Pressure cook tur dal in water with turmeric powder and a little salt, until cooked.
Boil drumsticks with a little salt, few curry leaves and 1 tsp sambhar powder until they are half cooked.
Add cooked tur dal and continue cooking on low flame.
Heat up 1 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds. Add roughly chopped onion, ginger and garlic. Sauté until the onion is pinkish.
Add grated coconut. Continue cooking on medium flame while you stir it occasionally.
After 5 minutes add sambhar powder and a few curry leaves. Sauté just for another minute.
Switch off the flame. Add tamarind pulp mixed in some water. Mix well. This will bring the temperature down for grinding.
Grind it to fine paste when cool.
Add this masala in the boiling dal-drumsticks and mix.
Add more water if needed. This sambhar is a little thicker than usual sambhar.
For seasoning heat up 2 tbsp coconut oil, add mustard and let it crackle. Put asafoetida, bits of dry chilli and curry leaves. Add it to the dal.
Serve it with a drizzle of melted ghee. Best with steamed rice and fried papadam.
