Sambar with Cauliflower

(click to enlarge)	Sambar with Cauliflower India, South
	Serves: Effort: Time: Preprep:	4+ main ** 1-1/2 hr Yes		Sambars appear in most meals in Southern India. They are a stew of toor dal with vegetables and spicing and are delicious. Finish with a "tadka", a sort of aromatic garnish that gets swirled in. At the table a quantity of rice is taken, some warm ghee (clarified butter) is spooned over the rice and the sambar is stirred in, Personally I skip the ghee, set the rice and sambar side by side and mix them as I eat - but then I'm not of Indian ancestry.

1
1/2
2
12
1-1/2
1/2
2
tt
6

1
1
1/2
2
1/8
2
1

2
1
1
Few

#
c
c
oz
t
t
t

oz

t
t
t
t
t
T
T

t
t

Cauliflower
Toor Dal (1)
Water
Tomatoes
Sambar Powder
Turmeric
Rice Flour
Salt
Coconut Milk
Seasoning Paste
Oil
Coriander seeds
Black Peppercorns
Urad Dal
Asafoetida
Coconut dry
Water
Tadka (tempering)
Oil (orig ghee)
Mustard seeds
Red Chili dry
Curry Leaves (2)

PREP

Break CAULIFLOWER into moderate size florettes
Wash TOOR DAL in several changes of water (the washing reduces foaming). Put in a sauce pot with 2 cups WATER and bring to a boil uncovered. turn to a very low simmer, cover and simmer for 45 min (or longer if you want very smooth as they do in India). Simmer uncovered a bit if necessary - there should be almost no free water.
Peel TOMATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch chunks, mix with SAMBAR POWDER and TURMERIC.
Stir enough water into RICE FLOUR to suspend it as you would with corn starch.
Make the seasoning paste: put OIL in a small frying pan and bring it up hot. Fry CORIANDER, PEPPERCORNS and URAD DAL until Urad starts to color. Take the pan off the heat and immediately stir in ASAFOETIDA and cool. Put in a heavy mortar with COCONUT and about 1 T WATER. Pound to a fine paste.
Split the RED CHILI lengthwise and mix with MUSTARD SEEDS and CURRY LEAVES (if you have them). Have this ready for the last moment before serving.

RUN

Put Cauliflower in a sauce pan with enough water to about 1/3 cover. Stir in Tomato Mix and bring to a simmer until Cauliflower is nearly done (about 10 minutes)
Stir in Spice Paste, Rice Flour and Cooked Dal. Stir in Salt to taste and simmer a few minutes to blend.
Add COCONUT MILK and adjust liquid as needed - Sambars should be fairly liquid. Bring back to a simmer.
Tadka: heat OIL in a small pan. Fry Mustard Seed Mix stirring until mustard seeds are popping well (just a few seconds). Pour over the sambar and give it a swirl.
Serve with plenty of rice.

NOTES:

Toor Dal: peeled and split Pigeon Peas, also called Tuvar Dal. For a lighter flavor you could use Moong Dal- peeled and split Mung Beans.
If you don't have Curry Leaves, leave them out - there is no substitute
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch