1 cup of small onions or shallots
2 tablespoon clarified butter
1/2 cup Toor dal
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate (substitute with lemon juice if you don't have tamarind it will give you a different taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric or haldi powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt or for taste
4 teaspoon of sambar powder can be substituted with store bought adjust the amount if you are using store bought) enough water for cooking
Seasoning
1 tablespoon clarified butter
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon of channa dal
2 teaspoon of urad dal
1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek or methi seeds
a pinch of asafoetida or hing
Prepare the onions: Remove the top, bottom and outer peel of the onion and discard it. Saute the onions in a 2 tablespoon of clarified butter or oil until brown and set aside.
Wash and cook toor dal in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of cooking add the sauteed onions and cook for 8 minutes. You might need to add water, sambar is a liquid soupy consistency. After 8 minutes of cooking add tamarind, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and cook for 7 minutes. Check to see if the onions are cooked. If it is turn the heat off and season.
Seasoning:
Heat clarified butter in a pan when hot add channa dal, urad dal, when it sizzles add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. After the mustard seed crack turn the heat off add asafoetida. Pour into sambar.
Serve with rice idli, dosa, upma, pongal. Serves 2.
This is yet another variety of sambar. Commonly served with dosa, idli, upma. Even though I have not added any other vegetable to it, squashes, radish and carrots can also be added with the onions.
http://www.easycooking321.com/ all rights reserved
