Sambar | How to make Sambar - by foodogger

Sambar

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

Ingredients:-

For tamarind pulp

1. 1 tablespoon tamarind
2. ⅓ cup hot water

For cooking dal

1. ½ cup tur dal or arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils) - 100 grams
2. ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
3. 1.5 to 1.75 cups water or add as required

For cooking vegetables

1. 1 to 1.5 cups chopped vegetables like okra, french beans, potatoes, small round brinjals, pumpkin
2. 1 to 2 drumsticks - scraped and chopped in 3 to 4 inches sticks.
3. 6 to 7 pearl onions (sambar onions) or 1 small to medium onion, thickly sliced
4. 1 tomato - small to medium, quartered or diced
5. ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
6. ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder - optional
7. salt as required
8. 1.5 to 2 cups water or add as required

Important ingredient

1. 1 to 1.5 tablespoons Sambar Powder

For tempering

1. 2 tablespoons sesame oil (gingelly oil), can also use coconut oil sunflower oil, or ghee
2. ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 1 to 2 dry red chilies - halved and seeds removed
4. 10 to 12 curry leaves
5. 2 pinch asafoetida (hing)
6. 5 to 6 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) - optional

For garnish

1. 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) - optional

Instructions:-

Making tamarind pulp

• 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.

Cooking lentils

• Rinse tuvar dal a couple of times in water.
• Drain all the water and add the dal to a 2-liter 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 vegetables

• 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 chili 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 stovetop 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 overcook the vegetables.

Making sambar

• 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 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.

Tempering

• In a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons of gingelly oil. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds.
• Let the mustard seeds crackle.
• Then add 1 to 2 dry red chilies (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 to the hot sambar.
• Cover the pan with its lid for 4 to 5 minutes, so that the aroma and flavors from the tempering mixture get 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. 

Serving With:-

• Serve sambar with steamed rice, idli, dosa or medu vada, or uttapam.
• Vary the consistency of sambar keeping in mind the dish you want to serve it with. For 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.