Main ingredients

• ⅓ cup pigeon pea lentils (tur dal or arhar dal)
• 2 cups water for pressure cooking dal
• 5 to 6 shallots (sambar onions) or 1 medium-sized onion - quartered, optional
• 1 carrot - peeled and chopped
• ½ cup chopped bottle gourd (lauki or opo squash)
• 2 to 3 small brinjals (eggplant or aubergine), quartered
• 1 or 2 drumsticks - peeled and cut into 3 or 4 inch pieces
• 1 tomato - medium-sized, diced
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 1 tablespoon tamarind - tightly packed, soaked in ⅓ cup hot water
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 or 2 teaspoons jaggery or as add as required
• 2 cups water for cooking vegetables
• salt as required

For udupi sambar masala

• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons urad dal (husked and split black gram)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split Bengal gram)
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• 3 to 4 dried Byadagi red chilies or Kashmiri red chilies, broken and seeds removed
• ¼ cup grated fresh coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut
• ⅓ cup water for grinding or add as required

For tempering

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chilies - broken and seeds removed
• 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 2 tablespoons oil - any neutral flavored oil or can use coconut oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves - for garnish, (optional)