Delicious South Indian Sambar Recipe

A rich and delicious lentil and vegetable stew, this sambar recipe is really tasty, yet quick and easy to prepare. Made with toor dal (split pigeon peas), mixed vegetables of choice, sambar masala, and a quick tadka with mustard seeds and red chilies, this lentil soup is delicious and perfect to be served with steamed rice, idli, dosa, vada, but also simple chapattis. And don't forget the chutney!

Sambar is a recipe I hold close to my heart, as it is probably one of my proudest culinary achievements, not because of its difficulty (it’s not difficult to prepare!) but because of how much this dish means to Jay.

While my husband is the proudest Mumbaikar I ever met (well, all Mumbaikars are proud of being so, really!), my parents-in-law are from Kerala and Sambar is the one dish they can have any time of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner (and snacks… my mother-in-law is a feeder!).

Like any sambar recipe, you can choose your own mixed vegetables, however, unlike most other sambar recipes you can find online, in this one you cook the vegetables in the lentils, once the toor dal is ready.

This not only makes the process quicker, as there are no odd processes, but it also involves only two saucepans (a pressure cooker and a small pan for the tadka).

Should you not have the sambar powder [the spice powder made especially for this vegetable sambar recipe], I have shared a quick and tasty way of making your own.

Believe me when I say there are no long processes involved, only loads of flavor!

Sambar Recipe Ingredients

• Toor Dal [Split Pigeon Peas, Tuvar Dal, Tur Dal]: The main ingredient for this lentil and vegetable stew.
• Turmeric Powder: The only other ground spice, except for the sambar powder itself.
• Tomato, Onion, Potatoes, Green Beans, Carrots, Kerala Cucumber: This is the combination of vegetables I use, however you can make your own. Try not to skip the tomatoes, as they add that tangy taste to the vegetable sambar.
• Asafetida [Hing]: Very important for its savory taste; it is used in the tadka.
• Mustard Seeds, Curry Leaves, Dry Red Chilies: The other ingredients in the tadka, are to be prepared in sunflower or vegetable oil.
• Tamarind: Very important, as it adds a salty and sour note to the sambar; it needs to be added after the vegetables have cooked.
• Sambar Masala: You can either make your own or purchase ready-made sambar powder.
• Salt, and Vegetable Oil

How to make sambar?

1. To start, wash three times and then cook yellow split Pigeon peas with some sunflower oil and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker on low to medium heat; this should take about thirty minutes from boiling to become completely mashed.
2. While the lentils cook, chop all the vegetables you wish to use and set them aside; I use tomato, onion, green beans, Kerala cucumber (Vellarikka), potato, and carrots. If you find good-quality shallots or pearl onions, use those instead of onion.
3. Once the vegetables are chopped and set aside, put some tamarind to soak in warm water. 
4. Once the lentils are completely cooked and mushy (will have lost shape), add some more water (about one liter and a half or 3 pints) and bring back to the boil; add the vegetables you previously chopped and allow them to cook in the lentils, on low heat.

5. Once the vegetables are nearly cooked (cooked three-quarters of the way), remove the pulp of the tamarind from the side dish and add the infused water only to the sambar and bring it back to the boil. Ensure there are no tamarind seeds.
6. While the sambar simmers for another couple of minutes, add the sambar powder to a small side pot and add some water to it slowly while mixing it to make a paste; once the masala is well mixed with water and the consistency is quite creamy and without knots, add it to the sambar and mix well.

7. Allow the sambar to simmer while you prepare the tadka on the side lightly.
8. Prepare the tadka. In a small pot add some oil and once that is warm, add some asafoetida (hing), and mustard seeds and allow them to pop, then finally add the curry leaves and a couple of whole dry red chilies (if wanted).
9. Remove from the heat immediately to ensure the curry leaves and red dry chilies do not burn and add the whole to the sambar.
10. Enjoy with idli, medu vada, dosa with chutney, or simple steamed rice.

People Also Ask [FAQs]

How to make sambar powder?

To make your own sambar powder recipe using Indian spices, start by lightly popping 2 cups of coriander seeds in a bit of coconut oil and setting them aside once they turn aromatic.
In the same pan, with a little more oil, lightly roast half a cup of cumin seeds, 4 tablespoons of urad dal, 4 tablespoons of dry fenugreek seeds, and 2 tablespoons of chana dal.

Once these are nearly roasted, add 1 cup of curry leaves and roast until this turns aromatic as well, without burning them. Set this mix aside with the coriander seeds.
In the same pan add a little more oil and roast 200 grams (7 oz) of whole dry red chillies until they turn crispy and aromatic. 
Set all of the roasted spices aside and allow them to cool down. 
Once all the spices have cooled down completely, add them to a grinder together with two teaspoons of turmeric powder and grind to a fine paste.
Should you wish, you can add some peppercorns to the recipe.

Tips and Tricks for Sambar

• Sambar Powder: Although nothing beats homemade sambar powder, there are very good pre-made alternatives on the market, such as Aachi's Sambar powder. So, if you are very busy, just learning to cook, or prefer to use the ready-made spice powder, I would recommend trying a few different brands before selecting the one you like the most.
• Spice: If you like your sambar extra spicy and are using a ready-made sambar powder, you can add some red chili powder to it, and follow the rest of the recipe as described.
• Serve With: Chutney, of course! White coconut chutney is the most known one, however, also red chili coconut chutney and green coconut chutney are must-tries!
• Kerala Cucumber: Normally, this vegetable is quite large, so you can prepare it (peel it, deseed it, and dice it), then use how much you need and freeze the rest. The diced vegetables can be frozen in zip lock bags or airtight containers.
• Frozen Mixed Vegetables: For the most part, you can use frozen vegetables to prepare this sambar recipe. Vegetables such as green beans, shallots, and ladyfingers can be quite annoying to prepare, and as you require very little for this recipe, you can either purchase larger pre-prepared bags or prepare your own and freeze them in a big mixed container.
• South Indian Dish: This is a very typical dish you will find in all South Indian homes, however, if you do not fancy serving it with dosa, vada, sambar, or idli, this vegetable sambar is delicious also eaten with chapatis or simple boiled rice.
• Chopped Cilantro Leaves: Should you like it, you can sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander leaves [cilantro], on top of your sambar before serving.
• Choose your own vegetables: You can choose your own vegetables when making this lentil stew. Good additions are ladyfingers, pumpkin, eggplant, drumstick, cauliflower, and capsicum.

This sambar recipe is a great way of adding more vegetables to your diet, preparing a large meal that can be used over more days, having a warming lentil stew during the cold months, or a perfect rice topper for the lunchbox. Yes, all of this is in one single recipe!

This typical South Indian dish is simple, tasty, and filling, perfect for when you 'fancy something fancy' yet are trying to eat well. Enjoy with any side you like, but most of all, don't forget the chutney!

🥗 For more dishes you would find in South Indian homes, try these:

Recipe

Delicious South Indian Sambar Recipe

Elle

A lentil and vegetable stew with spices, easy and tasty to prepare.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Indian

Servings 10 portions

Calories 144 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the lentil base:

• 150 g Toor Dal
• 600 ml Water
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 teaspoon Sunflower Oil

Vegetables for the stew:

• 2 Medium Tomatoes Diced
• 1 Medium Onion Peeled and Diced
• 1 Large Potatoes Peeled and Diced
• 90 g Green Beans, Chopped
• 1 Medium Carrot Peeled and Chopped in Sticks
• 90 g Kerala Cucumber, Peeled, Seeds removed and Diced
• 1.2 l Water

For the Tadka:

• 2 tablespoon Sunflower Oil
• ½ teaspoon Asafetida
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 15 Curry Leaves
• 2 Dry Red Chilies Optional

Other Ingredients:

• 30 g Tamarind
• 50 g Sambar Masala
• Salt to Taste

Instructions

 

Preparation:

• Clean and chop all of the vegetables you will be putting in the sambar and set aside.
• Put the tamarind in a bowl with warm water and allow it to infuse while you proceed with the next steps.

Start preparing the lentil base:

• Rinse the toor dal three times and then add it to the pressure cooker with the water, turmeric, and oil; mix well and cook on a low to medium flame for about 20 minutes. 20 minutes on a low flame should allow the lentils to be completely cooked and mashed, while not evaporating the water completely. To open the pressure cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for security; most of the time you will need to remove from the heat and allow for all the pressure to be released from the cooker before opening it.
• Once the lentils are completely mashed, add between 1.2 and (5 cups) 1.5 liters (6.5 cups) of water to the pan, mix well and bring to the boil.
• Once the lentil soup is simmering, add the finely chopped vegetables and adjust the salt level.
• Once the vegetables are three quarters cooked, remove the tamarind pulp from the bowl of water you kept aside and add only the flavored water to the sambar (eliminate the tamarind, especially the seeds, but ensure you squeeze the juice out of the pulp).
• Allow the sambar to simmer for another couple of minutes and in the meantime add the sambar masala to a small pot and add slowly water to it, while mixing well; once the sambar masala creates with the water a nice semi-liquid paste that has no knots, add it to the sambar and mix well.

Prepare the Tadka

• While you allow the spices to cook in the sambar, prepare the tadka by warming up the oil in a small pot; once the oil is warm add the mustard seeds, and as soon as this is cooked (about 30 seconds) add the asafetida (hing).
• Once the mustard seeds have all popped (about one minute), remove them from the heat and add the curry leaves and dry red chilies and allow them to fry without burning for about 15 seconds.
• Once all the spices in the tadka are fragrant, add it on top of the sambar and mix well, but be careful of any splatter.
• Serve with your chosen accompaniment and enjoy!

Video

Notes

You can make your own sambar powder as follows: 

To make your own sambar powder recipe using Indian spices, start by lightly popping 2 cups of coriander seeds in a bit of coconut oil and setting them aside once they turn aromatic.
In the same pan, with a little coconut oil, lightly roast half a cup of cumin seeds, 4 tablespoons of urad dal, 4 tablespoons of dry fenugreek seeds, and 2 tablespoons of chana dal; once these are nearly roasted, add 1 cup of curry leaves and roast until this turns aromatic as well, without burning them. Set this mix aside with the coriander seeds. 
In the same pan add a little more coconut oil and roast 200 grams (7 oz) of whole dry red chilies until they turn crispy and aromatic. 
Set all of the roasted spices aside and allow them to cool down. 
Once all the spices have cooled down completely, add them to a grinder together with two teaspoons of turmeric powder and grind to a fine paste.
Should you wish, you can add some peppercorns to the recipe.

 

This sambar recipe can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 26mgPotassium: 275mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1437IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg

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