Lakshmi Nair's easy pressure cooker sambar

Spicy and flavoursome sambar is undoubtedly an eternal combination for breakfast dishes like idli and dosa. Culinary expert Lakshmi Nair, in the latest episode of her vlog, introduces an easy sambar cooked in pressure cooker. This breakfast sambar which tastes amazing with idly or dosa can be prepared in a jiffy. However, this dish isn’t an ideal accompaniment for an elaborate lunch as not many ingredients and vegetables are added in it. Here is how the easy pressure cooker sambar is made.

Ingredients
Big piece of ripe pumpkin
2 medium sized onions
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 large green chillies
1 large potato
1 large carrot
½ cup toor dal
Small ball of tamarind (soaked in 2 cups water)
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 ½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp asafoetida
Salt as required
¼ tsp fenugreek powder
1 tbsp jaggery
Coriander leaves
1 ½ tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin
4 -5 dried chillies
Curry leaves
4 cups water

Preparation
Cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces and wash them well.
Into a pressure cooker add these vegetables and toor dal.
Now add the tamarind water and two more cups water as well.
Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and Kashmiri chili powder. Along with it add the asafoetida and salt as required.
Pressure cook these ingredients until 3- 4 whistles, depending upon on the cooking time of the toor dal.
Transfer the cooked ingredients into another vessel and heat it up.
Into it add the fenugreek powder and jaggery for extra flavour.
Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Pour warm water to loosen the sambar to the desired consistency.
To prepare the tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add cumin, dried chillies and curry leaves and roast well
Pour this hot tempering into the sambar and mix well.