Drumstick Sambar

Drumstick Sambar

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For dal :

1 cup ( 100 g ) tur dal
2 1/2 cups (250 ml) water
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

Method

For Dal:

Wash and clean tur dal.

In a pressure cooker, mix tur dal, water, oil and turmeric powder. Pressure cook tur dal along with water, turmeric powder, oil, onion and tomatoes for 20 minutes ( reduce heat after 2nd whistle and cook cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to cool naturally.

Open the lid. Blend / mix cooked dal- tomato - onion mixture well.

Other ingredients

2 drumsticks, cut into 4 cm pieces
10 shallots (chuvannuli / sambar onions)
1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste or 3 tablespoon tamarind juice
3/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste)
2 1/4 teaspoon 777 brand Madras Sambar powder/ Eastern / Melam / MTR Sambar powder (Dilute sambar powder in 4 teaspoon water)
2 pinches asafoetida (hing)

For seasoning :

2 teaspoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1 red chilli, broken
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

For sambar :

Boil small onions and drumstick with cooked dal mixture. Adjust with 1 cup (100 ml) water if required. Add tamarind paste / juice and salt to taste. Cover with lid and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add diluted sambar powder and boil again for 15 minutes on a low heat till done ( drumsticks are soft ). You can find slight reduction in the quantity of the sambar and nice aroma of sambar powder / sambar thickens. Add hing (asafoetida).

For seasoning :

Heat oil in a pan . Add mustard seeds. When they start crackle add curry leaves and broken red chilli. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes and pour this seasoning over sambar. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve with Idli / Dosa / Pongal / Rice ....