Idli / Dosa Sambar (இட்லி / தோசை சாம்பார்)

This is an easy sambar that tastes so divine with idli and dosa. You can put pretty much any vegetable you like to the sambar and each vege would sure justify it's addition to the recipe. You can make this sambar with Toor dhal or Moong dhal. 
No grinding the masala..No fuss..just a quick cooker method. Ideal for working moms. My son just came from his playdate now and as he entered he was screaming, "I smell dhal..I got to have it right now!" I served it with dosa and he loved it. (Partly because he was on a BRAT diet for the past 2 days after a mild stomach flu attack. ;-) ..) But trust me it will taste good anytime of the day. Although this goes well with Tiffins, you can have it with rice too. Just thicken the sambar if intended for rice.


Makes about 5 cups

• In a small pressure cooker, add 3 tsp of oil
• When oil is hot, temper it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• When seeds splutter, add 1 green chilly slit lengthwise,  a pinch of hing, a spring of curry leaves, 1 crushed garlic pod, 1/2 tsp of methi seeds, in the specified order
• Do not brown the methi seeds, it will become bitter
• Add 1 medium onion chopped lengthwise (The onions must not be thinly chopped..make it little bigger pieces)
• Saute just until it is slightly translucent. Do not over saute..we need to be able to bite into the onions.
• Now add any vegetable you like..just chop them all into large cubes. Some veges that go very well with this recipe are green beans, carrots, brinjals, cho-cho, white pumpkin, squash, potato. Some non-compatible veges are okra, spinach, cauliflower.. you can add these too but they would alter the taste distinctively.
• Saute for just couple of minutes
• Add 1 meduim size tomato chopped into large pieces
• Add salt per taste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and stir once
• Add 1/2 cup of tamarind extract (soak a lemon szed tamarind in half cup of water for 10 mins and extract the juice)
• Stir for a minute and add 1 tbsp of any sambar powder - I use 777 Madras Sambar powder
• Mix well and add 3 cups of water
• Add 1 cup of cooked toor dhal (or moong dhal). You may also add 1/2 cup of uncooked toor dhal..I happened to have cooked dhal and it tastes much better this way.
• Mix the contents well. Adjust salt. 
• Pressure cook it (with weight on) for 15 minutes or until 1 whistle on medium high flame
• Serve hot with Idli or Dosa or Plain rice