Sambar

Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew, cooked with toor dal or masoor dal and vegetables in a tamarind juice. It is a very popular, traditional dish in South India.

Sambar is common in most of the South Indian homes and it is popular throughout India. Sambar is not only nutrient-rich as it is rich in protein and the vegetables added increases the nutrient but it also tastes delicious.

If you are a South Indian living abroad or in North India, you will be asked to make sambar for food when friends come home. Not only when friends come home, mostly every Tuesday and Friday, I cook sambar being a South Indian.

Coming to this, the recipe I have shared is my way of making it which is quite easy to cook but tastes delicious and takes very less time. Infact, my sambar is very famous among my friend’s circle.

Any vegetables of your choice can be used. Sambar tastes good when you make it with many vegetables. I have shown certain vegetables which I had at home. These vegetables are commonly used.

Sambar tastes very good when served with hot rice, idli, ven pongal and dosa. The recipe I have shared is specially for rice, ven pongal but also can be used for idli and dosa. Adding little ghee on the hot rice increases the taste.

Do check this recipe and make it at home❤

INGREDIENTS

  • Toor dal- 1/2 cup ( 100 ml.)
  • Drumstick- 1 big
  • Carrot- 1 big
  • Brinjal- 1
  • Raw mango- 1
  • Garlic cloves- 3 or 4
  • Tomato- 1
  • Small Onion- 10 to 12 or 1 medium sized onion
  • Green chilli-1
  • Turmeric powder- 1/4th tsp
  • Asafoedita powder- 1/4th tsp
  • Sambar powder- 1 tbsp, heaped
  • Curry leaves- 1 sprig
  • Methi seeds- 3/4th tsp
  • Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
  • Red chilli- 1 or 2
  • Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
  • Split urad dal- 3/4th tsp
  • Tamarind- lime sized ( soaked in water)
  • Salt- as needed
  • Coriander leaves- as needed.

PROCEDURE

Clean all the vegetables and cut it in the shape shown in the picture above. Cut the raw mango to big piece.

Clean the dal well many times and soak it in water for 30 minutes.
Take the soaked dal in pressure cooker. Add needed water, turmeric powder and salt. I added 400 ml. of water. Pressure cook it in medium flame till you get 2 whistles.
Once opened. Dal is cooked. Do not mash it.
Now take drumstick, raw mango, carrot, brinjal, tomato, garlic cloves, asafoedita powder in the pressure cooker.
Add methi/fenugreek seeds, green chilli and cumin seeds. Methi seeds and cumin seeds can be added during tadka part too but this way enriches the aroma of sambar.
Add 1 tbsp of sambar powder. You can use both homemade and store-bought sambar powder. I will come with the recipe for homemade sambar powder soon.
Add 200 ml. of water and pressure cook it for 1 whistle.
After 1 whistle, switch off the flame immediately and move it away from stove or vegetables might get mashed. Or cover the pan with a lid and cook till the vegetables get cooked completely. Cooking the vegetables with dal enriches the taste of sambar.

Vegetables are cooked well. Keep it separate.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let mustard seeds splutter.
Once mustard seeds splutter, add split urad dal, curry leaves and red chilli.
Once red chilli crisps, add the chopped onions. Saute till it is translucent.
Then filter the tamarind juice and add it. Cook till the raw smell of tamarind goes away.
Add the tadka along with tamarind juice to the dal cooked with vegetables.
Give one stir and cook it in medium flame till you could see bubbles on top. Then switch off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Ready.

TIPS

  • Use sesame oil for good taste.
  • Green beans, pumpkin, yellow cucumber, potato, yam, ladies finger can also be used to make sambar.
  • 1 and a half tbsp of sambar powder can be used if you want it to be more spicy. The measurement I shared is very accurate.
  • A small portion of jaggery can be added to stabilize the tanginess from tamarind used.