Basale Kodilu / Malbar Spinach Sambar

Ingredients:
1 bunch Malbar Spinach / Basale
1 - 2 medium sized Onion
Grape sized Jaggary
1/4 tsp Chilly powder
Pinch of Turmeric powder
Grape sized Tamarind
Salt to taste
3/4 cup grated Coconut
5 - 6 Red Chillies
1.5 tsp Mustard seeds(3/4 tsp for Sambar Masala ; 3/4 tsp for Seasoning)
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
8 - 10 Black Gram seeds
2 tsp Coriander seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida powder
3/4 - 1 cup cooked yellow lentils / Thogari bele / Toor dal
4 - 5 flakes of Garlic
2 - 3 tsp Oil
8 - 10 Curry leaves

Recipe:

Wash malabar spinach properly, separate the leaves from its stem and keep it aside. Chop the leaves into small pieces and stems into 1 inch sized pieces. Chop the onion into medium thin long pieces.

Put this chopped leaves and stems in a pressure cooker. Add salt, chilly powder, turmeric powder, jaggary, little amount of tamarind water/ pinch of tamarind powder, chopped onion, little amount of water and cook them well. (2 whistles)
Once it is cooked, add cooked yellow lentils and bring it to boil.

Put red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 3/4 tsp mustard seeds, black gram seeds. 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry. Once it starts giving nice aroma, add asafoetida, 4-5 curry leaves and fry them for about 15-20 seconds.

Put grated coconut, fried sambar masala, tamarind in a mixer and grind it to smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut use hot water while grinding.) Add this ground masala to the vessel containing cooked malabar spinach, bring it to boil and stir well. (Add water, salt if required.)

Remove the outer cover of garlic, mash it and add it to pan. Add 2 tsp oil and fry them in medium flame until they turn light golden in colour. Add 3/4 tsp mustard seeds and fry. Once it starts spluttering, add 4-5 curry leaves and add it to Sambar. It goes well with Rice/ Dosa/ Rotti/Ragi Mudde.