Soft little millet sevai settled into a shallow pool of drumstick and shallot sambar, the strands drinking up tamarind and toor dal as they sit.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Little Millet Vermicelli 1 pack (180 g)

Fresh

• Toor dal 3/4 cup
• Small onions (shallots), peeled 12
• Drumstick, cut into fingers 1
• Tomato, quartered 1
• Tamarind, lemon-sized ball 1
• Sambar powder 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Gingelly (sesame) oil 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Dried red chillies 2
• Curry leaves 1 sprig
• Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves, chopped 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Cook the dal

   Simmer the toor dal with turmeric until completely broken down, then whisk it smooth. A loose, pourable dal is what lets the sambar coat the strands.

2. Extract tamarind

   Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for ten minutes, squeeze hard and strain. Boil this extract with the shallots, drumstick and tomato until the raw edge disappears.

3. Build the sambar

   Stir in the sambar powder and salt, simmer five minutes, then add the whisked dal and let it come to a lazy bubble. Keep it thinner than usual.

4. Temper on top

   Heat gingelly oil, crackle the mustard, add red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida, and pour the whole lot straight into the sambar.

5. Steam the sevai

   Cook the vermicelli in plenty of boiling water for three minutes, drain and rinse under cold water so the strands stay separate.

6. Serve in the pool

   Mound the sevai in shallow bowls and ladle hot sambar around and over it. Scatter coriander and leave it a minute before eating.

Why this works

Sambar sevai works because the strands are cooked separately and rinsed, so they absorb sambar at the table instead of turning to porridge in the pot. Keeping the sambar looser than you would for rice matters — millet sevai drinks liquid fast. The sesame oil tempering carries fat-soluble spice compounds into the broth rather than leaving them on the surface.

Make it your own

• Sprouted Little Millet Vermicelli → Sprouted Foxtail Millet Vermicelli Firmer strand that holds shape longer in the hot sambar.
• Drumstick → Brinjal and pumpkin cubes Softer bite and a sweeter sambar; add them ten minutes later.
• Tamarind → Kokum petals Cleaner, fruitier sourness; use six petals and skip the straining.