Sambar recipe - How to make South Indian style Sambar at home

Sambar recipe

Sambar is a lentil base vegetable stew. It is popular in South Indian, Sri lankan & Maldivian cuisines. It is also adopted in Burmese cuisine as an accompaniment to Burmese curries. It is full of protein & fibers. It includes a variety of vegetables. They are rich in fibers & anti-oxidants. Traditionally it is prepared with drumsticks, pumpkin, brinjal, okra, tomatoes and various other fiber-rich seasonal vegetables. 
Normally in India it is served with south Indian recipes like dosa, idli, vada, uttapam etc. Sambar is loaded with so many health benefits, it is easy to cook & also easy to digest. You can lose your weight by eating this. It is rich in iron & fiber. It is made with less oil & will make your stomach full for longer. It is made from toor dal. It is rich in protein & it might help in avoiding type-2 diabetes. It may lower diabetes & cholesterol as it contains antioxidants & fiber. It provides the complete nutrition to the body. It is a staple in most South Indian houses. It is a good option for breakfast & dinner also. Let’s have a look at the recipe of Sambar. Enjoy cooking!

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 20 minutes

Serves 3 to 4 person

Ingredients to make Sambar: 

1 cup toor dal

1 tablespoon moong dal

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) 

1 teaspoon mustard seeds – rai

1 teaspoon cumin seeds – jeera

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2 to 3 whole red dry chili

¼ teaspoon asafetida

8 to 10 curry leaves

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

1 teaspoon ginger – crushed

1 teaspoon garlic - crushed

2 green chilies – crushed

2 tablespoon sambar masala

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon cumin-coriander powder (dhaniya-jeera powder)

2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder

Salt to taste

2 to 3 tablespoon tamarind extract 

¼ cup freshly chopped coriander leaves

Vegetables:

½ cup boiled bottle gourd

2 sticks of drumsticks

½ cup boiled potato 

Method to make Sambar: 

Vegetables: 

• Wash and cut drumsticks, potato & bottle gourd. Pressure cook them and keep a side. 

Sambar: 

• Wash and soak toor dal and moong dal for minimum 10 minutes. Pressure cook them. 

• Churn it and then add above boiled vegetables along with water. Never drain water from vegetables. 

• Add salt to it and cook at slow flame. 

• Meanwhile in a big tempering pan/tadka pan add ghee and oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds & fenugreek seeds to it. When they crackles add hing and then add crushed (not paste) ginger, garlic & green chilies. 

• Cook at low flame until ginger & garlic are cooked. 

• Now add onion to it and cook until transparent. Now it’s time to add all curry leaves & all dry spices to it. Mix well and cook until it releases pleasant aroma. 

• Add chopped tomatoes and cook until it is soft. Let the oil & ghee release. 

• At last add tamarind paste and pour the tadka in hot toor dal mixer. At this stage you can add 1 tablespoon jaggery to it. 

• Boil it for minimum 10 minutes at slow flame. 

• At last add coriander leaves and mix well. 

• Piping hot sambar is ready to serve. You can serve it with dosa (sada/masala), idli, uttapam, mendu vada, rice etc. 

Sambar masala: 

½ cup coriander seeds

2 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon urad dal

2 teaspoon chana dal 

15 to 20 curry leaves

50 grams dried red chilies

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Method to make sambar masala: 

• Dry roast all spices at low flame in non-stick pan. 

• Let them cool and add turmeric powder to it. When cool churn to fine powder. 

Tips: 

• Make sure to cook dals & vegetables separately. Never drain the water of boiled vegetables, as they contains lots of nutrition.  

• You can add or omit the vegetables of your choice. 

• Soaking of dal will make cooking process quick.