adharas' Sambar with powder

This is an alternate (and easier) version of adharas' original Absolutely Divine Sambar. I'm sure it will still be wonderfully divine.

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

• ¾ t black mustard seeds
• ½ t fenugreek seeds
• ¼ t asafetida
• ¼ t turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• ¾-1 ½ t Sambar powder, the more you add, the spicier it is.

• 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. 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 mustard seeds, let them pop, add fenugreek seeds, stir for 30 secs. Add curry leaves, stir 30 secs. Add cut veggies, and rest of spices. 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.