- Vegetables - cut into bite sized pieces - 3 cups ( 1 potato,1 carrot,1/2 plantain,1 small brinjal,4 okra,2 tomatoes ,5 beans,1/4 cucumber, 1/4 snake gourd ,and a few bottlegourd pieces)
- Plantain
- Potato
- Yam
- Snake gourd
- Carrot
- DrumSticks
- Okra/Lady’s Finger
- Beans
- Cucumber
- Bottle gourd
- Ash Gourd
- Ivy Gourd(Kovakka)
- Tomato
- Brinjal/Eggplant
- Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
- Sliced Onion - 1/2
- Green chillies slit - 2
- Tamarind - gooseberry sized ball (optional)
- Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsp
- Asafoetida(Kaayam) – 1/4 tsp
- Garlic cloves - 3 nos
- Ghee/Oil to add with dal – 1/2 tsp (Optional)
- Salt - to taste
(I don’t use any Sambar Masala. I used to mix all the following powders and prepare my own sambar masala).
- Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander POwder – 2 tsp
- Cumin powder -1/4 tsp(Optional)
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Fenugreek powder – 1/4 tsp
- Asafetida - 1/4 tsp
- Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Red chillies – 3 nos
- Curry Leaves – a sprig
- Oil – 1 tsp
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water for sometime,squeeze and take the extract from it.Keep aside.
- Cook the dal in a pressure cooker,adding required water,salt,1/2 tsp of ghee/oil,sliced onion, Garlic cloves and green chillies.
- When the dal is done ,remove the lid and add in the tamarind juice and asafoetida ,stir and simmer for some more time ,so that the dal is mashed well.
- Now add in the cut vegetables and cook till they are done adding water if needed.
- Add salt and mix well.(No need to pressure cook the vegetables it can be over cooked sometimes)
- Mix in the sambar powder and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Check for salt and add if needed.If you want, you can mash the vegetables well with dal.
- Add chopped coriander leaves and simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Switch off the stove and close the vessel with lid and leave it for sometime.
- Heat oil in a small pan and allow mustard seeds to splutter in it.
- Add red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
- Now add this seasoning to the sambar,mix well.
- Serve Sambar hot with Idli,Dosa,vada or steamed rice.