Sambhar is the most generic of all Tamil dishes. Its basically, a dal curry cooked with vegetables and tamarind. At solitude, as we have so much sundakai and banana stem, we always add them along with the traditional ingredients of drumstick and green mango.

Sambhar can have so many variations of taste depending on the dal and vegetables used, the amount of chili, and the method of preparation.Traditionally, all the vegetables and dal are thrown in a vessel and boiled together, and once the vegetables are cooked, a small cube or thumb sized piece of tamarind is made into a paste and added.

After the sambhar has boiled for a few minutes, heat some oil and temper mustard, asafeodita, dried red chili and curry leaves, stir until the leaves turn golden brown and the asafoetida loses its raw smell and gives off a nice garlicky onion flavour. Add this to the sambhar and let it sit.

If you make the sambhar in the morning and have it for lunch, it will taste better, as the flavors of the spices and vegetables are absorbed into the curry.