Green gram Sambar (Moong dal Sambar)

I can never go without sambar for more than a week. Sambar is a south Indian lentil stew or soup with plenty of veggies (or meat, if you care to add). Sambar is one thing that keeps me grounded, reminds me constantly that I am a South Indian, a proud one. I can live here in the USA, adapting to the Western way of life, but I crave Sambar constantly. It reminds me of who I am, where my roots are. In fact, I can say it is a south Indian staple, our national dish!

It might be funny for most of you that I personify sambar so much, but hey- I LOVE sambar!

I do not usually cook with green gram (Moong dal) because I simply hate it! My favorite lentil is tur dal (yellow pigeon peas). I love to make sambar (or kozhambu in tamil) and I can NEVER EVER quite make sambar like my mother! I don’t know why, I follow her recipe quite exactly!

Anyways, I soaked 2 cup of moon dal and had NO idea what to do with it, until I stumbled upon Viki’s Kitchen which I frequently refer to…and Voila! Geen gram Sambar! I have made some changes to suit my palette.

Ingredients

1 cup green gram dal- soaked overnight or for 5-6 hrs

Tamarind – 1 lemon sized ball

1-2 cups of Veggies like lima beans, tomato, beans, carrot, cauliflower etc(Frozen veggies are great as well)

1 medium onion, sliced thin

Sambar powder- 1 tbsp

Tempering ingredients- 1tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp chana dal (split chick pea lentil), 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 4 dried red chilies

Salt, as needed

Water, as needed

Soak the green gram lentil, with peel and all, overnight or for 5-6 hrs. Pressure cook then until soft and mushy. Alternatively, you may boil then in 3 cups of water for about 1-2 hrs until soft and mushy. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the tempering ingredients. Once the mustard starts to splutter, add the sliced onion and salt and let it sweat it out for 5 min. Now add the veggies along with half the sambar powder and 3 tbsp of water.. Let it cook for another 5 min, constantly stirring. Now soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 10 min. Rub tamarind to release the juice. Pour only the juice in your pot and soak the remaining tamarind in another cup of hot water for about 5 min. Again, rub the tamarind and pour only the juice into the pot. Let the veggies cook in tamarind juice for about 15min over medium heat.

Now, add a cup of cooked green gram lentil to the pot along with the reminder of sambar powder. Stir and let it cook for another 15 min over medium heat, undisturbed.

Your sambar must be soup like at this point. If not, add a tbsp corn flour dissolved in ½ cup cold water at this point. I don’t mind my sambar thick or dilute. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

Voila, sambar ready. Serve with rice or dosa or idli or simply savor the delicacy as a soup!