Ingredients
| SAMBAR POWDER | |
| 1 tablespoon chana dal | |
| 2 teaspoons urad dal | |
| 3 tablespoons coriander seeds | |
| 4 dried red chillies (ideally Kashmiri which give excellent colour without too much heat) | |
| 1 clove | |
| 1 teaspoon cumin seeds | |
| ½ teaspoon black peppercorns | |
| ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds | |
| SAMBAR | |
| ½ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) | |
| ¼ cup split red lentils | |
| ½ teaspoon ground turmeric | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp (or use 2 tablespoons tamarind paste) | |
| 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil | |
| 1 onion, sliced | |
| 6-7 cups vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces | |
| 1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes | |
| 1-3 tablespoons sambar powder | |
| 1-2 teaspoons jaggery, coconut sugar, palm or brown sugar | |
| lime juice | |
| TO TEMPER | |
| 2 tablespoons mustard seeds | |
| pinch asafoetida (optional) | |
| 1-2 sprigs curry leaves |
I find lentil dishes very comforting on grey, dull days, especially when loaded with vegetables cooked low and slow enough to be completely tender. I find it a good way to clean out the fridge, if required! For this particular batch I added squash, eggplant, cauliflower, green beans, green capsicum and carrots. I make no apologies for this making it such a large batch of sambar as the flavours get better after a day or so.
Toor dal are split pigeon peas, bright yellow in colour with a nutty flavour. You could use split chickpeas (chana dal) or even yellow split peas, although the flavour will be altered.
Don’t omit the soaking step – they really need the long steep. The sambar powder keeps well. One batch should be enough for 2-3 batches of the sambar depending on how much spice you add into it.
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Instructions
| 1. | Soak the toor dal and red lentils in water for 4 hours. Drain and rinse. |
| 2. | Put into a pot with 2 cups water, the turmeric and the salt. |
| 3. | Bring up to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes until tender. |
| 4. | If you prefer a smoother texture, you can blitz this with a stick blender (I didn’t bother). |
| 5. | Meanwhile, if using tamarind pulp, soak in 3 tablespoons hot water for 20 minutes, strain through a sieve to get around 2-3 tablespoons tamarind paste. |
| 6. | Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes. |
| 7. | Add the vegetables and fry lightly. Add the tomatoes, 500ml water, tamarind paste, 2 tablespoons of the sambar powder (or more if you want it a little spicier), the jaggery and cooked dal. |
| 8. | Bring up to a simmer and cook over a gentle heat for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. |
| 9. | Thin down with water if you want a looser mix and adjust seasonings to taste. |
| 10. | When ready to serve, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, if using, and the curry leaves, and cook until the seeds pop. |
| 11. | Pour over the hot sambar. Ladle into bowls. |
| 12. | Traditionally served with idli, but equally good with rice. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jess Hemmings