Sambar

To make it easier on yourself, I highly recommend the use of a pressure cooker to soften and cook the dal and vegetables. You will not only love how this cooker melds flavors together, but it cooks food in a shockingly fast time, provides intense juiciness to meats and steams rice deliciously. I recommend the Prestige line of cookers.***

SAMBAR

STEP ONE: Place the following ingredients in the pressure cooker:

-carrots (2-4 large, chopped)
-veggies (I use 2 handfuls of spinach, chopped; feel free to experiment with your favorites)
-toor dal (1 cup, rinsed)
-onion (1/2 purple onion, chopped)
-tomato (1 small or 1/2 large)
-green chilies (2-3 thai chilies, chopped w/seeds; may use serrano which have less karam)
-fenugreek (1/4tsp)
-salt (roughly 1TB)
-H2O (3-4 cups)

allow to cook for 3-4 whistles to soften dal and veggies

STEP 2: sautee the following in order:

-canola oil (1TB, may use sesame oil)
-mustard seeds (1tsp) (wait for seeds to "pop" in oil w/cumin before proceeding-be careful not to burn)
-jeera (cumin) seeds (1tsp)
-astafatida powder (1/2 tsp)
-curry leaves (roughly 8-10, best if fresh from indian store)
-fenugreek (1/4tsp)

STEP 3: add the above (step 2) to the pressure cooker ingredients (step1).

STEP 4: add the following to the pressure cooker pot
-H2O (enough to get the sambar consistency)
-sambar powder (1TB)
-ALLOW TO BOIL

STEP 5:
-tamarind water (microwave golf ball-sized tamarind pulp in 1c H2O or add 1c. boiling water and allow to soak in; when cool use hand to mash tamarind in water to dissolve; strain through fine mesh sieve to create tamarind H2O. May use concentrated tamarind paste if desired)

STEP 6:
-end with addition of salt/pepper as desired

***whenever cooking with the pressure cooker, always make sure there is no blockage in the air vent/hole that allows the steam to come out the top of the cooker.