Mullangi sambar / radish sambar

Come December - January , Ooty radish lands in truckloads at the market. My husband loves radish and an all time hit recipe is sambar with radish as the only / chief ingredient.

The long white root is cut into thick rounds or thick batons, cooked in tamarind gravy with sambar spices and served hot with rice and thoran. 

Ingredients:

Radish - 2 , cut into thick rounds

Turdal / toovar parippu - 1/2 cup

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1 medium, cut into 4 (opt)

Green chilli - 2

Drumstick /Capsicum (optional) - 5 pieces

Tamarind - lime sized ball

Tadka:

Coconut (preferred) / refined oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaf - 6

Red chilli - 1, broken

Sambar masala:

Coriander seed - 1 1/2 tbsp

Chana dal / kadala parippu - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 5

Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp

Coconut - 3 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

(or) 

use Sambar powder.

If you are making fresh sambar powder:

Heat the oil, add all the ingredients except coconut and fry until dal turns red. Then turn off flame and add the coconut. Stir for 1 minute. Cool and grind into a smooth paste. Keep covered till use.

Boil / pressure cook the tur dal till soft.

Method:

Boil water with salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida, tomato and slit green chilli.

When the tomato softens, add the radish.

When the radish gets half done, add the tamarind pulp.

Continue cooking till radish softens.

Then add the cooked dal.

After boiling for 2-3 minutes, add the ground sambar masala.

Boil for 1 minute and turn off flame.

Tadka: Heat the oil and splutter the mustard. Add the broken red chilli and curry leaf. Pour this over the sambar. 

Serve sambar hot with rice / dosa.