Soppina Huli (Amaranth leaves Sambar)

Soppina Huli & mudde (ragi balls) was our lunch for many years until I started carrying lunch to school. My mom keeps saying that I used to eat this sambar & mudde in my grand father's plate. I used to wait for him & make him feed me. Though I dont remember those days, they were my wonderful toddler years. Decades passed & even now I see my mom preparing the sambar with the same old authentic taste & all of us in our family relishing it.

I didnot have to put extra efforts to learn the recipe as I used to see my mom preparing this very often. I prepare this, once a week atleast, as my hubby and son loves to eat this. You can always say that I am just carrying forward the tradition. I am happy to take that too :)


Ingrdients:
1 bunch Amaranth Leaves / ದಂಟು ಸೊಪ್ಪು
1 cup Toor Dal
8-10 small onion (sambar onion)
1 tsp thick tamarind extract
1 tbsp sambar powder
1 small grape-sized jaggery
Salt acc. to taste

for tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
3-4 curry leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Method:

• Cook the toor dal in pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles
• Meanwhile, wash the amaranth leaves and chop it finely.
  
• In a broad pan, cook the onions and amaranth leaves until soft. Drain the water and keep it aside.
• Take a vessel; add the tamarind paste, jaggery, salt, water (use the water, used to cook the amaranth leaves)
• Boil the mixture until the raw smell of tamarind is gone
• Add cooked toor dal, amaranth leaves and onion to this mixture
• Add sambar powder; reduce the flame and boil it for another 5 minutes
• Prepare the tempering by adding oil to a tadka pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds
• When mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida and curry leaves
• Pour this tempering this over the sambar prepared.
• Mix well and serve it with ragi balls or rice
  

PS: Dont add too much water while cooking dal or cooking leaves as it may make the sambar watery.