Sambar with Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal, rinsed
• 3½ cups water
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 cups Drumsticks, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ tbsp tamarind paste dissolved in ½ cup warm water
• 2½ tbsp sambar powder
• 2 tbsp coconut or sesame oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 pinch asafoetida

Method

1. Cook the dal with the water and turmeric until it falls apart completely, 25 minutes on the stove or 8 minutes at pressure. Whisk it smooth.
2. In a separate pot, simmer the Drumsticks, onion, and tomatoes in a cup of salted water until just tender, 8 minutes.
3. Add the tamarind water and sambar powder to the vegetables and boil 5 minutes — this cooks off the raw tamarind bite. Then stir in the dal and loosen with hot water to a pourable, soupy consistency.
4. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crack and jump, add cumin, dried chilies, curry leaves, and asafoetida, and count to ten.
5. Pour the tempering into the sambar, cover for a minute to trap the aroma, then serve with idli, dosa, or rice.