In my family, a dish that my mother makes on days when she’s tired, sick, or on festivals is Sambar. It's a common dish in Indian families. There are many variations of Sambar with numerous vegetables. But the part of India I originated from it is necessary to have drumsticks and eggplant. I feel like I’ve had this dish over 100 times, whenever my mom doesn't feel too well, but somehow it still always manages to be pretty decent taste-wise. 

Usually, my mother has sliced-up onions, eggplant, drumsticks, and potatoes ready on the side. My mother made me watch the whole process and understand it so I could make it for my dad when she went to India since it's such a simple dish to make. Even though it's a simple dish (for my mother) it took me a decent amount of time to understand because I would forget the exact time when you're supposed to add the spices and powder so that was something that I struggled with. A key ingredient in sambar is dal, also known as lentils. My mom would give me a lot of advice while teaching me like, patience is key, but you don’t have all the time in the world so make sure to multitask, the heat isn't going kill you, seasoning is very important so make sure to taste the this every so often in case you need to add seasoning and it's not that hard to remember when to put the correct spices. 

I first left the soak in water for a bit to cleanse it more, then I set it to the pressure cooker until it gave 5 whistles. While that’s happening I cut all the necessary vegetables for this specific variation. After the rice is done I set the lentils in the pressure cooker with 2 spoons of oil. This is typically the easiest part as it's really easy to remember. While I set up another cooker and add 1 and half cups of water, curry leaves and chili, and the dal and then stir for a minute. Then I add all the vegetables and stir and close the lid after 1 whistle, I add sambar powder and some pepper and salt to a pinch. She didn't give me exact measurements because she knew that would be too much for me. After stirring I would taste it and see if the seasoning is perfected. I tried this multiple times when my mother was in India and I think every time I am getting more efficient and creative in how I make this. I give thanks to my dad for having to deal with my cooking when my mom wasn’t here. But every time I cook this I can very clearly imagine my mom standing over me and watching my every move so I don’t mess up anything. It's kind of intimidating, but I'm glad I was taught important cooking skills so maybe I could pass my traditions to my children.