Sambar

Ingredients

• 200 g toor dal (arhar), rinsed until the water runs almost clear
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 750 ml water, for cooking the dal
• 30 g tamarind pulp (imli), a lime-sized piece
• 250 ml hot water, for soaking the tamarind
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 150 g pumpkin or bottle gourd, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 150 g brinjal (small eggplant), cut into 3 cm wedges
• 1 medium onion, cut into thick wedges
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 2 tbsp sambar powder
• 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee, divided
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• 3 dried red chillies, broken in half
• 12 fresh curry leaves
• ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1. Break the tamarind into a small bowl, pour over the hot water and leave it to soften. Meanwhile, rinse the dal.
2. Put the dal, turmeric and 750 ml water in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp of the oil. Cook for 3 whistles on medium heat, then let the pressure release naturally. In a covered pot, simmer for about 40 minutes instead, until completely soft.
3. While the dal cooks, cut the vegetables. Squeeze the softened tamarind with your fingers, then strain the liquid into a jug and discard the fibres and seeds.
4. Open the cooker and mash the dal with a whisk or masher until thick and mostly smooth. It should look creamy, with no whole lentils left.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry the onion and green chillies for 3 minutes until the onion turns translucent at the edges.
6. Add the tomatoes, carrot, pumpkin and brinjal, then stir in the sambar powder and salt. Pour in the strained tamarind water and 250 ml water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until a knife slides easily into the carrot.
7. Stir in the mashed dal and jaggery. Add up to 250 ml hot water if it is too thick; it should pour like a thin soup. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until it smells rich and the raw tamarind sharpness has mellowed. Taste and adjust the salt.
8. For the tempering, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, and cook until the mustard seeds pop and the fenugreek turns light golden, about 30 seconds.
9. Add the dried chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Stand back as the leaves crackle, and stir for 10 seconds. Pour the sizzling oil straight into the sambar, stir, and cover for 2 minutes. Finish with the coriander.

Tips

• Soak and strain the tamarind rather than using a spoonful of paste if you can; the flavour is rounder and less harsh.
• Add the vegetables in order of cooking time. Denser ones like carrot go in first, and soft ones like brinjal can be added a few minutes later if you prefer them to keep their shape.
• Sambar thickens as it stands, so keep a little hot water aside to loosen it before serving.
• Do not skip the fenugreek seeds, but keep them to a pinch; if they darken past golden they turn bitter.