Sambar (for rice)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Drumstick or Eggplant or White Radish (mullangi)
• Toor dal 1 cup
• Tamarind 1 inch cube
• Pearl onions 1 handful, skin removed and whole
• Asafoetida 1 pinch
• Tomato 1 cut in small pieces
• Green chilies 4 slit along the middle
• Red chilies 2
• Red chili powder 1 tsp
• Coriander powder 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1 pinch
• Sambar powder 2 tsp
• Salt
• Curry leaves

Method

1. Cook toor dal and keep aside
2. Mix tamarind in 5 cups of water along with the vegetable, turmeric powder, chili powder, turmeric  powder, salt and boil till the vegetables are cooked
3. Once the raw chili powder smell is gone add the cooked toor dal and sambar powder and boil for 2 minutes
4. In another pan heat 3 tsp oil
   1. Add 1tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp split urad dal, red chilies, green chilies and fry till the mustard seeds pop and urad dal is lightly brown
   2. Add the onions and tomatoes and fry till the onions brown
   3. Add the  safetida. Note: if using  safetida chunks instead of powder then add the chunks when adding the mustard seeds
   4. Add curry leaves
   5. Now add this mix to the gravy from step 3 and boil for 3 minutes.
5. Garnish with cilantro

Note: If using okra then fry lightly in oil and add to the boiling tamarind water mix in step 5 after the mix has been boiling for 5 minutes