So, I was all set to make sambar and had the dal ready. I have never made sambar without tomatoes and to my dismay I was completely out of tomatoes. Now that never happens because I normally have at least a small piece of tomato sticking somewhere in the fridge not that the small piece is going to help, but still – you know.
I also have this bad habit where it is very hard to change the menu I have planned in my head 
. There was no going back and the onion sambar that my mom makes suddenly crossed my mind. Made a phone call and got the recipe and I was happy. The sambar also has garlic and that is something I have never added before and it imparts a ton of flavor. I have made this sambar multiple times since then and it goes with rice, idli, dosa and so on. Off to the recipe.
Onion Sambar
Onion lentil gravy that goes well with rice.
Ingredients:
- toor dal - 1/2 cup (thuvaram paruppu )
- turmeric - a pinch
- oil - 2 tsp
- mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
- onion - 1 cup - sliced
- green chilly - 5
- curry leaves - few
- garlic - 6 cloves
- salt - to taste
- tamarind - small lemon size
Instructions:
Add a pinch of turmeric to toor dal and cook. Slice onions. Pound the onions, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves coarsely.
Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add the pounded vegetables and saute until the onions are cooked. Add tamarind water and salt and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
Next add the cooked dal and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the stove and enjoy the sambar with rice.
1. Adjust the liquid quantity to keep the sambar watery or thick. I used about 2.5 cups liquid (tamarind juice + water).
1 year ago: Pongalam (Dosa)
Pictorial
1. Add a pinch of turmeric to the washed toor dal and cook. I cook the dal in the pressure cooker.
2. Cooked dal.
3. Slice onions. Coarsely pound onions, green chillies, curry leaves and garlic.
4. Pounded vegetables.
5. Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.
6. Add the pounded onion, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.
7. Saute until onions are cooked.
8. Add the tamarind water and salt. Simmer for around 10 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind is gone.
9. Add the cooked dal.
10. Mix well. 
11. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the stove.
Yummy sambar ready.
Enjoy!
Linking to “Dish-it-Out – Lentils and Garlic” hosted by Sowmya.
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Lovely sambhar
Delicious and flavourful sambar…love it
Serve me this sambhar with spicy potato fries, i can have anytime.
The vada near sambar is pulling my eyes than the sambar!
Comforting and delicious gravy.. I too make this sometime when am out of tomatoes, but I dont pound the onions, garlic, etc.,