Ingredients:

1/2 lime sized ball Tamarind

1 cup pigeon pea/Toor Dal (or red lentils)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
5 small dry red chilies (or to taste)
8 Curry Leaves (see note)
1 medium onion (shallots are preferable)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder (see note)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (also known as coriander leaves)
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice like green beans, chopped carrot

Directions:

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 20 minutes.

Squeeze it out, adding water little by little to prepare 1 cup of juice.

Choose a heavy cooking pot.

Wash and clean the dal.
Boil 2 cups of water and add the dal, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of oil.
As the dal boils, skim off the foam and discard.
Boil until the dal is soft and then mash it coarsely.
If needed, add more water as it is boiling but do not let it get too watery.
If you use a pressure cooker it will take about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat to medium and pour in the remaining oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the chilies, mustard seeds, fenugreek and curry leaves and sauté for 2
minutes.
Add the onion and brown lightly.
Add the tamarind extract and let boil lightly until the onions are cooked.
Add this mixture to the dal with asafoetida, tomato, vegetable of choice and sambar powder.
Allow this to boil for 5 to 10 minutes and remove from the heat.
Garnish with cilantro.
A Note on Ingredients:

1. Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are found in tropical climates.

They add a wonderful piquancy to the Sambar recipe.
You do not have curry leaves do not substitute something else.
They can be found in specialty shops that have Indian foods.

2. Sambar Powder

High quality Sambar powders can be bought pre-mixed at the store.

If you do not have that available you can make it yourself by adding the following
ingredients:

1/2 cups coriander seeds

1/2 cups red chilies (or to taste
1/8 cup Bengal gram
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon pepper corn
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch ground clove
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder