Baby Onion Sambar (Vengaya Sambar)

BABY ONION SAMBAR 
INGREDIENTS:

Baby onion - 250 gms
Tur Dal (Red gram lentil) – 1 tea cup

Turmeric -1/4 tsp
Tamarind - enough to roll into the size of a small marble.

Salt – 1 ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – 10
Cooking oil – 3 tbsps
For Sambar Masala Paste

Asafoetida – ¼ tspa
Bengal gram dal (chana dal) – 1 tbsp
Black gram dal (urad dal)1 tsp
Coriander seeds -1 tbsp
Red chillies – 8
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
Dry coconut gratings or
Roasted fresh coconut gratings – 1 tbsp

METHOD:
1. Soak tamarind in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes, and extract the juice.

2. Peel the baby onions and keep aside.

3. Pressure cook tur dal with turmeric powder and 3 cups of water until mushy, and let it cool.
For Sambar Masala Paste
1. Heat ¼ tsp of oil and fry the asafoetida.
2. Add black gram dal, bengal gram dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and lastly the red chillies, and little Onions and fry till golden in colour.
3. Dry grind all the roasted ingredients.
4. Now add the dry coconut gratings and grind again with some water and keep the paste aside.
To prepare the Sambar
1. Heat the remaining oil and add mustard seeds followed by curry leaves.
2. After the mustard splutters add the peeled baby onions and stir.
3. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame.
4. When the onions are done and look glassy, pour in the tamarind extract.
5. Add salt and cook for for 5minutes on a medium flame.
6. Add the cooked dal and stir well avoiding lumps.
7. Now add the ground sambar masala paste. If the masala is too thick, you can dissolve in ½ cup of water and then stir it in.
8. Let the sambar boil for 2 more minutes until all the ingredients blend together giving out a delicious aroma.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.
Enjoy baby onion sambar with rice or any other dish of your choice.