Sambar (Pappu Chaaru)

Sambar (lentil soup) is a popular vegetarian dish in South India. It is an easy and healthy dish made with dal and vegetables like carrots, drumsticks. Here is my version of sambar (Andhra style) -

Ingredients:

Toor/Tuvar dal - 1cup
Water - 5 cups
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 4 table spoons
Oil - 4 tsps
Onion - 1 no.
Tomatoes - 2 no.
Mixed Vegetables/Carrots - 1 cup
Drumsticks - 1 (cut into 2 inch pieces)
Popu mix (cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal) - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 1 stem
Salt - as required
Red Chilli powder - as required

• Pressure cook the toor dal with 2 cups of water until 1 whistles. Mash the daal and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add popu mix, curry leaves. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onion slices and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry for another 2 mins.
• Add the tomatoes, turmeric, tamarind paste, salt, mixed vegetables and drumstick pieces and cook until the vegetables are soft.
• Add 3 cups of water to the above mix and as the water starts boiling add the mashed dal, chilli powder and mix well. Cook for another 10mins.
• Serve with idlies or rice.