1 THILI SAARU

Masoor dhal or Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Onion - medium chopped fine
Tomato - 1 or 2 chopped fine
MTR rasam powder - 1 or 1 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind - 2 inch piece
Jaggery( optional) - 1 inch piece
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

Tempering:-

Ghee or oil, Mustard seeds,Garlic - 2 or 3 pods ( crushed), red chillies - 2 broken,urad dhal, hing and curry leaves.
( Ghee tastes better)

Soak tamarind in water for 15 minutes and extract pulp.

Pressure the cook the dhal with tomatoes for 2 whistle...I always use masoor dhal for this recipe. When done open and mash both together very well.


Heat oil in a kadai and fry onions till light brown...next add tamarind pulp...allow it to boil for 5 or 10 minutes...add the cooked dhal with MTR rasam powder( my mom makes this powder at home itself...will upload the powder recipe soon)...allow it to cook for an other 10 minutes...add salt. You can now add a piece of jaggery..it is optional...
In a different small kadai heat oil or ghee...add mustard seeds, urad dhal, hing, broken red chillies , garlic crushed and curry leaves...pour it on the curry and mix...remove and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

In kannada thili means watery and saaru means rasam. This is a combination of sambar and rasam mixed together tastes great with hot rice and papad.