Sambhar

This is a typical South Indian Gravy which is eaten with Cooked Rice. This can be eaten as a side dish for Idli, Dosa or Vada.

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind a little (a lemon sized ball of tamarind) or 1 table spoon of tamarind paste
2. Tur Dal 1 small  cup
3. Sambhar powder 1 to 1 and 1/2 t spoon
4. Vegetable like drumstick, ladies finger, eggplant, radish, ash gourd, pumpkin, or onions
5. channa dal 1 t spoon
6. Coriander seeds 1 and 1/2 t spoon
7. red chillies 1
8. jeera 1/2 t spoon
9. asafotida powder little
10. mustard seeds, oil, methi seeds, curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing
11. fresh coconut shavings 1 to 2 table spoon
12. salt to taste

Method
soak the Tur dal in water for at least half an hour. pressure cook it and keep it aside.
Take a kadai and fry with little oil, channa dal, coriander seeds, red chillies, jeera and asafotida powder till brown. add the fresh coconut. fry for some time. while adding the coconut , add very little curry leaves and coriander leaves. (optional). Remove from fire and when cool grind to a paste and keep it aside.
Take out the juice from the soaked tamarind (better if tamarind is soaked in hot water) or if using the paste add a cup of water and mix well. add salt and sambhar powder and keep it in a hard bottomed vessel on the stove. when it starts boiling add the cut vegetable. If it is drumsticks or egg plant or pumpkin, it can be added directly after cutting. if it is squash (blore katharikkai), or raddish, or carrots or potatoes or ashgourd (pooshanikkai) it should be pressure cooked or cooked in the micro wave before adding to the tamarind mix. if the vegetable is Okra (ladies finger), or onion it should be added after frying till light brown in little oil and then added to the tamarind mix.
This should be boiled for some time. if raw or fried vegetables are added it should be boiled till the vegetables are cooked. if cooked vegetables are added it should be boiled till the raw smell of the tamarind is gone.
Now add the ground paste and stir well. when this starts boiling add the cooked Dal and mix well. when it boils add fresh curry leaves and coriander leaves (if available) and switch off the stove.
Garnishing:
Heat a little oil in a small kadai add mustard seeds and methi seeds and one red chilli. when mustard stops spluttering add it in the sambhar.

Some Special Sambhars.

Idly's  Sambhar.

When making Sambhar for Idlis,  many Vegetables can be added to the sambhar.  Onions are to be cut into a cubular pieces (approximately 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes), Capsicum can be cut and added after frying it a little bit, carrots, potatoes and any other vegetable can be added.  For additional taste, fry with very little oil,  a table spoon or more (to taste) peanuts  and pressure cook it and add it to the Sambhar while Tamarind and Vegetables are boiling.  The Masala (Channa dal, Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, coconut)  quantity can be doubled and added to the sambhar. A little piece of Jaggery added to the sambhar will enhance the taste.

Karela (Bitter Gourd or Parkkai ) Special Sambhar.

The method is same as  the sambhar.  The Bitter Gourd has to be cut into small round pieces.  (  If there are seeds they are to be removed and thrown away and pieces will look like small rings). Boil these in a Vessel adding little salt and Turmeric Powder. (Haldi). Once this is cooked Remove from stove and throw the water away and use the cooked Bitter Gourd. (this will remove the bitterness of the Vegetable.)
Fry with very little oil,  separately a handful of Kala Channa (small kottukadalai) (small black chickpeas) in a 'Kadai' for a few minutes.  switch off the stove and add water to the fried channa.  This should be soaked for an hour or so ,  for better results.  Cook the fried channa in the pressure cooker.
While the tamarind, salt and sambhar powder starts boiling add the cooked bitter gourd pieces and cooked channa.  once the raw smell is gone, add the ground masala and then add cooked Tuar Dal.  Garnish like the usual Sambhar.

Ash Gourd (Pooshanikkai) special sambhar.
Cut Ash gourd into small pieces.  1/4 inch cubes  (1 cup full of ash gourd pieces will be fine for the measurement I have given in the Sambhar recipe)  make the sambhar masala paste.  cook the dal and keep aside.  Fry 1 or 2 table spoon of peanuts (for about 5 minutes or so)  in  very little oil and cook them separately. ( pressure cook it )
Take a pressure cooker Add the Tamarind water, salt, and sambhar powder directly intot he Cooker.   add the Ash Gourd pieces and pressure cook it . ( just one whistle will do)  Once it cools down, open it add the cooked peanuts and the masala.  ( fried peanutsalso  can be added  with ash gourd  in the pressure cooker,  it will get cooked along with the vegetable).  When this mixture starts to boil add the cooked dal  and let  everything come to boil.  Add a small piece of jaggery (gud) and switch off the stove.
Garnish.
This can be eaten with rice and it can be used as a side dish for Chapathis or Rotis also.