Drumstick Sambar

Ingredients
Toor dal - 1 cup
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder – A pinch
Tamarind - Small lime sized
Sambar powder - 2 tbsp
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Drumsticks - 2 (cut into pieces)
Brinjal - 2 to 3
Red pearl onions - few (7 to 10)
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ½ tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Red chillies - few
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Oil - for frying
Salt as needed

Method
Pressure cook the dal with tomato, turmeric and a tsp of oil. Once it cools down strain the excess water (you can use this for Rasam) and mash the dal.
Extract juice from the tamarind by soaking it in hot water.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, when it splutters add Urad dal. After it changes colour add hing, onions, chillies and curry leaves and fry till soft. Now add drumstick and brinjal fry for another 2 minutes.
Now add tamarind water and a pinch of turmeric powder, let it boil till veggies are half cooked. In in the middle add sambar powder along with salt. Then add dal and adjust salt and water. Let it simmer for 10 more minutes or until veggies are fully cooked.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and pour some ghee on the top of the sambar.

Note :
You can use any veggies of your choice, like potatoes,carrots and beans… but these give the original flavour (drumsticks, brinjal and small onions).
You can microwave the tamarind in water for a minutes. It becomes easy to extract.