Murungai Keerai Sambar – Drumstick Leaves Sambar Recipe

• Drumstick leaves/ Murungai keerai – 1 bunch
• Toor dal – 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cooking oil – 1/4 tsp
• Water – 2 cups

To temper & saute

• Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Red chillies – 3 nos
• Curry leaves – few
• Sambar onion/Small onion or big onion – 15 nos/1 no
• Asafetida/Hing – 1/2 tsp
• Sambar powder – 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind – Small lemon size
• Water – as needed
• Salt – as needed
• Ghee – 1 tbsp

• Take the drumstick leaves from the stalk and wash it twice or thrice. In a pressure cooker base, take the toor dal, 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and cooking oil. In a small bowl, take the drumstick leaves and keep it inside the cooker. Add little water to drumstick leaves. It will be cooked well with the help of steam and little water. Do not mix the keerai and dal together. Dal will not cook mushy. So I cooked the dal and keerai in separate container inside the cooker. Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and take the extract. Set aside.

• Pressure cook the dal & keerai in low flame for two whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well.

• Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and hing. Add sambar onions and saute until transparent.

• Add tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt, 1 tsp ghee and boil well for few minutes. Add the cooked keerai and mashed dal.

• Mix well and boil the sambar for few minutes. Add remaining 2 tsp ghee at the end. Switch off the stove.Transfer the sambar to a vessel. Enjoy by mixing with plain rice !

• Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
• You can replace drumstick leaves with Siru keerai, Thandu keerai and Arai keerai / Amaranthus.