World Flavors Cookbook

Sambar

South India's everyday lentil-vegetable stew — toor dal cooked with tamarind, drumsticks, and a freshly ground spice paste, served with rice and dosa.

Cuisine: India

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal
• 1 drumstick, cut into pieces (or okra, eggplant)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• Sambar powder: 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 4 dried red chilies, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Tempering: mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, dried red chili
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt, cilantro

Instructions

1. Cook toor dal with turmeric until soft and mushy.
2. Dry-roast and grind sambar spices into a powder.
3. Boil vegetables in water with tamarind and sambar powder until tender.
4. Add cooked dal. Simmer 10 minutes.
5. Make tempering: pop mustard seeds in oil, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour over sambar.
6. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice, dosa, or idli.