Breakfast sambar

Sambar is a simple dish which everyone makes almost daily for breafast.
So here is a simple recipe which is delicious yet with less spices and made with natural ingredients instead of using sambar powder. The aroma of this sambar fills the house and makes you eat more idlies or dosas just for the taste of the sambar :)

Let's get going with the recipe:

Preparation time: 

20 mins. Only

Serves 6

Ingredients

Thoor dal - 1\2 cup 
Sambar onion  -15 to 20 nos. peeled
Tomato- 1 no. big
Green chilly - 4 big
Red chilly - 2 long
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Capsicum - 1/2(optional)
Potato - 1 no. medium
Drumstick - 1/2 piece
Brinjal - 4 to 5 nos.
Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size
Oil - 3 tablespoons 
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Jagerry - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish

For seasoning:
Mustard -1/2 teaspoon
Split urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon 

For grinding:
methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
hing 1piece or 1/4 tsp powder

Preparation:
Cook the soaked dal for three whistles or until its soft in texture and keep it aside.

Wash and chop onion, tomato, chilies and capsicum into small pieces and keep the
curry leaves along with it.

Wash and chop the vegetables -  brinjal into small slices so that it mashes up in the sambar and gives the texture and flavour, drumstick into medium pieces, and potatoes into big long pieces so that it doesn't become mushy.

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup water for 5 mins. then squeeze out the pulp and keep it ready 

Keep a heavy bottom vessel on medium heat add oil.
When its hot you can add the seasoning fry it- till it splutters.

Now add the following one by one in order -small onions,green & red chilies, tomatoes, capsicum and curry leaves and fry till tomatoes are mushy.

Then add brinjal, drumstick and potatoes and stir for few minutes until the brinjal changes color after which you can add salt to taste and 11/2  cups of water and allow it to cook until the vegetables are cooked (but i just kept in the pressure cooker for two whistle) 

Add the thoor dal into it and check for salt and cook for 5 more minutes then add the tamarind water, ghee and jagerry into it, after that you can adjust the consistency by adding little more water only if required and allow it to cook until it bubbles up then switch off the stove.

Now your breakfast sambar is ready to be garnished and served with idly, dosa, or pongal.

Notes:
This sambar is the traditional one served in chettinad for daily breakfast and its unique because its easy and no need of sambar powder.
Its very rich in nutrients and has a good texture but not heavy on your tummy.

The original recipe uses the exact ingredients as mentioned above except for the capsicum and jagerry.These two are just taste enhancers.

when I was in US my friend tried my recipe adding capsicum and it turned out great so i started following it from then on-  I actually adds to the aroma if we fry it well in oil. You can also fry it separately and add it just before adding the tamarind pulp.

In this recipe the methi seeds gives the extra flavor and uniqueness of chettinad sambar.
My mother used to fry methi and hing pieces in ghee and powder it and sprinkle it when its boiling in the final stage instead of adding in the tadka. This gives a great aroma to the whole house.
But i don't do that way as my family doesn't prefer strong aroma.