Moong Dal Sambar
Moong Dal Sambar is an ideal accompaniment for dosa or idli, made with the perfect blend of moong dal and cooked vegetables as a side dish for almost every South Indian dish — delicious, and easy on the stomach because it's light in texture.
Ingredients
- For sambar: 1/3 cup moong dal
- Small tamarind
- 1/2 onion, small and chopped
- 1/2 carrot, chopped in small cubes
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 5 beans, finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon sambar powder
- 1/2 brinjal, chopped in small cubes
- 1/2 potato, chopped in small cubes
- 1 green chilli, slit
- Coriander leaves, for garnishing
- Salt, as per taste
- For tempering: 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- Pinch asafoetida or hing
- 1 teaspoon oil
- Curry leaves
Method
- 1
Soak the small tamarind in water and extract the juice; keep aside.
- 2
Pressure cook the moong dal until soft; mash and set aside.
- 3
Clean the chopped vegetables in water. Heat a teaspoon of oil on low flame, add mustard seeds and let them sputter, then add hing and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
- 4
Add green chilli, then the chopped onion and fry until slightly brown. Add tomatoes and sauté a minute more.
- 5
Add all the chopped vegetables and sauté for about 3 minutes, then add water and let them cook on medium flame for 5 to 10 minutes.
- 6
Add the tamarind extract with salt and mix; boil for approximately 5 minutes until the raw tamarind smell is gone.
- 7
Add sambar powder, cook for about 6 minutes, then stir in the mashed moong dal once the raw smell of the powder fades.
- 8
Add about 1/2 cup water for a thin consistency, boil, then add coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
