Sambar

This was the first recipe I tried for Sambhar and I love the recipe primarily because it turns out like the sambhar in the Bangalore restaurants.

I got it from the following website:
http://cookingmarvel.in/south/sambar.html

INGREDIENTS

Arhar Dal	300 gms	Dry red chilly (sabut)	4
Onion (roughly chopped)	3	Kari Patta	6-7
Tomato (roughly chopped)	250 gms	Asafetida (heeng)	A pinch
Ghiya (roughly chopped)	Kg	Red chilly powder	1 tsp
Fresh coconut (grated)	1 cup	Sugar	1 tsp
Tamarind Water	1 cup	Haldi	tsp
Sambar Masala *	4 tsp	Coriander leaves (finely chopped)	A few
Mustard Seeds (moti)	1 tsp	Oil for Tadka	1 tbsp

* You may buy Sambar Masala from the market or click the above link for excellent homemade masala.

METHOD

Heat the pressure cooker. Roast the dal to golden brown color without using oil. Soak it in water for one hour. Add onion, tomato and ghiya to it. Add Haldi and salt to taste. Cook it in pressure cooker. After one whistle, simmer it for 10 minutes. Switch off the gas. Add sambar masala, grated coconut and chopped coriander to the Tamarind water. Put it into sambar. Prepare tadka by heating oil in a small karahi. Add heeng, mustard seed, red chilly (dry), kari patta, sugar, red chilly powder and little water. Add this also to sambar. Boil this preparation in cooker/pateela for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot.

NOTE

Prepare Tamarind Water by soaking tamarind (imli) in water for 1 hour. Then mash it and strain it.

Serves: about 15 adults