*  Exported from  MasterCook  *
 
                         Ordinary Sambar (Kuzhambu)
 
 Recipe By     : Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan
 Serving Size  : 4    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Indian
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
      1/2  C             Red Gram Dal (Pigeon Peas, Toor Dal) -- Picked
 Over & Rinsed
    2      C             Water
                         A Lemon-Sized Piece Of Tamarind Pulp
    1      C             Hot Water
    2                    Green Chillies (Chili Peppers) -- Slit Sideways
    1      C             Mixed Vegetables -- Chopped
                         (e.G. Radish, Onion, Okra, Eggplant, Sweet
                         Pepper, Potato)
    1      C             Water
                         Salt -- To Taste
      1/2  Tsp           Ground Turmeric
    3      Tsp           Sambar Powder
    1      Tbsp          Rice Flour -- Optional
    2      Tbsp          Extra Water -- Optional
    1      Sm            Bunch Of Coriander Leaves, Chopped -- For
 Garnish
                         ----- For Tempering -----
    1      Tbsp          Oil (To 1 1/2 Tbsp.)
    1      Tbsp          Brown Mustard Seeds
      1/2  Tsp           Asafoetida Powder
      1/2  Tsp           Fenugreek Seeds
      1/2  Tsp           Cumin Seeds
    1                    Red Chili (Chili Pepper) -- Halved
                         A Few Curry Leaves
 
 Wash gram dal well. Drain. Place dal in a heavy saucepan. Cover with 2
 cups water and bring to a boil. When boiling, cover pan with a lid,
 leaving slightly ajar. Stir several times during the last 30 minutes of
 cooking. Set dal aside without draining.
 
 Soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Strain the
 tamarind water into another container, squeezing as much liquid as
 possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp. Set the juice
 aside.
 
 Select enough vegetables to fill approx. 1 cup when chopped. Peel and
 prepare as neccessary. Chop into 1/2 in. pieces. Set aside.
 
 TEMPERING: Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the
 mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, halved
 red chilli, and a few curry leaves.
 
 When the mustard seeds splutter, add the slit green chillies and chopped
 vegetables. Saute' for a couple of minutes. Add the tamarind juice, 1
 cuo water, salt to taste, ground turmeric, and sambar powder. Cover and
 simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Add the undrained
 cooked dal. Simmer for 5 minutes, until thoroughly blended. If the
 sambar needs to be thickened, make a smooth paste of the rice flour in 2
 tablespoons extra water. Add to the sambar and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
 
 Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.
 
 Notes:  When two or three vegetables are used, there is a subtle
 blending of the different flavors of each vegetable. For a more
 distinctive flavor, make the sambar with only one type of vegetable. If
 potato is used singly, reduce the amount of oil added while tempering.
 Vegetables such as sweet pepper, onion, eggplant, okra, etc. will
 require a little more oil.
 
 From Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine From South India by Chandra
 Padmanabhan.
 
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