Sambhar

Ingredients

1. Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp 
2. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
3. Toor dal - 1 cup
4. Asafoetida - 2 tsp
5. Mustard - 1 tsp
6. Fenugreek - 1 tsp
7. Red chilli - 1
8. Oil - 1 tsp
9. Coriander - 1 bunch
10. Onion - 1 medium
11. Green chillies - 1
12. Curry leaves - 1 twig
13. Water - 4 cups for toor dal cooking and 1 cup for tamarind
14. Tamarind - 1 lemon size
15. Jaggery - 1tbsp (optional)
16. Shallot - 5 for tempering
17. Vegetables 

1. Brinjal - 1 
2. Ladies finger - 10 ( cut to medium pieces)
3. Shallot - 15 
4. Tomato
5. Yam - 5-6 pieces
6. Cucumber - 10 pieces (roughly)
7. Ash gourd - 5 pieces
8. Carrot - 1
9. Cluster beans - 10 (cut to medium pieces)
10. Drum stick - 1

Procedure

1. Wash toor dal nicely.
2. Add it into the pressure cooker
3. Add the green chilli and onion (cut to medium pieces) along with the toor dal and 1 tsp of asafoetida into the cooker
4. Add water 
5. Cook the mixture in the cooker for 5 whistles and switch off the cooker.
6. Once the steam is completely released, add all the vegetables except tomato into the cooker along with the already cooked toor dal. Add salt.
7. Cook for one whistle and wait till the steam is released.
8. Make  tamarind juice by adding water and squeezing the tamarind nicely. Once the complete juice is extracted remove the tamarind from the juice
9. When the steam is completely released from the cooker, add tamarind juice, sambhar powder,  red chilli powder (optional), tomato and coriander leaves into the cooker.
10. Add jaggery (if required) at this stage. Jaggery adds a slight sweetness to the sambhar
11. Add salt and 1 tsp of asafoetida.
12.  Cook for another 5 minutes or more (till the required consistency is achieved).
13. Temper the sambhar with mustard, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, shallot, red chilli
14. Serve it hot with idli / dosa / rice

Note:

1. It is better to add more vegetables to make the dish more healthy
2. I normally use Brahmin's sambar powder. I get this from TVM since it is not available in BLR. With this powder, there is no need to add chilli powder.
3. Liberally add asafoetida in the end to get the aromatic flavour of Kerala sambhar