Vengaya Sambar

Vengaya Sambar recipe:

Ingredients for 2:
Small onions (chinna vengayam) about 6-7
Tamarind (puli), lemon size piece or about 1 spoon tamarind paste
3/4th cup toor dal
Sambar powder and salt to taste
Curry leaves
Tumeric powder
Oil
Mustard, methi seeds, corriander seeds,cumin seeds.
3-4 dry red chillies
About 1 cup grated coconut
1 handful channa dal
1/2 handful urad dal

Method:

1. Cut the small onions appropriately.
2. Pressure cook the toor dal with twice the amount of water and 1/4th spoon tumeric.
3. Heat a bowl of water and add the tamarind paste or the tamarind paste.
4. In a sauce pan heat about 2 table spoons of oil.
5. When the oil heats up add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
6. Now add little methi seeds along with the curry leaves.
7. Then add the small onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
8. Add the tamarind water and 3 spoons of sambar powder and close the pan for about 5 mins for the onions to soften.
9. In a small kadai, add a table spoon of oil and when it heats up, add channa dal, toor dal, corriander seeds and 3-4 chilles and saute them till the dal turn light brown.
10. Allow it to cool and grind them along with a cup of grated coconut and appropriate amount of water. This mixture should be semi-liquid.
11. To the boiling tamarind water, add the toor dal and the grinder mixture.
12. Add salt to taste and water if necessary.
13. Allow this mixture to boil until a proper consistency is obtained.
14. Serve hot with rice.

Note: Corriander seeds can be replaced by corriander while grinding.Alternatively you can also add daniya (corriander) podwer after you grind the other ingredients. All the spices can be altered according to taste.
Thanks to my Mom for this great recipe!