Kerala Sambar With Coconut – Varutharacha Sambar Recipe – Onam Sadya Sambar Recipe

• Toor dal – 1/3 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Water – 2 cups
• Cooking oil – few drops
• Drumstick – 1 no

Tamarind – Small lemon size
To saute & grind

• Coconut oil – 2 tsp
• Chana dal – 1 tsp
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Dhania/Coriander seeds – 3 tsp
• Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Red chillies – 4 -5 nos
• Curry leaves – 5 leaves
• Hing/Asafetida – 2 pinches
• Grated coconut – 1/3 cup
• Small onion – 2 nos or big onion – 1/4 no

To temper & saute

• Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli – 1 no
• Curry leaves – few
• Big onion or small onion – 1/ 10 nos
• Tomato – 1 no ( Optional, I din’t use)
• Ladies finger – 10 nos
• Coriander leaves – to garnish

• Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 minutes and take the extract. In the mean time, pressure cook toor dal adding required water, turmeric powder and few drops of oil. Chop drumstick into finger size and keep it in a small bowl inside pressure cooker. Do not add water in drumstick. It will get cooked with the help of steam inside cooker. Cook for 2 whistles in low flame. Open the cooker and mash the dal well and set aside. Keep the cooked drumstick separately.
• In a kadai, heat coconut oil and saute all the ingredients in medium flame given under “ To saute & grind”. Saute till you get nice aroma & color of coconut changes golden. Do not burn any of the ingredients. Let them cool down. Grind everything to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside.
  
• In the same kadai, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves. Add chopped ladies finger and onion, saute till turns transparent. Add this to the cooked dal, tamarind extract, ground coconut paste and cooked drumstick pieces. Check for taste and add more salt if needed. Let the sambar roll boil for few minutes. Nice aroma wafts through.
  

  

• Garnish with coriander leaves and give a boil. Switch off the flame and cover it with  a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy mixing with plain rice. Add few drops of ghee while serving !

• You can also add chopped carrot, potato. Add them to the drumstick in a separate bowl and cook inside the cooker.
• Adding tomato is optional. I din’t use it.
• Add red chillies as per your taste.