Red Radish Sambar

Sambar is a common dish in most South Indian homes, usually prepared at least 2 or 3 times in a week. It's basically a lentil (usually tuvar dal or split pigeon peas) and vegetable gravy; you can make it with almost any vegetable, or sometimes with more than one vegetable. The radish in sambar goes well with rasam rice… It has a nice crunchy texture.

This is a tamilnadu style Sambar. I love this with idly, dosa, pongal and other tiffin items. The ground Masala added at the end gives the extra taste. This is a good combination for Idly, Paniyaram, dosa and Venn pongal. This means fresh ground Sāmbhar. i.e. the powder for Sambhar is roasted and ground freshly along with the Sambhar Preparation. 

Prep time	Cooking time	Serves
5 mins	30 mins	4 persons

Cuisine: Indian

Recipe Category: Kulambu varieties

Ingredients Red radish  -1 & ½ cup Toor dal -1/2 cup Onions -1 no Tomatoes -1/2 Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp Sambar powder -1 tbsp. Tamarind –small lemon size Coriander leaves -few To temper Oil -1/2 tsp Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp Split urad dal -1/4 tsp Hong -pinch Red chilly dry -2 no’s Curry leaves –few sprigs

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal with few drops of oil and water till immersed up to 5 whistle’s, mash the dal well with turmeric and pour in 1/3 cup of water and set aside.

2. Soak the tamarind in water and squeeze well to extract the juice and set aside.

3. Add the onion pieces, tomato pieces, chopped / cubed radish and water in a vessel. Cover with a lid and cook till the radish pieces are soft.
 

4. Add the mashed dal, tamarind extract, salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder, and water (adjust to desired consistency) to the vegetables.

5. Allow the sambar to boil for 8 - 10 minutes. If the sambar appears too thick, add little more water and simmer for a few minutes. Take a kadai pour in oil, add the ingredients under "To Temper (2)" and add it to radish sambar and allow it to boil once and it’s done.

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot with rice and any poriyal of your choice

Notes

Adding asafoetida at the last enhances the smell and taste of sambar.