Okra/Ladies finger sambar - Vendakkai sambar

Ingredients:

Red gram dal - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 cup
Okra/Ladies finger - Vendakkai - 200 gms
Pearl onion - Sambar vengayam - fistful
Tomato - Thakkali - 2 nos.
Tamarind - Puli - lemon size
Garlic - Poondu - 2 flakes
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Capsicum - Kudai milagai - 1 no. (Small)
Red chilly - Kaintha milagai - 2 nos.
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Corriander powder - Dhani thul - 2 table spoons
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - 1 tea spoon
Sambar powder - Sambar podi - 1 table spoon
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1 table spoon
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seed - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Corriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Salt to taste
Ghee - Nei - 1 table spoon
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and cut okra into small cubes and boil it in pressure cooker or oven adding a little salt. Wash and keep red gram dal in pressure cooker adding 3 cups of water, little turmeric powder, asafoetida and a drop of oil. Boil it for some 20 minutes.
2. Meantime soak tamarind in hot water and make a paste after removing dust particles. Chopp onion after peeling off the skin, chopp tomatoes and keep it aside. Cut green chillies into two lengthwise and keep other ingredients ready.
3. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dal, red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, then add chopped onions, tomatoes, capsicum and fry them well. Add red chilly powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder and add the boiled vegetable.
4. Make tamarind paste and mix well. Let it boil for some 10 minutes. Meantime grind coconut, cuminseeds, 2 pearl onions and curry leaves to a paste. Now add boiled dal to the mixture which is boiling. Finally add the coconut paste, a table spoon of ghee, corriander leaves and mix them well and let it boil till sambar becomes thick.

Hot, tasty okra sambar is ready and delicious to be served. It can be served for 3 people. It takes 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Remove dust particles from tamarind. Choose okra if is easy to break at the end. Else it won't be nice.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed

I don't think America will have really made it until we have our own Salad dressing. Until then we're stuck behind the French, Italians, Russians and Caesarians

Pat McNelis