Quick "Sambar"

I thought I will document a "quick" way to make sambar. For those who dont know what sambar is, it is a curry made with lentils and vegetables. It is generally had with rice and is one of the "evergreen" dish made in south india. There are many ways to make a tasty sambar. But, I can say with confidence, that no recipie can be as simple as this one. Deena, my ex-roomie, a bachelor and an ex-grad student, came up with this amazing new way of making sambar. I have written the recipie below.

Things that you absolutely need:
Pressure Cooker or Pressure Pan
Toor Dal (lentil)
Water
Any vegetable (if its cut, frozen vegetable, its better ;-) )
Salt
Sambar Powder
Tamrind Paste

Things that are optional.
Turmeric powder
One medium sized Onion
One tomato
Chilli Powder.

Recipie:

Put everything in the pressure cooker. Use your judgement and taste to find out the quantity of salt, sambar power, turmeric and chilli powder. One table spoon of tamrind paste should be sufficient. Add necessary amount of water. Cook it till you hear 4 "whistles" and then switch off the cooker. Leave the steam in the cooker for 15 mins. Open the cooker, mix everything. The sambar is ready. Preparation time is < 2 mins. Cooking time is typically about 30-45 mins. There is no oil used in the recipie and its very healthy.

Hints:
A combination of carrots and onions makes a great sambar.

Enjoy.