Murunga Keerai Sambar | Drumstick Leaves Sambar

It is funny how some of the family favorites never make it to the blog!I have been making drumstick leaves sambar  for so long and so often but until now, I never had the thought to post this simple sambar on the blog!!!

But I am happy that at least now I remembered to click and post here since drumstick greens is the chosen ingredient for Week 3 of the Mega Blogging Marathon #68 themed Cooking Carnival ,where I am doing dishes with one ingredient a week.

This dish joins the list complied for recipes with drumstick leaves and I still have a few more recipe to add to the collection.

When kids are not so fond of eating greens when presented as a curry, the next best option is to drown the leaves in sambar!! It goes in so easily and they never really notice which type of greens is swimming in the dal!!

I used:

Drumstick greens – 1cup, packed
Toor dal- 3/4 cup
Onion-1, chopped
Tomato-1, chopped
Curry leaves- a few
Sambar powder- 2 teaspoons / adjust to taste
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds- 1/8 teaspoon
Channa dal- 1/2 teaspoon
White urad dal-1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind extract from a gooseberry sized piece of tamarind

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the mustard, channa dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds. Once the mustard pops and dal turns brown, add the onion and curry leaves and saute till the onion is translucent. Now add the tomato and saute for a minute.

Put in the drumstick greens and add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the turmeric powder ,washed and drained dal, sambar powder.

Put in salt and tamarind extract. Adjust to taste as we just need a hint of the sourness not more than that.Pressure cook for 10 minutes till teh dal is done. Open the cooker once the pressure releases and transfer onto a serving dish.

Serve with steamed rice.

Note:

• Use tender drumstick leaves. Mature ones take longer to cook and is a bit difficult to digest as well.
• You can also cook this in a pan but it will take longer for the dal to get done.
• Also you can pressure cook the dal and then season and continue the process in a pan.
• I use home made sambar powder and it is not very spicy. So I add 2 teaspoons.IF the sambar powder you use is spicy, adjust to suit your taste.
• Adjust the quantity of water depending on the consistency of sambar you prefer.

Bon Appetit…

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68