Sambar

Ingredients :

Toor dal 1 cup (kandipappu)
Drum sticks  2
Bottle gourd  8 pieces (2 inch cubical)
Tomato 1 cup (chopped)
Onion 1/2 cup (chopped)
Tamarind  big lemon size or (1/2 cup tamarind pulp)
Sambar powder  1 tbsp
Jaggery or sugar 1-2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Cilantro few sprigs

For seasoning :

Oil 1 tbsp
Dried red chilly 2 (broken)
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Garlic pods 4 (crushed)
Green chilly 2 (slit)
Curry leaves  8
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Preparation :

Wash & soak tamarind in 1 cup of water, let it tender and extract juice(4 cups) from it and
keep it a side.

peel skin of drum sticks and cut in to 3 inch size pieces and chop all the vegetables.

Wash toor dal, add 2 cups of water, l pinch turmeric powder and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
open it after 10 Min's, let it cool and grind in to paste .

Heat oil in a vessel, add broken dried red chilly, stir and wait till it changes its colour (do not burn).
Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, let them splutter, then add chopped onion, curry leaves,
green chilly, crushed garlic, drum stick pieces, bottle gourd pieces, chopped tomato.

Then add 1 cup of water, cover the vessel with lid and cook for 5-8 Min's.
Once the vegetables are half cooked, add tamarind extract, toor dal paste, salt and jaggery.
Adjust water depending on your taste.

Bring it to boil for 10mins then add sambar powder and let it boil for more 10 Min's.
Finally add  few curry leaves and cilantro sprigs and switch off the flame.

Serve it with idly, dosa, rice...etc

Makes 5-6 servings.

It takes 45-55 Min's to prepare.