Geethu's Kitchen - Geethu's Sambhar

Ingredients

  1. 1.5 cups Arhar (Toor) dal + 5 cups water
  2. 1/4 - 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  3. 1 tsp heaped chilli powder
  4. 2 tsp salt
  5. 8 Roma tomatoes, each cut into 8 pieces
  6. 2 Jalapenos, cut into 4 length-wise
  7. 1 mooli

  8. 1.5 level tsp Tamarind paste.
  9. 4.5 heaped tsp 777 Madras Sambar powder.
  10. 3/4 - 1 flat tsp salt
  11. 10-12 frozen drumsticks

  12. 3 red chillis, each cut into 3 pieces
  13. 1 full tsp mustard seeds (sarson)
  14. 4 sprigs of washed curry leaves

Method:

  1. In a pressure cooker, boil first set of ingredients (dal with water, tomatoes, mooli, haldi powder, mirchi powder and salt).
  2. After steam comes, put on low for 3 minutes and then switch off. After 7 minutes, put water and open (to get correct consistentcy).

  3. Heat 1 coffee mug water for 2 minutes on microwave and dissolve the tamarind paste in it.
  4. Open cooker after steam has gone and add tamarind water, sambar powder, frozen drumsticks and salt.
  5. Stir well and heat without weight on MED-HI.
  6. Shut off immediately when first whiff of steam starts coming.

  7. Do tadka with 2 Tbsp oil - add red chilis, wait a minute, add mustard seeds.
  8. When mustard seeds start spluttering, turn to low heat
  9. After spluttering stops, turn off heat and add curry leaves, and stir leaves into oil for 2 minutes.
  10. Add 2 ladles of Sambar to tadka and add all of it back to pressure cooker.