar podi is well absorbed by the veggies.
6. Add the cooked toor dal to this mixture. Check the salt, adding more if needed. If the sambar consistency is thick, add a little more water to reach a medium consistency.
7. Let it boil until a froth forms, then cover it with a lid.

Seasoning

8. In a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil (coconut, sesame, refined, or even ghee), then add 1 tbsp of mustard seeds, 5-6 curry leaves, and asafoetida (hing) if desired. Allow the seasoning to crackle, then add it to the sambar and close the lid.

Serve with your choice of food, like idli, dosa, medu vada, uthappam, or pair it with steaming hot rice for a comforting, nutritious, and filling meal.