Sambar Recipe | Homemade Sambar (South Indian Style)

I share our favourite South Indian Sambar Recipe which I’ve perfected over time with video and step-by-step images. Make this flavorsome, hearty and wholesome South Indian vegetable-lentil stew with this simple technique. Benefit from the sambar with snacks like Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada, uttapam or just pair it with rice for a comforting, nutritious and filling meal.

What does Sambar imply

Sambar is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stew made with pigeon pea lentils, tamarind and a novel spice mix known as sambar powder. It’s a staple dish in South Indian properties and can be equally common and cherished by many.

A fundamental sambar recipe could have a mixture or one or two sorts of greens together with lentils, tamarind, sambar powder and some spices.

A great sambar powder at all times yields and engaging sambar. so once you make it, attempt to have fragrant sambar powder.

You may as well use your favourite model of sambar powder. I make Sambar Powder at dwelling and I really feel home made sambar powder provides the perfect and ideal style in sambar.

When you reside exterior India and are new to Indian delicacies, then yow will discover Sambar powder on-line on amazon otherwise you even discover it in an Indian grocery retailer.

It’s wholesome in addition to nutritious being wealthy in protein and likewise different vitamins like nutritional vitamins, minerals and so on as its produced from each lentils and greens. Sambar served with rice or idli makes up for a whole meal.

I often make sambar with this recipe as it’s a foolproof technique – the place each the lentils and greens are cooked to perfection. So you don’t get half cooked lentils or mushy pasty greens. It is usually a simple technique of constructing sambar recipe.

I often add a mixture of greens from the listing talked about above or only one vegetable within the sambhar. On this sambar recipe, I’ve added drumstick, okra, pumpkin, carrots, brinjals, french beans and small onions (shallots or pearl onions).

How you can make South Indian Sambar

A fundamental South Indian sambar recipe is made by cooking greens and lentils individually. The lentils are cooked until it’s mushy after which mashed.

Cooked greens, mashed dal, tamarind pulp and sambar powder are blended collectively after which simmered for some minutes.

Later a tempering is finished of oil (or ghee) with mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida (hing) and dry pink chilies. This tempering or tadka is added to sambar.

Along with the fundamental technique of constructing this dish, there are numerous different regional variations. Generally a floor paste of coconut with spices is added. The form of spices and their proportions fluctuate with the regional variations. So no two sambar recipes will style the identical because the elements and greens used differ and fluctuate.

The greens will be steamed or boiled in water. In keeping with my expertise, when the greens are cooked or boiled in water, the broth or stew turns into very flavorful. The sambar made this fashion has higher flavors as in comparison with the sambar made with steamed greens.

My recipe follows the tactic of cooking greens in water, that makes for a flavorful stew. So when all the weather of the dish come collectively, what you get is a extremely scrumptious complexly flavored sambar recipe.

Alternative of lentils to make Sambar

• Historically sambar is at all times made with tur dal (arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils).
• Even moong dal (yellow mung lentils) or masoor dal  (orange lentils) can be utilized to make sambhar.
• A mixture of tur dal and masoor dal may also be used. On events, I additionally make sambar recipe with solely mung dal.
• You may as well use a mixture of tuvar dal and moong dal.
• In some variations, black eyed beans and entire moong beans are additionally included. 

Alternative of Greens

Sambar will be made with only one vegetable or a mixture of greens. The greens that can be utilized alone or together are listed under. From the under listing you’ll be able to have a mixture of greens.

If utilizing greens like spinach or amaranth, then simply add them completely and don’t combine with different greens. You may as well add your alternative of veggies to the sambar recipe.

English	Hindi
Yellow pumpkin	Kaddu
Carrot	Gajar
Ash gourd (white pumpkin)	Petha
Drumstick	Saijan ki phalli
Pearl onions, shallots, onions	Chote pyaaz ya pyaaz
Radish	Mooli
Tomato	Tamatar
Okra (girl fingers)	Bhindi
Potatoes	Aloo
Brinjals (eggplant)	Baingan
Snake gourd	Chichinda
Spinach	Palak
Amaranth leaves	Chaulai
Bottle gourd	Lauki, dudhi, ghiya
Banana stem	Kele ka tana
Plantain (unripe uncooked banana)	Kacha kela
Inexperienced beans (french beans)	Faraz bean
Ivy gourd	Tindora, tendli
Discipline marrow (Mangalore cucumber)	Madras cucumber

Step-by-Step Information

How you can make Sambar Recipe

This recipe features a sequence of preparations, which can be all assembled later collectively. So it is advisable to make the tamarind pulp, prepare dinner greens and lentils. Lets start.

Preparation for Sambar

1. Earlier than we start making sambar, it at all times helps to soak tamarind in water earlier. So soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup sizzling water for 20 to half-hour.

2. As soon as the tamarind will get comfortable, then squeeze the tamarind within the water itself. Discard the strained tamarind and hold the tamarind pulp apart.

3. Rinse ½ cup tuvar dal (100 grams) a few instances in recent and clear water. You need to use a strainer to rinse the lentils. For fast cooking of the lentils you’ll be able to choose to soak them for an hour previous to cooking.

I like to recommend to make your sambar recipe with unpolished tuvar dal for a extremely good style and extra vitamin.

4. Drain all of the water and add the dal in a 2 litre stovetop strain cooker. Additionally add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.

Be aware: You may as well prepare dinner the lentils in a pan or immediate pot. Add water as wanted whereas cooking the lentils.

5. Add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water and blend to mix.

6. Cowl and strain prepare dinner dal for 7 to eight whistles or 9 to 10 minutes on medium warmth.

7. When the strain settles down by itself, open the lid and examine the dal. The dal ought to be fully cooked and mushy. 

Mash the dal with a spoon or wired whisk. Cowl and hold apart. You’ll be able to see the consistency of dal within the image under.

Cook dinner Greens

8. When the dal is strain cooking – rinse, peel and chop the greens. When making sambar, chop the greens which get cooked quicker in massive sizes like pumpkin, brinjals (small aubergines) okra, drumsticks and so on.

Greens which take extra time to prepare dinner are to be chopped in small sizes like carrots, potatoes, and so on. I’ve chopped the pumpkin in massive cubes and the carrots and potatoes in small cubes.

Chop the brinjals earlier than you add them within the pan or else they darken. You will want 1 to 1.5 cup of chopped greens.

Be aware: For greatest style and well being causes, I at all times make sambar with recent greens. Nonetheless you need to use frozen greens additionally.

9. Take 1 to 1.5 cups chopped greens in a pan or pot. Additionally add 6 to 7 pearl onions or 1 small to medium onion (thickly sliced) and 1 small to medium tomato (quartered).

10. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon kashmiri pink chilli powder and salt as per style.

Including kashmiri pink chili powder is optionally available and will be skipped. I add it for a pleasant vibrant colour within the sambar.

11. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water and stir. Add sufficient water in order that they cowl the greens.

12. Maintain the pan on a range high and start to prepare dinner greens on a medium-low to medium warmth. In between do examine when the greens are cooking.

13. Cook dinner until the greens are nearly completed. Make sure that you don’t overcook the greens.

Make Sambar

14. Add the ready tamarind pulp to the cooked greens. When you don’t have dried tamarind then use packaged or bottled tamarind paste.

You’ll be able to add about ½ to 1 tablespoon of the tamarind paste or add as in response to your style.

15. Combine effectively.

16. Subsequent add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons Sambar Powder. At this step you may as well add ½ to 1 teaspoon of jaggery powder. Including jaggery is optionally available.

The flavour of your sambar principally relies upon upon the sambar powder that you may be utilizing. So both make your individual home made sambar powder or use a trusted model. You should purchase packaged sambar powder simply on-line.

17. Stir and blend effectively once more.

18. Add the mashed dal.

19. Stir and blend very effectively. If the consistency appears to be like very thick, you’ll be able to add some water.

You’ll be able to simply alter the amount of water and make medium to skinny consistency of sambar. However consider to not add an excessive amount of of water as this may dilute the flavors.

20. Simmer on a medium-low warmth until it involves a boil. Stir at intervals. You will notice a frothy layer on high when the sambar begins boiling.

At this step change off the warmth. Cowl and hold apart. Verify the style and add salt if wanted.

Mood Sambar

21. In a small pan or tadka pan, warmth 2 tablespoons gingelly oil (oil produced from uncooked sesame seeds).

You’ll be able to even use sunflower oil, ghee or coconut oil as a substitute. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.

22. Let the mustard seeds crackle on low warmth.

23. Then add 1 to 2 dry pink chillies (halved and seeds eliminated).

24. Instantly add 10 to 12 curry leaves, 5 to six fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) and a couple of pinches of asafoetida (hing). Watch out whereas including curry leaves because the oil splutters lots.

Be aware: To make sambar gluten-free, omit the asafetida and be sure that your sambar powder doesn’t have asafetida or use gluten-free asafetida.

25. Fry them until the pink chilies change colour and curry leaves turn into crisp on low warmth. Take care that you just don’t burn the spices.

26. Instantly add this tempering combination within the sizzling sambar.

27. Cowl the pan with its lid for 4 to five minutes, in order that the aroma and flavors from the tempering combination get infused with the sambar.

28. Serve sambar sizzling or heat. Garnish with some coriander leaves when you want. Normally, it’s is cooked a two-three hours earlier as its style turns into higher with time.

Nonetheless, we want sambar to be served as quickly as it’s made. It may also be served with steamed rice, idli, dosa, medu vada or uttapam.

Serving Strategies

Sambar is served with steamed rice, idli, dosa or medu vadai or uttapam. You’ll be able to fluctuate the consistency of sambhar and serve it with no matter dish you make like idli or dosa or rice.

A barely skinny sambhar is served with idli, dosa and medu vada. Medium to thick consistency sambar is served with steamed rice.

Storage and Leftovers

Retailer sambar within the fridge for a day solely. The consistency will thicken after refrigeration. Add some water and blend to get your required consistency and reheat in a pan.

Sambar Variations

There are lots of variations for making sambhar. Every South Indian state has some variations like including a selected oil or including a number of extra elements or spices within the sambar powder.

1. In Tamil Nadu sesame oil which can be known as as gingelly is used. Gingelly oil is produced from uncooked sesame seeds and may be very totally different in flavors and style from the asian toasted sesame oil. In Kerala, coconut oil is used usually.
2. Some sambar recipe variations have making a floor sambar masala paste with or with out coconut. In some variations the coconut is roasted until it’s golden after which floor to a paste. So relying on the elements used, the sambar recipe could have a special style and taste.
3. In Karnataka, a little bit of jaggery is added within the sambar powder. This offers the sambar a faint candy style which some individuals like.
4. Principally pigeon pea lentils (arhar dal, tur dal, tuvar dal) are used when making sambar recipe. However in some variations pink lentils (masoor dal) and yellow moong lentils (mung dal) may also be used. A mix of those three lentils may also be added. I principally make with arhar dal and moong dal.

Knowledgeable Tricks to make the Finest Sambar

Sambar will be made actually flavorful and engaging when you observe a few of my useful suggestions listed under. 

• Sambar Powder: The primary taste and aroma of sambar come from utilizing and recent sambar powder. So at all times use a home made sambar powder or you need to use your favourite model of sambar powder.
• Sort of greens: One other taste and style components within the sambar recipe come from the addition of greens. So relying on the kind of greens used, the sambhar will style totally different. Personally I want a mixture of drumsticks, brinjals, pumpkin or ash gourd, pearl onions (shallots), carrots and okra. 
• High quality of lentils: All the time use high quality and recent tuvar dal. The brisker the dal is the higher it tastes and cooks quicker. For faster cooking you’ll be able to soak the lentils for an hour earlier than cooking. For greatest style and vitamin use unpolished lentils.
• Tamarind: For tamarind, it’s higher to make use of recent dried tamarind. When you use aged tamarind, then will probably be darker in colour and extra bitter. So add a bit much less tamarind than what’s talked about on this recipe. 
• Cooking greens: All the time prepare dinner the greens until they’re completed however entire. They need to not break or turn into a mush within the sambar. So when cooking, add greens which prepare dinner slower first and prepare dinner them for some minutes. Then add greens which prepare dinner quicker. 
• Oils: Each gingelly oil (uncooked sesame oil) and edible coconut oil give a extremely good style in sambaar. When you would not have these oils, then you’ll be able to even use sunflower oil or peanut oil. For a richer style you’ll be able to choose to make use of ghee.
• Frying spices: Whereas doing the tempering or tadka, at all times fry on a low flame and stir commonly. The spices and herbs fry quick, so it’s important to be attentive. If the tempering will get burned, then discard it and make a brand new tempering. By no means add a burnt tempering in sambar as it’s going to spoil the complete style. 
• Consistency: By including much less or extra water, you’ll be able to change the consistency of sambar. However don’t add an excessive amount of water and make it skinny as then the flavors and style will get diluted. For serving with rice you may make a thick sambhar and for serving with idli or dosa, you may make a medium consistency sambar. 
• Balancing sourness: In case when you discover the style of sambar extra bitter, then you’ll be able to at all times steadiness the bitter style by including a little bit of jaggery. 

Extra Sambar Varieties To Attempt!

Average • 40 minutes

Tamil Nadu Meals

Drumstick Sambar (Murungakkai Sambar)

Average • 1 hr 15 minutes

Tamil Nadu Meals

Arachuvitta Sambar

Average • 50 minutes

South Indian Meals

Idli Sambar | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar

45 minutes

Vegan Recipes

varutharacha sambar

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This Sambar Recipe from the weblog archives (July 2009) has been republished and up to date on 21 June 2022.