adharas' Absolutely Divine Sambar

This is beyond delicious. This is happiness in a bowl. This is food nirvana. This is good enough that it makes putting up with Ed worthwhile.

• ¼ c Tamarind ( fruit, not instant paste)
• 2 medium red onions, sliced, and kept separate
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces

Spices:

• ¾ t fenugreek seeds
• 3 ½ T coriander seeds
• 1 ½ T yellow split peas, dry
• 12 pepper corns
• 4 dried red chilis, more if you like it hot, less if not
• ¼ c unsweetened coconut, either dried, or fresh. Not canned.
• ¾ t black mustard seeds
• ¼ t asafetida
• ¼ t turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 30 curry leaves, torn in half
• 1 ½ cups toor dhal, uncooked, rinsed and soaked for a few hours.

Bring the toor dhal to boil in a pot, with water to cover it, and cook until absolutely mushy. Add water as necessary, to make sure that the dhal does not absorb all water and go dry. It should be the consistency of a campbell’s soup when done. Nice and thick.

Soak tamarind in 2 cups hot water, overnight. Squeeze the pulp out, and strain the liquid into a bowl. (This little hint has been added exclusively for Eilan’s benefit).Add another ½ c water to the strained solids, and repeat smushing and straining. Discard the solids. Set tamarind liquid aside for 5 minutes, then decant to another bowl. Leave any grainy solids (remnants of fruit pod) at the bottom behind and discard. Discarded amount should be less than 1/3 cup.

Heat 1 t vegetable oil, in 4 quart pot. Add 1 sliced red onion to the oil. Saute until limp and starts turning brown. Remove from pot into a cup. Heat 1 t oil. Add the red chilis, fry 15-30 secs, add to onion. Heat another 1 t oil. Add fenugreek seeds, wait 15 secs, or until reddish brown, add coriander seeds and yellow split peas. Saute until spices turn color, light brown. Add peppercorns and coconut. Take off heat, stir a few secs so the coconut is fragrant, and add to onions. Let cool. Put in blender, with ½ c water, blend until quite finely ground.

Heat 1 T oil over medium heat, add mustard seeds. Cover pot. As soon as the popping subsides, add remaining red onion, green pepper, carrot, and sauté for 2 minutes or so. Add asafetida, turmeric, salt and tamarind liquid. Add curry leaves. Cover and let come to boil, lower heat slightly, leave the lid tilted slightly to release steam, and simmer, for a good 45 minutes.

Add 3 cups of the cooked dhal. Bring to a boil, and turn off heat.

Adjust salt as needed, and if the sambar is too heavy in consistency, add some boiling water to lighten it. It should be a soupy consistency. If too spicy, you can add more dhal into the sambar.

Serve with plain white cooked rice, and curry.