Ingredients To boil Arhar ( Toor dal) in pressure cooker
1) 1 cup Arhar/toor dal – washed well and soaked for 15 minutes and rinsed.
2) 1/2 tsp salt (as per taste)
3) 1/4 tsp ( 0.25) Turmeric powder.
4) 3 1/2 cup (3.5) Water
Ingredients for Tadka for Sambar:
1) One medium Onion chopped
2) One medium Onion sliced
3) One small Gobhi piece
4) 5-6 Baby Carrots ( or half regular carrot)
5) One small piece of long squash
6) All three vegetables cut into very small pieces ( you can add more vegetables, as per your taste, but cut into small pieces)
7) 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
8) 1 tsp Imli paste( tamarind)
9) 2 Dry Red Chilies
10) 9-10 Curry Leaves
11) 1/4 (0.25) tsp Asafoetida powder (hing)
12) 1 tsp Red Chilies powder
13) 1tsp Salt( to taste)
14) 2-3 tsp spoon Lemon juice
15) One medium sized chopped Tomato
16) 1 1/2 tsp (1.25) Rai or Black Mustard seeds
17) 2 1/2 tsp (2.5) Sambar powder – take any brand from market
18) One tsp unsalted butter
19) One cup of water extra- for consistency of sambar- if thick.
Method for Preparation :
1) On medium flame ,in a pressure cooker (PC), put Arhar Dal, Salt, Water and Turmeric (haldi)- cover PC with lid- for 4 whistle.
2) Open the PC lid and wait for PC steam to be fully released. In the meantime let us prepare Tadka for Sambar:
3) Pre – heat on medium flame a big open Pot or Kadhai
4) Put Oil – once oil heated a bit- put Rai ( black mustard seeds),
5) 2 whole Red chilies (sabut red chilies), once seeds start to splatter
6) Put chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes till Onion turn light golden brown.
7) Add chopped Tomatoes, Salt, Butter- sauté 2 minutes ( so that tomatoes become soft)
8) Put all vegetables ( if you don’t like vegetables , then skip this section and go to number 10.)
9) Sauté vegetables for 2 minutes.
10) Add sliced onion, change flame to LOW and add tamarind ( imli) paste and all masalas( red chilies powder, asafoetida( hing) and sambar masala)
11) Now open the PC lid( once steam released fully)- mix dal well with a whisker for a minute and add in sambar tadka.
12) On a low Flame- mix sambar well and add some water ( depending on the consistency of sambar one eats)- change flame to Medium for 5 minutes, until the curry comes to boil.
13) At this point please add salt, red chilies, lemon juice and water, after tasting the sambar( based on personal taste).
14) Sambar is ready to be transferred to serving dish.
15) Enjoy with Idli, dosa, vada, rice and of course coconut chatni is must.
