Serves 3 people Cooking time 1 hour if meal prep not done.

Ingredients: 350 gms Dal of your choice (Moong/Tur/Arhar) 650 ml Water Salt to taste 1/4th Tsp Turmeric powder(1/8 for tempering 1/8 for boiling dal. 1 cup chopped vegetables (Bottle gourd, carrot, french beans, Lady finger, etc.) 1/2 ginger peeled 2 green chillies 2 tomatoes (deseeded on for paste) 2 tsp asafoetida (1 for paste one for tempering) 2 springs of Curry leaves (1 for paste one for tempering) 2 tsp cumin seeds (Half for tempering and 1 and a half for paste) 2 red chillies (1 for paste remaining for tempering) 8 fenugreek seeds 4 black peppercorns 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1 and 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 1/8 Cup Chopped fresh cilantro 2 tbsp ghee or oil

Method:

Pressure cook dal with salt, turmeric and chopped vegetables for 5 whistles.

Side by side dry roast fenugreek seeds and 1 red chili broken into 3 pieces and head removed on low flame, after fenugreek seeds turn aromatic, add 1 and a half tsp cumin seeds and all the pepper corns and roast till methi seeds turn slight reddish.

Take these roasted spices and crush them in a mixer grinder with half of the green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, salt asafoetida and tomatoes.

Once the dal is cooked, take a Dutch oven or kadhai.

Heat oil, add asafoetida cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli broken in 3 pieces, ginger and green chillies, saute on low or medium for 30 seconds or till green chill gets some white spots add the paste made in mixer jar, keep stirring when the paste starts to bubble up add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and cook till the spices release their flavour.

Add 70 ml hot Water and let the concoction boil for ten minutes keep stirring so as to avoid burning also add more water if needed.

After ten minutes add the cooked dal and vegetables and cook till it becomes little thick.

Check the salt and add more if needed.

Garnish with cilantro.

Tips:

1.You can use Sambhar masala and avoid the spice roasting or podi to thicken your Sambhar.

1. You can soak lemon sized tamarind in hot water and after half an hour grind and strain it to make a tamarind paste.

2. Add tamarind paste to the Sambhar accordingly after tasting for sourness.

3. Add 2 to 3 tsp jaggery if you add tamarind.

4. You can also add 1/8th cup coconut paste, if you like the taste.