Sambhar with Vegetables

My version of a South Indian Thali :) 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tur dal
• ½ cup of cubed bottle gourd
• 10-12 small sambar onions (or shallots)
• 1 medium tomato quartered
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 3 radishes diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 2 small brinjals cut in half
• 2 drumsticks cut in pieces
• 1 potato diced
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 2 green chillis chopped
• 1 large lemon sized tamarind (extract the juice in 1 cup water)
• 1 tbsp jaggery or sugar (optional)
• 3 tbsps sambar powder
• salt to taste

For tempering/tadka:

• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp onion seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp asafoetida/hing/inguva or 3-4 crushed garlic flakes
• 2 dry red chilli
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves

Method

• Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water and a pinch of hing. Once pressure cooked, keep it aside.
• Heat oil a separate pan, add mustard seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds  and let them splutter. Add hing and red chillies and roast for a few seconds. Don’t burn them. Lastly add curry leaves for tempering.
• Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2 -3 mintues. Add turmeric and mix it.
• Then add green chillies and all the vegetables bottle gourd, radish, brinjals, drumsticks, potato, tomato, carrots and mix and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup water, salt and put lid and let it cook for 10 minutes till all vegetables are cooked.
• To the mixture add tamarind juice, sambhar powder and sugar. Let it cook for more 2 minutes.
• Mix the cooked tur daal in the vegetable mixture. Taste the seasoning and if required add ingredients as per your taste buds.
• Let it cook for 2-3 minutes till all flavours of vegetable are mix in cooked dal
• Turn off heat and place lid. Keep covered for at least an hour and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve with hot steamed rice, poriyal , sukka chicken and papad J