Pressure cook the dhal and the jeera.
Cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Add the vegetables, the sliced onion, the diced tomatoes, the ginger, 2 tbsp of garlic, salt as required, the coriander leaves, half the curry leaves, the asfotida to the cooked dhal and cook till the vegetables are well cooked and the tomatoes are mashed well.
Remove from stove.
In a frying pan, add oil and splutter the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds.
Add 1 tbsp crushed garlic, the finely cut pearl onions and the curry leaves.
When the onions turn brown, add the coriander powder and the fenugreek powder and add this mixture to the the vegetable mixture.
Add the sambar powder to the vegetable mixture and let the mixture boil with these additions.
Let it boil for some time, till the mixture becomes very thick, stir well and serve.
:- The sambar is ready.