Sambar, a spicy lentil stew is a staple in most South Indian homes. It is prepared with prepared with a variety of vegetables and often finished with tempering. It is more popular as a breakfast dish, served with idli, dosa and vada.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, south indian, Tamilnadu
Keyword: how to make sambar, mixed vegetable sambar, sambar recipe, tamil nadu sambar recipe
Servings: 6
Author: Mullai Madavan
Equipment
1 Pressure cooker
1 Regular saute pan
Ingredients
Table - 1
1cupToor Dal / Thuvaram paruppu
1/4tspTurmeric powder for cooking dal
3cupsWater for cooking dal
Table - 2
1mediumOnion Medium sized, cut lengthwise
2smallTomato small size, chopped
1eachGreen Chili slit open
2cupsMixed Vegetables Carrot, Green Beans, Squash, Drumstick, Brinjal
1tspRed Chili powder
3tspCoriander powder
1/4tspTurmeric powder
1tspSalt
4cupsWater for cooking vegetables
Table - 3
10eachSmall Sambar onions / Shallot
1cupVegetables3 Okra, 1 small Green capsicum
3tspTamarind extract
1tspSambar powder optional
1/2tspMustard seeds
1/2tspCumin seeds
1/4tspFenugreek seeds
2eachDry Red Chili
10eachCurry Leaves
1/2tspAsafoetida powder
2tspOil
1tspGhee
1tspSalt
3stalksCoriander leaves a few stalks for garnish
Instructions
Wash and soak Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu ) in water for atleast 30 minutes. Then pressure cook it with enough water and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Cook for upto 3 to 4 whistles. (Use ingredients from table-1) Once done and when the pressure releases, open and mash it immediately with spatula or blend well and keep aside.
Wash all your veggies and cut then into pieces (slightly bigger than usual) and keep aside. Veggies like carrot, squash, brinjal, drumstick and green beans can go into the pressure cooker with some cut onions, tomato, green chili, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add enough water to immerse the veggies in the pan and pressure cook for 2 whistles. (Use ingredients from table-2)
Once the pressure settles, the cooked veggies look like this.
Add the cooked dal and tamarind pulp to this and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Let them splutter, then add the small sambar onions, green capsicum and okra. Let them cook for few minutes.
Veggies like okra(ladys finger) , capsicum gets very mushy if pressure cooked that why are shallow frying them separately.
Now add these to the dal veggie mix along with sambar powder and salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce to simmer.
When it reaches desired consistency garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Idli/dosa or pipping hot rice topped with ghee.
Notes
If you have 2-tier pressure pan in your cooker you may cook veggies and dal at the same time.Sambar powder is optional but gives good flavor. Store bought powder gives good color too. Remember store bought powders include salt, so check and then adjust for salt.Adding a pinch of sugar or jaggery sweetens the sambar, you may if you like it. (or) use a few cubes to sweet potato to sweeten naturally.Veggies like capsicum are not usually added in sambar but do try it adds nice touch.Yields about 6-7 cups of sambar.