Serves: 4
Total Calories: 230

1/4 cup Tamarind Paste
1 cup split pigeon peas (toor dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
6 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
3 tablespoons peanut oil
4 to 6 whole dried red chili peppers, such as chile de arbol
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
1/4 cup ground fresh coconut
1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida
1 to 3 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, split lengthwise into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh curry leaves
1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
1 fresh garlic clove (large), minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 cups mixed fresh vegetables, such as onions, eggplant, green beans, okra, and summer squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1. Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, soak the dal in water to cover by 2 inches, about 2 hours. Drain and place in a large along with the water, turmeric, and sesame oil, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, partially at first and them completely, and cook, stirring occasionally, until creamy, 25 to 30 minutes. (As the dal cooks, some of it may foam and rise to the top. Mix the foam back into the dal.) Stir vigorously to mash the dal. Keep over low heat while you proceed with the next steps.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chili peppers, mustard seeds, fenugreek, coconut, and asafoetida. Cover and cook, shaking the pan, about 1 minute. Add the green chili peppers and curry leaves, cook about 1 minute, then add the ginger and garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Mix into the dal.

3. To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vegetables, and salt and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tamarind paste, cover the pan, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the dal and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. (Add more water if you desire a soupier sambar.) Transfer to a serving bowl, mix in the cilantro, and serve.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 230
Calories from Fat: 120

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas
Basic South Indian Soupy Split Pigeon Peas
Black Beans in Traditional Curry Sauce
Black Chickpeas with Chickpea Masala
Black Chickpeas with Sizzlilng Ginger and Cumin Seeds
Black Urad Beans in a Slow Cooker
Black-Eyed Peas in Yogurt Curry
Canister Chickpeas (or Dried Yellow Peas)
Chickpeas in Traditional Curry Sauce
Chickpeas with Ginger, Garlic, and Chaat Masala
Chickpeas with Spinach and Potato Wedges
Chutney Chickpeas with Tamarind
Classic Kidney Bean Curry with Onions
Classic No-Onion Kidney Bean Curry
Crispy Split Pigeon Pea Cake
Curried Black-Eyed Peas
Dry-Cooked Green Split Peas
Dry-Cooked Red Lentils with Cumin Seeds
Falguni's Gujarati Split Pigeon Peas
Fresh Green Chickpeas with Lentil Nuggets
Garlicky Dried Green Peas Curry
Garlicky Yellow Mung Beans with Zucchini Wheels
Green Lentils with Sautéed Onion
Gujarati Green Mung Beans with Green Masala Paste
Hazram's Soupy Pigeon Peas
Kashmiri Fennel-Flavored Black Urad Beans with Yogurt
Kashmiri Small Red Beans
Madras-Style Pigeon Peas with Vegetables
Mustard-Roasted Adzuki Beans
Parsi Mixed Lentils, Beans, and Vegatables
Pickle-Flavored Chickpeas
Punjabi Black Urad Beans
Punjabi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
Punjabi Green Mung Beans with Sizzling Ginger
Punjabi Red Beans with Mango Pickle Masala
Punjabi-Style Split Pigeon Peas
Rajasthani Mixed 5 Beans and Lentils
Red Lentils with Bengali 5-Spices
Roasted Green Lentils with Tomatoes
Roasted Yellow Mung Beans and Potatoes
Sindhi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
Small White Beans with Indian Spices
Smoked Black Urad Beans
Soupy Split Pigeon Peas with Jaggery
Spicy Adzuki Beans
Spicy Chickpeas with Pomegranate Seeds
Spicy Dried Yellow Peas
Spicy Dry-Cooked Split Green Mung Beans
Spicy Mixed 5 Beans and Lentils
Spicy Soybeans in Yogurt Sauce
Spicy Split Black Urad Beans with Split Chickpeas
Spit Pigeon Peas with Coconut and Vegetables
Split Urad Beans and Yellow Split Chickpeas with Spinach
Stir-Fried Black Urad Beans
White Urad Beans with Fresh Lemon Juice
White Urad Beans with Roasted Fenugreek Leaves
Yellow Mung Beans with Fresh Curry Leaves
Yellow Mung Beans with Sautéed Onion and Ginger
Yellow Split Chickpeas with Spinach
Yellow Split Chikpeas with Opo Squash