My Mom's Soothing Okra Sambar

Name: My Mom's Soothing Okra Sambar
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 4-6 adults
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 250 gms okra cut into cubes; 2 cups tamarind water; As needed: Salt; 3-4 tablespoons gingelly oil; 1 tsp Turmeric powder; 1 tsp Mustard seeds; 1 tsp chana dal; 2 tsp urad dal; 1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing; 2 Green chillies slit lengthwise; 1 sprig curry leaves

Lakshmi Balaji @laxie

In The Kitchen

This is a #heirloom recipe that mom makes and has been passed down by my grandmother to her. It is simple to make, delicious and does not require much supervising. Since okra is good for all, it is a comfort recipe that can be consumed by anyone.

Lakshmi Balaji @laxie

Saved

Ingredients

~30 mins

4-6 adults

250 gmsokra cut into cubes
2 cupstamarind water
As needed: Salt
3-4 tablespoonsgingelly oil
1 tspTurmeric powder
Seasoning
1 tspMustard seeds
1 tspchana dal
2 tspurad dal
1/4 tspasafoetida/hing
2Green chillies slit lengthwise
1 sprigcurry leaves

Saved

Steps

~30 mins

1

In a pot, add oil and put in the items given under seasoning section. Wait till the dals become golden brown.
2

Add in the chopped okra and mix well. Toss until okra is cooked well to about 80%. Make sure it is not completely cooked as it turns mushy.
3

Add in the tamarind water and let it boil covered until the raw smell goes off. Now, add in turmeric powder along with required amount of salt.
4

Finally, when all the raw smell have gone of turmeric, turn off heat and close it until serving.
5

Tip: note that this sambar is supposed to be watery as against the usual thick varieties. The runny texture and the thick okra blend well with rice. The more thicker it becomes, the proper taste of okra is lost. Also, add no other seasoning like sambar powder or cilantro/coriander leaves. They take the authentic taste away from this recipe.