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From @Bong Eats

Sambar

40 min · Serves 4

40 mintotal
20 minhands on
17steps
4servings

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Ingredients

For the dal

  • 50 g toor dal (arhar dal)
  • 2 g salt
  • 200 ml water

For the vegetables

  • 350 g mixed vegetables (such as eggplant, ash gourd, pumpkin, drumstick, and okra), chopped
  • 150 g shallots, peeled and kept whole
  • 15 g oil
  • 12 g sambar masala (about 4 tsp)
  • 20 g tamarind (or 10 g if seedless)
  • 5 g salt
  • 350 ml hot water

For the tempering

  • 15 g oil
  • 1 dried red chili
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
  • 3 g fresh curry leaves
  • 3 g sambar masala
  • 5 g jaggery powder
  • Coriander leaves, chopped, to finish

Method

For the dal

  1. Add the toor dal, 2 g salt, and 200 ml water to a pressure cooker.

  2. Pressure cook for 5 minutes at full pressure.

    Then 5 min of waiting

  3. Whisk the cooked dal until completely smooth and set aside.

For the vegetables

  1. Soak the tamarind in a little warm water, squeeze to extract the pulp, and discard the seeds and fibers.

  2. Heat 15 g oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the whole shallots.

  3. Fry the shallots until golden brown, 3–4 minutes.

  4. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and stir.

  5. Add 12 g sambar masala and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

  6. Add the tamarind pulp, 5 g salt, and 350 ml hot water.

  7. Transfer the vegetables to a pressure cooker, bring to pressure, and immediately cool the cooker under running water to release the steam.

    Cooling the cooker rapidly under the tap prevents the vegetables from becoming mushy.

For the tempering

  1. Heat 15 g oil in a large wok or pan over medium heat.

  2. Add the dried red chili, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and 3 g sambar masala, frying for 10–15 seconds until aromatic.

  3. Quickly add the cooked vegetables and their liquid before the spices burn.

  4. Pour in the whisked dal and stir everything together.

  5. Add the jaggery powder to balance the tamarind's sourness, and adjust salt to taste.

  6. Simmer the sambar for 2–3 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

    Then 3 min of waiting

  7. Finish by stirring in the chopped coriander leaves.

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