Sambar is a tamarind vegetable-lentil stew meant to be served with rice. It is daily fare in millions of South Indian households. Everyone's sambar is different -- I present to you mine, perhaps the first ever sambar recipe to come from a Lutheran girl from Minnesota (who happens to be married to a guy from Tamil Nadu). You will need to visit an Indian grocery store before making this recipe (for the toor dal, channa dal, sambar powder, etc.). Sambar powder is a mixture of spices you can buy commercially, though many Indian home cooks make their own in huge batches. My mother-in-law gives me a jar every so often, though I did use store bought most recently. I used Priyom brand, which contains red chile, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, asafoetida, pepper, curry leaves, urad dal, gram dal, and salt.

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