Raddish Sambar - The easy South Indian lentil stew

Sambar is a south Indian favourite which is made up of Tamarind-vegetable-lentils. It is one of the most easy to do dishes and has its own hall of fame in South Indian homes. The addition of vegetables makes it more healthy and provides a nice aroma to the whole dish. The tamarind-sambar powder mixture is the main base of the sambar and gives its distinct taste to the dish. In the end, the lentils provides a wonderful bonding of the whole mixture and brings it together as one whole dish.

There are a lots of varieties of Sambar made - my personal favourites include Drumstick sambar, small shallot sambar and radish sambar. These vegetables have a wonderful aroma and it infuses their own distinctive smell and taste into the sambar which makes it mouth watering. 

How to make Radish Sambar:

Time to make: 40-45 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Thuvar/Toor Dhal - 10 tbsp

turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

shallots - 10 - 12 numbers

radish - 1/2 big or 1 small 

sambar powder - 1.5 tbsp

asafoetida- a generous pinch

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

curry Leaves - a few

coriander Leaves - a few

fenugreek seeds - 10

red chilli - 1 big

salt - as per taste

water - 700 ml

oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Pressure cook the Dhal. Lightly mash it and keep it aside. In the meantime, cut the radish into small circles or pieces to be added to the sambar. Cut the shallots into pieces as well.

2. Place the tamarind in some water so that it becomes soft and smash it nicely to make a paste with the water. Keep the tamarind water aside apart from solid remains. We will use the tamarind water for the sambar.

3. Place a kadai in the stove and add some oil to it.

4. Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.

5. Next add the red chillies, curry leaves and the fenugreek seeds into the oil. You may add the curry leaves at the last stage as well if you wish to have a nice aroma in the end.

6. Add the onion shallots into the oil and let it fry for a minute or two till it turns translucent.

7. Next add the Radish pieces into the oil and fry for a minute.

8. Add the tamarind water into the kadai and mix it well. Add some salt at this point. Sambar powder can also be added to the mixture at this point. Mix it well.

9. Let it boil for another 15-20 minutes till the raw smell goes off the sambar. The Radish will also be softened at this point. 

10. Once the radish is completely cooked and soft, add the dhal into the sambar. Add the remaining water as well to the sambar after the dhal is added. If the sambar appears to be thin, add less water to the mixture. If the sambar is thick, add more water as per your desired consistency (either thick or thin).

11. Mix the dhal with the sambar well and let the sambar boil till the dhal blends nicely with the sambar; may be for another 5 to 10 minutes.

12. Once the sambar is finished, add some coriander leaves for garnishing.

13. Serve hot with rice and curry. You may also use this as side dish for dosa or idly.

Note:
1. You may add some tomatoes if your tamarind is not very sour. The tomatoes also gives a nice taste to the sambar. Just cut it into small pieces and add to the sambar.
2. The taste of the dish depends on the sambar powder being added. So, make sure the sambar powder is of good quality and has a good aroma.