Mangai Sambar (Raw Mango Seeds in Sambar)

This is another dish from MIL's repertoire - it's a little different from the mango sambar recipes one sees where raw mango or ripe mango pieces are cooked in the sambar. Rather what she does is to reserve the seeds (with a little bit of the flesh still on) from the mango used in this raw mango chutney (mangai pachadi) - and then use it in a sambar, to give it a great tangy flavour. And then the best part of the dish is to suck on the mango seeds which by then have taken on the flavour of the sambar as well.

So, during her stay with us, I always ask her to make the mango chutney first and then this sambar. This time, the sambar was being made with radish and small onions, so the addition of the mango seeds made a piquant combination. Went very well with the idlis we were having for breakfast that day. I guess you could use ripe mangoes as well - it would impart a slightly sweet taste to the sambar.

Mangai Sambar (Raw Mango Seeds in Sambar)

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal (Arhar,tuvaram paruppu,split pigeon pea lentil) - 3/4 cup or 150gm - cooked with 4 cups water and 1/4 tsp of turmeric, in the pressure cooker till well cooked and mushy, about 3 whistles and 5 minutes on a low flame.

Tamarind extract - about 1 cup from a lime sized ball soaked in warm water for half an hour

Radish - 1 medium, cut into thin discs and cooked separately, till just tender
Small onions - 10 soaked in water for 10 minutes and peeled. (or 1 onion sliced)
Mango seeds - 2


Sambar powder - 2 heaped tsps
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional - the sambar powder I am currently using isn't too spicy since it has more dal in it than store bought ones)
Coriander (dhania)powder - 1/2 tsp

Tomato - 1 medium chopped into 4-6 pieces
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped
salt to taste
Talimpu or tempering:
Mustard seeds (rai/kadugu) - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing)- pinch
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp washed
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the mustard and wait till it splutters, then add the urad dal, the hing and when the urad turns brown, add the curry leaves.
2. Add the onions and saute till soft - 2-3 minutes, then add the tamarind extract diluted with 1 cup of water, bring to boil and let simmer covered for about 15 minutes.The raw smell of tamarind should have disappeared.
3. Add the tomatoes, cooked radish, sambar powder, mango seeds, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and let simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
4. In the meanwhile, whisk the cooked tur dal till smooth; add to the simmering sambar and bring to boil. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes till the flavours come together, add the chopped coriander and remove from flame.