A bright, shining sun warms up a cold winter’s day. My husband and I are up on the fourth floor of the multi storied building that houses the service officers. We are out on the balcony, soaking up the sun. Our son is busy playing cricket with his friends in the park below. I hear the kitchen backdoor bang. Rosy, our cook and general housekeeper, has made her entrance known. Depending on the loudness of the bang, I can tell if she has had a fight with her husband or not! They live in the living quarters attached to the flat, and she always goes on about him, with just cause I might add. I head to the kitchen to supervise the cooking. It is cold, and I turn on the electric heater to warm the kitchen up. (No central heating and air-conditioning, for sure!)
For today’s lunch menu, I have decided on Sambar Dal and rice. The spicy, tangy lentil soup is a good way to take the chill off the day.
Sambar Dal is a part of South Indian cuisine and is made from pigeon peas (toor dal, also known as arhar dal). The mouth-watering dish is carefully seasoned with special spices combined to make the sambar masala powder. Vegetables and tamarind sauce are added to complete the dish. It is mainly eaten with plain boiled rice, idli, or dosa.
Growing up in India, Sambar Dal was a Saturday fixture for lunch, served with rice, pickle, yogurt, and papads. Once our tummies were filled, we had no complaints about taking Mama’s insisted-upon afternoon nap. The kids who demurred were given the task of massaging Mama’s feet while she rested. Needless to say, there were very few times when any of us elected to skip the nap. With seven kids and Dad away on military assignments, Mama had to keep a tight rein on us!
A spicy, tangy lentil soup seasoned with special spices, vegetables, and tamarind sauce.
- 2 cups Arhar / Toor Dal (Yellow Split Pigeon Peas) (Cleaned, rinsed several times, and soaked for30 minutes. Not necessary to soak if you are using a pressure cooker, or, if you don't mind, cooking it longer on the stove. )
- 1 tsp (level) tumeric
- 1 ½ tsps Salt (or to your taste)
- 6 cups water (add more if consistency is too thick)
- 2 cups hot water (on standby)
- 1-2 tsps Sambar masala powder (to taste, more if you prefer very spicy food) (found in Indian grocery stores)
- 2 tsps coriander powder
- - Dash chili powder (to taste)
- ½ sliced yellow onion
- 4-6 oz sliced beans or drumsticks (drumsticks are found at any Indian grocery store)
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- ⅛ tsp asafetida
Tadka (Tempering)
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 8-10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 ½ tsps cooking oil (can use any healthy vegetable oil—coconut oil or olive oil)
- 1 dry red chili, halved (add more if you like it spicier)
- pinch asafetida (optional, hing or heeng in Hindi )
- ½ tsp dry urd dal (optional)
Ina 6 quart pot or Dutch oven, on medium heat, partially cover and boil the lentils with the turmeric and salt till almost tender (approximately 30 minutes).
Add the Sambar masala powder (careful as it packs some heat) and the coriander, and chili powder.
Lower the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Add sliced onions and continue to simmer covered for another 5 minutes.
If you would like to add beans, 4-6 oz, or a cup of drumsticks, you could do so at this point and simmer until the vegetables are nearly done.
Now add a tablespoon of tamarind paste and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes until the dal is fully cooked, and the grains blended.
Check for tanginess, as the tartness of tamarind varies depending on the brand name you use. If you want more of a tang, then add a little more tamarind at a time till it hits your taste buds!
If you find the dal is getting too thick anytime during the cooking process, you can thin it down with hot water. Remember, you want a nice texture to the dal, not runny. Set aside.
Tempering
Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add asafetida powder and mustard seeds in quick succession. Stir 30 seconds.
Add the chilies, curry leaves, and urd dal.
When the dal starts to turn light brown, 30 seconds, remove from heat and pour into the Sambar dal.
Put the lid on and let sit 5 minutes to absorb the flavors of the tempering.
Serve with plain boiled rice (preferably white) accompanied by pickles and papads, or serve it with idlis and or dosas.
If you do not have tamarind paste, you can soften a lump of tamarind in a ¼ cup of warm water and extract the juice from the pulp, strain and add a little at a time to the dal. The sambar should be tangy but not sour.
