Mrs Wilson's Yummy Sambar

Sambar is like vegetable soup taken with idli, dosa, vada and other South Indian dishes.This recipe is very special to me as it was given by my friend’s Mom who passed away a few years ago.   When  I lived in Chicago and craved for the taste of authentic Indian Sambar, Mrs.Wilson’s recipe often came to my rescue. Once after the lunch  at my friend’s home I asked her Mom how she made such yummy sambar, she went to the kitchen and in five minutes came out with the recipe.  Last week, my friend, who was missing her Mom’s Sambar, asked me if I still had her recipe.  I told her I would be honored if she would let me put this on my blog and share it with the world.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow split lentil(dal), 1 big onion chopped (for cooking with dal), 1 medium egg plant(bringal), ½ lb. green beans,  4 sticks of celery, 4 green chilies, 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice, 1 medium onion chopped finely, 1 big tomato chopped, ½ tsp of mustard seeds(rai). 2 tsp of cooking oil.

Ingredients for spices:

2 tsp coriander seeds, 6 red peppers, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 10 black pepper corns, ½ tsp mustard seeds(methi),  5 tsp grated coconut, ½  tsp turmeric powder.

Method:

Roast spices except turmeric powder.  First put grated coconut in a frying pan and keep stirring it constantly till it becomes light brown.  Now add all other spices, except turmeric, and roast them.  Then put all the roasted spices in a blender and add turmeric powder as well.  Add 1 cup of water to it and grind it into a paste.  Keep this spices blend separately

 Boil 8 cups of water in a pan and  add yellow split lentil(dal) and chopped onion.  Cook till very soft.  Now add beans, celery, green chilies till they turn very tender.  At this point add chopped egg plant and blend of spices and let it simmer for sometime.  Add  lemon juice and salt to taste.

Heat cooking oil in a pan, add mustard seeds.  When they stop spluttering, add medium chopped onion.  As they turn light brown add chopped tomato and fry them well.  Now add this to already cooked sambar.

Sambar is ready to be eaten with idli or dosa or feel free to have it as a soup.