Onion Sambar

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 1 cup
Onions - 1 big or 10-12 shallots (small sambar onions)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sambar powder - 3-4 spoons (depending on spice level)
Tamarind paste - 2 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
oil - 2 tsp

For Oggarane (tadka)

mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
oil - 2 tsps

Preparation:

1. cook toor dal and keep aside.
2. In a wok, heat 2 tsps of oil. Add turmeric and onion. fry the onions till they turn transparent. Add salt and cover till onions are cooked (just a few mts after frying).
3. Add the cooked dal and curry leaves. Add tamarind paste, salt to taste and bring it to boil.
4. To the boiling mixture, add sambar powder and let it continue boiling for 10 - 15 mts with intermittant stirring.
5. In a small kadai, heat 2 tsps of oil for tadka. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the asafoetida.
6. Add this tadka to the sambar.

Sambar is ready. Excellent to eat with idli, vada or rice.