For cooking lentils

• ½ cup tur dal (arhar dal, tuvar dal, pigeon pea lentils)
• 1 small onion - sliced or chopped (optional) or ¼ cup sliced onions
• 1 to 2 pinches asafoetida (hing)
• 1.5 to 2 cups water or add as required

Other Ingredients

• 10 to 12 pearl onions  (sambar onions) or 1 to 2 shallots, thickly sliced
• 8 to 10 okra (bhindi or lady finger)
• 5 to 7 eggplants - small sized, (brinjal or baingan)
• 1 tomato - large or 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt as required

For tamarind pulp

• ¼ cup water – hot or warm
• 1 tablespoon tamarind - tightly packed or 1 lime-sized tamarind

For tempering

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or any vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
• 1 sprig curry leaves or 12 to 15 curry leaves
• 2 to 3 dry kashmiri red chilies - you can also use small red bor chillies for the tadka

For the Kerala sambar masala

• 1 to 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil or any vegetable oil
• 3 to 4 pearl onions  (sambar onions) or 1 to 2 shallots - chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 to 4 dry red chilies - I used 4 kashmiri red chillies
• 12 to 15 curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• 1 cup grated fresh coconut
• ½ cup water or add as needed, for grinding or blending