Directions

1. Soak a lemon sized tamarind with rock salt (to taste). Boil this for a few minutes. Let it cool and extract tamarind juice.

2. In a vessel, add veggies ( some may need to be sautéed (onions, bhindi, brinjal etc. ) some may need to be pressure cooked ( carrots, radish, kohl rabies, beetroots etc.,) and some can be cooked directly ( pumpkin, sweet potato, drum sticks, tomato etc.,) you can be the judge of what works.

3. Add 3 to 3.5 tbsp of @mylaporekitchens sambar podi. Add the extracted tamarind water. Add a medium piece of jaggery. Cook on high to medium flame till raw smell goes. Usually takes 15 minutes or so.

4. Tadka / tempering can be done now or at the end. Tadka - coconut oil, mustard seeds, methi seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.

5. Pressure cook 3/4 cup of toor dal. I prefer pre soaking it and cooking it to 2 Whistles so that the dal is well cooked, but not a mushy, lumpy mass. Add dal to sambar. Add water to get desired consistency. Again, not too watery. Not too thick. It thickens further on cooling. Keep that in mind. Cook gently for a few minutes. Switch off and top with chopped coriander. Serve hot with rice, idli, dosa etc.