Radish-onion Iyengar style arachuvitta sambar (with home-made masala)

Today, being Good Friday and a holiday, I kept to my in-laws tradition of making stew fish for Anjalie and Naz. But I am (& have been) a veggie all my life. So I tried to make something, that I enjoy, for myself too. My favourite South-Indian food is arachuvitta sambar (made with home-made sambar masala) that amma (my Mum) used to make. Anjalie does not like store bought sambar powder. So I do not stock them up any more. However, she likes the coconut-y flavour of this home-made masala. This sambar too goes well with rice, idlis and dosais of all kind. As usual, our home food here is a mixture of all cuisines. Today, being no exception. we enjoyed my favourite sambar together. While, Anjalie and Naz enjoyed it with their fish stew and daal, I enjoyed mine with stir-fried cauliflower.

You will need:

1/2 cup toor dal (cooked and mashed well)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

salt to taste

water as needed

radish, chopped & cooked - 1 cup

1/2 medium sized onion or 6 shallots- peeled & chopped to bite size

asafoetida - a pinch
jaggery - a small piece (optional)

tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp 

tomatoes - 1 chopped

curry & coriander leaves, tear coarsely to garnish

oil - 2 tsp

To roast and grind (instead of sambar powder):

1 tbsp bengal gram/roasted chickpeas/kadala paruppu

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp black pepper corns

2-4 dried red chillies (use 2 for children)

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp coconut powder

For tempering (optional):

1/2 tsp mustard seeds (I leave this out since Anjalie does not like it - children may not like the bitter taste)

1/2 tsp cumin seeeds

1 tsp oil

1-2 fresh green chillies (leave out for children)

Roast all the ingredients listed in "roast and grind" except coriander seeds and coconut until the daal turns golden brown. Turn off the stove and add coriander seeds and mix well for 30 secs. The coriander seeds will roast in that mild heat. Cool the mixture and grind together with coconut powder to either a powder in a mill or into a paste using a little water in a blender. This is the home-made sambar masala. You can simply replace this with sambar powder to make regular sambar. 

Add oil in a sauce pan and heat it to medium heat. I just temper at this point by adding all the ingredients listed in "to temper" to avoid adding additional 1 tsp oil. You can do this now or at the end. Sauté onions until transparent.

Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt, asafoetida and cook until soft.

Add cooked radish, daal, water, jaggery (I find that this adds a nice flavour) and tamarind paste. Mix well, cover and cook in low heat until the raw tamarind smell goes away (around 5-7 mins).

Add the ground sambar masala and mix well.

Bring it to a boil and garnish with coriander and curry leaves. Sambar with home made masala is ready!

This goes will with idlis and dosais or just with plain rice and vegetables.