Sambar

Moong dal        1/2  cup

Tur dal                          1/2 cup

Onion                        1 small

Tomatoes                  2 

Green bell pepper         1/2

Garlic                                       2 pods

Tamarind paste or pulp          1- 2 tsp.     

Sambar powder              2 - 2 1/2 tbsp.

Turmeric powder             1/2 tsp.

Curry leaves                                 a few

Cilantro for garnishing.

Wheat flour only if necessary           1 tsp.

For seasoning:

Mustard                       1/2 tsp.

Urad dal                       1 tsp.

Chana dal                      1 tsp.

Fried gram                        1 tsp.

Red chillies                       1

Asafoetida                      1/2 tsp.

Ghee and oil                    2 tbsp.

In a fry pan, add 1 tbsp. ghee and 1 tbsp. oil.

Season with mustard, the dals, asafoetida and red chilli.

Fry onion and  garlic till onion turns pink. 

Add bell pepper, tomatoes and fry for a while.

Add tamarind paste only if you want to.

This is really not necessary. In this case, you can  reduce the tomatoes to 1.

Add sambar powder and turmeric powder, mix well  and then one cup of water.

Bring to boil, lower the heat, add salt and when it boils well, add dal and let it boil for a few minutes.

Mix well. 

Clean and chop the cilantro leaves and add to sambar.

If the sambar is watery and you want it a little thicker, mix 1 tsp. of wheat (chapathi) flour to 1 tbsp. of

water and add the paste to the sambar when it begins to boil with the dal.

Take care to stir the sambar well as you add the  wheat flour paste, otherwise it will remain separate

as lumps.

This sambar goes well with Idli and Dosa and with rice.

There can be variations in the preparation of sambar.

1. Use only Tur dal (Red gram)

2. Use only Moong dal (Green gram)