Kolambo - Konkani Sambar

We all talk about traditional authentic recipes, but there is no yardstick to measure authenticity. For me, my family recipes are traditional. This Konkani Sambar recipe is my paternal Grandma's, passed on to me by my mother.

Ingredients:
Mung Dal/Split Green Gram/Mung Bean - 1/4 cup
Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1/4 cup + 1 tsp
Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds/Dhane - 2 tsp
Black Peppercorns/Miri - about 8
Cloves/Lavang - 5
Cinnamon/Dalchini - 1/4 inch piece
Dry Red Chilies - 5
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp
Tamarind/Chinch/Imli - about 1/4 tsp
Jaggery or Brown Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs
Salt
Oil

French/Green Beans - about 2 cups
Potatoes - 2 small
Drumsticks - 1

Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp

How to cook Konkani Sambar:

• Cook 1/4 cup toor dal and 1/4 cup mung dal in enough water till the dals turn soft. Slightly mash the dals.
• Dice the French beans, drumsticks into big pieces. Peel the potato skin and dice the potatoes into big cubes. Cook all these in about 2 cups water. Add more water if required. You can add other veggies like pumpkin (or butternut squash), brinjal/eggplant, tomatoes and onions too if you like.
• Heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp toor dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns and red chilies. Roast them at low flame till it turns aromatic. After cooling, grind all these roasted ingredients, turmeric and tamarind to a fine paste.
• Heat a big pot and add cooked veggies, ground paste and cooked dals. Mix well. Now add salt and jaggery.  Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Add finely chopped cilantro.
• For tempering/tadka, heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. When mustard seeds pop, turn off the heat. Pour this tempering in the pot. Mix and serve with rice or idli or dosas.