sambar

Sambar is a delicious South Indian lentil and vegetable stew. Eat it with rice, idli, dosas, vadas or just on its own.

south Indian sambar

toor dal (- you can substitute masoor dal

water (plus more at the end)

turmeric

tomatoes (fresh in season, canned otherwise)

tbsp sambar powder (- available at any Indian grocer)

tsp kashmiri chili powder

chilies

tsp kosher salt

onions

green beans

potatoes

tamarind paste

cilantro (finely chopped)

mustard seeds

tsp cumin seed

20-25 curry leaves (fresh)

vegetable oil

Combine the toor dal, water and turmeric in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, over low heat until they start to fall apart. This takes 20-30 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, green chilies, sambar powder and chili powder. Simmer until the lentils are pretty much broken down. This can take another 20-30 minutes.

Add the potatoes, beans, onions and salt. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Cook the lentils

Heat the oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the chilies, mustard seed and cumin seed and cook until the seeds start to pop. Press the chilies into the oil. Flip them. This takes about 30 seconds.&nbsp;

Add the curry leaves and cook another 20-30 seconds.

Add the tempering into the sambar. Stir in the tamarind and cilantro. Cook for 5 minutes. Add enough water to make the consistency a bit runny. Taste for salt and adjust

Serve with Indian flatbreads or rice as a vegetarian meal or serve as a side with whatever other curries you want. No rules here...

Make the tempering

South Indian sambar is a delicious thick lentil stew made with dal aka lentils, mixed vegetables, tamarind &amp; spice powder known as sambar masala. Vegetables like drumsticks, tomatoes &amp; okra are used.

Sambar Recipe, How to Make Sambar

toor dal ((split pigeon peas) (refer notes))

water (to cook dal)

jaggery ((optional))

salt ((adjust

turmeric ((skip if your sambar powder has it))

red chilli powder ((optional)(notes))

coriander leaves (chopped)

onion

tomato ((100 grams))

carrot

vegetable drumsticks ((8 to 10 pieces, moringa (100 grams)))

green chili (slit (optional))

ghee

curry leaves

cumin seeds (optional)

methi seeds ((fenugreek seeds))

⅛ teaspoon asafoetida ((hing))

red chili ((optional))

coriander seeds

chana dal ((skinned split bengal gram))

urad dal ((skinned split black gram))

cumin seeds ((jeera))

Wash toor dal a few times in cooker or pot until the water runs clear.

Pour 2 cups water &amp; pressure cook for 2 to 4 whistles depending on the brand of cooker.  If cooking in Instant pot, press the pressure cook button &amp; set the timer for 9 mins. If you do not have a pressure cooker, it can be cooked in a pot until soft adding more water as needed.

Rinse all the veggies. Scrape the drumsticks lightly &amp; rinse. Chop them to 2 inch pieces. Peel the shallots as well &amp; rinse.

Dice tomatoes &amp; chop okra to 1 inch pieces. If using pumpkin, peel the skin &amp; dice. Keep all these aside.

Preparation

While the dal cooks, make the sambar powder. Dry roast red chilies, urad dal and chana dal until golden &amp; crunchy. Add coriander seeds &amp; fry till aromatic. Remove to a plate.  

Next add methi seeds and saute until slightly dark. Then add cumin, fry for a minute. Cool these and powder finely in a spice jar.

Make sambar powder - Skip this if you have the powder

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pot. Saute onions for 1 minute. Add all the veggies &amp; saute for 2 mins. This saute step can be skipped but sometimes onions, tomatoes and chilli powder don&#39;t smell good when boiled without sautéing.

Stir in the chilli powder (optional) and pour 4 to 5 cups of water. [Use 4 cups is using only toor dal and 5 cups if using some moong dal as well.]

When the water turns hot, take ¼ cup hot water with a ladle to a bowl. Add tamarind &amp; jaggery (optional). Set aside to soak.

When the veggies are cooked al dente, add turmeric, sambar powder &amp; salt. Squeeze the tamarind and pour the tamarind water. I prefer to filter the tamarind water while pouring.

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. When the pressure releases, mash the dal to smooth with a masher or ladle.

Stir it to the boiling sambar. Adjust salt and tamarind if needed. Bring it to a gentle boil and add coriander leaves.

How to make sambar

Heat a small pan with ghee. Add mustard, cumin, methi &amp; red chillies. When the spices pop, add curry leaves.

The leaves will turn crisp, then add hing &amp; pour this to the simmering sambar.

Serve sambar with rice, idli, vada or dosa.

Tempering

Set aside the desired portion to refrigerate in smaller containers.

Cool completely and refrigerate immediately. To retain the taste of sambar, refrigerate within two hours of cooking.

It keeps good for about 2 to 4 days. Bring it to a boil &amp; make a fresh tempering.

Tips for refrigerating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p44TacyExuA

Sambar is a delicious traditional South Indian dish made with vegetables, dal/lentils and a special spice powder known as sambar powder.
Full recipe here: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/andhra-sambar-recipe-how-to-make-south-indian-sambar/

Sambar Recipe - South Indian lentil vegetable stew

I share our favorite Sambar Recipe which I have perfected over the years. Make this flavorsome, hearty and nutritious South Indian vegetable-lentil stew with this easy method. Enjoy the sambar with South Indian snacks like idli, dosa, uttapam, medu vada or simply pair it with rice for a comforting, healthy and filling meal.

Sambar Recipe | Homemade Sambar

tamarind

water

turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))

water (or add as required)

pearl onions

tomato (- small to medium, quartered or diced)

kashmiri red chilli powder (- optional)

salt (as required)

Sambar Powder

sesame oil oil

asafoetida ((hing))

coriander

Soak the tamarind in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

Once the tamarind gets soft, then squeeze the tamarind in the water itself. Discard the strained tamarind and keep the tamarind pulp aside.

Making tamarind pulp

Rinse tuvar dal a couple of times in water.

Drain all the water and add the dal in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Also add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.

Add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water and mix. Cover and pressure cook dal for 7 to 8 whistles or 9 to 10 minutes on medium heat.

When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dal. The dal should be completely cooked and mushy.

Mash the dal with a spoon or wired whisk. Cover and keep aside. You can see the consistency of dal in the pic below.

Cooking lentils

When the dal is pressure cooking – rinse, peel and chop the vegetables.

Take the chopped vegetables in a pan or pot. Also add 6 to 7 pearl onions or 1 small to medium onion (thickly sliced) and 1 small to medium tomato (quartered).

Sprinkle turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder and salt as per taste. Adding kashmiri red chili powder is optional and can be skipped. 

Add 1.5 to 2 cups water and stir.

Keep the pan on a stove top and begin to cook vegetables on a medium-low to medium flame. In between do check when the vegetables are cooking.

Cook till the vegetables are almost done. Ensure that you don’t over cook the vegetables.

Cooking vegetables

Once the vegetables are almost cooked, then add the tamarind pulp and 1 to 1.5 tablespoons sambar powder. Mix well.

Add the mashed dal. Mix again very well.

Simmer on a medium-low heat till the sambar comes to a boil. 

You will see a frothy layer on top when the sambar begins boiling. At this step switch off the heat. Cover and set aside.

Making sambar

In a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons gingelly oil. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds.

Let the mustard seeds crackle.

Then add 1 to 2 dry red chillies (halved and seeds removed).

Immediately add 10 to 12 curry leaves, 5 to 6 methi seeds and 2 pinches of asafoetida (hing). Be careful as the oil splutters while adding curry leaves.

Fry them till the red chilies change color and curry leaves become crisp.

Immediately add this tempering mixture in the hot sambar.

Cover the pan with its lid for 4 to 5 minutes, so that the aroma and flavors from the tempering mixture gets infused with the sambar.

Serve sambar hot. You can garnish it with a few coriander leaves if you prefer. It can also be served with steamed rice, idli, dosa, medu vada or uttapam. 

Serve sambar with steamed rice, idli, dosa or medu vadai or uttapam.

Vary the consistency of sambar keeping in mind the dish you want to serve it with. Example - a medium to slightly thin sambar is served with idli, dosa and medu vada. Sambar with a medium to thick consistency is served with steamed rice.

Serving Suggestions

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for a day only. Note that the consistency will thicken after refrigeration. Add some water and mix to get your desired consistency while reheating in a pan.

Storage and Leftovers

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/SajL95SR.mp4

Sambar is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stew made with lentils, tamarind and a unique spice blend called sambar powder. A basic sambar recipe will have a mix of one or two types of vegetables along with lentils, tamarind, sambar powder and a few spices. it is healthy as well as nutritious.

Sambar Recipe

Top 3 sambar recipes from across the web

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south Indian sambar

Sambar Recipe, How to Make Sambar

Sambar Recipe | Homemade Sambar

Top 3 sambar recipes from across the web

The most viewed sambar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

south Indian sambar

Sambar Recipe, How to Make Sambar

Sambar Recipe | Homemade Sambar

The most viewed sambar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine