Sambar Recipe – Drumstick Sambar

Sambar is one of the most essential/common dish in any South Indian household. I have posted a couple of tiffin sambar varieties earlier. This drumstick sambar is for rice. I know there is nothing new in a sambar recipe, but I would like to have a collection of basic recipes too, especially for beginners. Made with homemade sambar powder, this drumstick sambar is the most comforting meal!!

Now to the recipe…

[Preparation Time-10 mins : Cooking Time- 20 mins]

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal – 1/4 cup
• Tamarind Paste – 1 tbsp(a big gooseberry size)
• Shallots – 15
• Drumstick – 2
• Brinjal – 2 (optional)
• Coriander leaves – few
• Sambar Powder – 1.5 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – as needed

To Temper:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Asafoteida – a generous pinch
• Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Method:

• Wash and pressure cook toor dal along with water and turmeric powder for 1 whistle and simmer for 5 mins. Once the pressure releases, mash the toor dal well and keep it aside.

• In the meanwhile soak tamarind with water. Extract a thin tamarind juice. To this add sambar powder, salt, some curry leaves & coriander leaves. Heat a pan with oil and add shallots. Saute till they are transparent.

• To this add the tamarind, sambar powder mixture and chopped drumstick. Let it boil in medium flame.

• When the drumstick is half cooked, add chopped brinjal and continue to cook in medium flame until both the veggies are cooked. Add this to the pressure cooked toor dal and mix.

• Let the mixture boil for a few mins. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items mentioned under “to temper” and add it to to the drumstick sambar.

Switch off the flame. Drumstick Sambar is ready.

Serve hot with steamed rice and any veggie of your choice. My choice would be Potato Curry. 🙂

Tips:

1. U can add a dry chilly while tempering.
2. U can temper intially when u saute shallots, but tempering finally has a unique flavour.
3. Drumstick & brinjal pair well for this sambar. Other veggies that go well are radish, potato & capsicum.
4. U can add a tomato and reduce the amount of tamarind accordingly.