Beetroot Sambar !!!

On one fine day My daughter asked me Mommy... can you  make beetroot sambar...........BEETROOT SAMBAR!!!! a big !mark on my face...................she said "yep.....I have tasted it at Aunt S:-) house and it really tasted yummy and the color is so radiant and I really want to have it". I have no other choice except to accept her demand,  so I called up my friend, first blasted her, if did not have any other veggie than beets to prepare sambar,  later after giving her my piece of advice not to experiment with rare combinations when my D:-) is at her place, finally took the recipe and whet to my kitchen........BUT, still I'm in a fix....Beetroot.....that too in a sambar, Oh my why cant my D ask for Beetroot halwa or  stir fry:-(   Finally ended up with Beetroot sambar...................



Look what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to my surprise My whole family fell in love with it...................it's just amazing, pls. don't think like me and leave this recipe.....give it a try and I'm sure it will be a frequent visitor in your menu.

Method:

• Take one cup toor dal/kandhi pappu,  add two cups water  and cook in the pressure cooker. Cook the dal til it's very soft. Mash the dal smooth with a ladle or muddhakum/wooden masher.

• Peel, cut the beets to thin and lengthy pieces.  1onion(sliced), 1tomato(diced).

• Soak berry size tamarind in the water and squeeze the extract and keep it aside.

• In a pot add cut beets, onion, tomato, salt, red chilli powder, 1/4tsp.turmeric powder and 1cup of water and cook till the beets are 3/4 done, then add 1tsp. sambapowder and tamarind extract and allow it to boil, reduce the flame to medium and boil it for another 5min., or til the beets are totally cooked.

• Now take a pan, add 2tsp. oil, once its hot add 1/4tsp. fenugreek seeds, 1/2tsp. of cumin and mustard each.  once the seeds start to pop, reduce the flame to medium, add curry leaves toss them and remove them for heat,  add this seasoning to the boiling sambar and boil it for a min., and remove it from flame. 

•  Garnish with few sprigs of finely chopped coriander leaves if you wish and serve with steamed rice. Add ghee while serving, it enhances it's taste.