Here I am…. 
Thanks for checking on me. Thanks for all the “where are you” comments and mails. It’s nice to know that you are missed.
So, what’s next? How about a sambar? Blogging a sambar was never in my agenda. But, hello Green Blog Project, anything for you! 
What do I say about sambar? I know you will have your own version of sambar, the version your family adores. I know I don’t have to tell you how to make a sambar. Though my recipe is consistent to some extent, sambar tastes different each time I make it depending on the type of vegetables I add to it. We like sambar (what else can make a perfect companion for idli!), however I don’t make it often, maybe because we are exceptionally strong carnivores or I believe that cooking sambar is a tedious process.
This one is a quick sambar made in pressure cooker, but it turned out to be one of the best. I said that because I usually don’t make sambar in pressure cooker. Measurements given are approximate.
Cook the following together in a pressure cooker for three whistles. (cooking time may vary depending on the type of your pressure cooker)
Toor dal – ½ cup
Water – 2 cups
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Red onion/Small onions – ¼ cup, chopped
Green chillies – 1 or 2, slit
Garlic – 1 clove, crushed
Once it is done, open the pressure cooker, and add the following:
Assorted sambar-safe vegetables – 1 to 2 cups, cut into pieces (I used potatoes and green beans here.)
Tomato – 1, cut into 4 (I used about 10-12 plum tomatoes here)
Bring it to a boil and continue cooking, either by pressure cooking method or by simmering. When the vegetables are partially done, add
Tamarind pulp – 1 tbsp(or to taste)
Sambar powder – 2 tsp (Recipe follows)
Continue cooking until the vegetables are done.
Before turning off the stove, you can add a pinch of asafetida and a pinch of brown sugar. (optional)
You can garnish the sambar with chopped cilantro. I don’t like cilantro in my sambar so I omit this.
For tadka, heat up a tbsp of oil in a separate pan, and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, whole red chillies. Add it to the sambar.
Recipe for sambar powder:
Heat up a heavy pan in low-medium flame.
Dry roast the following 3 type of dals together until they change color.
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Chana dal – 1 tsp
Toor dal – 1 tsp
Transfer it to a clean, dry bowl, and dry roast the following in the same pan.
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Roast it until the seeds pop, then transfer to the same bowl. Now add the following:
Whole red chillies – 1/2 cup (Remove the seeds of some chillies to make it milder. I would deseed them all since our spice tolerance is very low.)
Coriander seeds – ½ cup
Dry roast for about one minute, or until you get a nice aroma of coriander seeds.
Transfer to the bowl.
Let it cool for about 10 minutes or so and powder using a dry mill/coffee grinder. Keep it in an airtight container.
………and I thought I had nothing to say about sambar!
Growing plum tomatoes is easier than growing regular tomatoes. It yields hundreds of fruits per plant! Since it is a perfect snack sized fruit, most of times we just snack on it right out of the plant. They taste heavenly fresh from the garden. But I managed to save some for cooking. Have you noticed that the flavor of the tomato changes dramatically once you refrigerate it?
