Sambar Recipe | Vegetable Sambar | Sambhar Banane Ki Vidhi
What’s Cooking India? It’s South Indian Special Sambar Recipe. I have always cherished South Indian cuisine.
Sambar is a vegetable stew made by adding many pulses, vegetables, and tamarind. Also, a unique blend of spices named sambar powder can also be added if needed.
Sambar is not only healthy but also rich with nutrients and very delicious Indian stew. You can have in your breakfast with idli or medu vada or even in your lunch dinner with plain rice.
Sambhar is cooked at most South Indian homes and also in Tiffin centers, and restaurants with meals and breakfast.
If you go to any state in south India, you will find that all of them serve coconut chutney and sambar with all the meals.
Find the whole recipe of Sambar here in this post.
Ingredients for Sambar recipe
| Ingredients | Measurements (1 cup = 250 ml) |
|---|---|
| Tamarind Pulp | |
| Imli (Tamarind) | 1 tbsp |
| Hot water | ⅓ cup |
| Cooking Dal | |
| Turmeric (Haldi) | ¼ tsp |
| Toor Dal (Spit Pigeon Peas) | ½ cup |
| Water | 1 ½ to 1 ¾ Cups |
| For Sambar | |
| Chopped veggies
(French beans, small round Brinjal, Potatoes, Pumpkin) |
1 to 1 ½ cups |
| Drumsticks (3-4 inch chopped) | 1 to 2 |
| Pearl Onions (sambar onion) | 6 to 7 |
| Small Tomato | 1 |
| Turmeric Powder | ¼ tsp |
| Kashmiri red Mirchi | ½ tsp |
| Water | 1 ½ to 2 cups |
| Sambar powder | 1 to 1 ½ tbsp |
| Tempering the Sambar | |
| Cooking oil/ Coconut oil | 2 tbsp |
| Rai (Mustard seeds) | ½ tsp |
| Red Mirchi (Dry) | 1-2 |
| Methi seeds (Fenugreek) | 5-6 |
| Curry leaves | 10-12 |
| Hing (Asafoetida) | 1-2 pinch |
Steps to make Sambar Recipe
How to make Tamarind pulp?
Step 1: Take ⅓ cup of hot water in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of tamarind in the water. Let it soak for 25-30 minutes in water.
Step 2: After soaking for 30 minutes, squeeze the tamarind in the water itself and discard the strained tamarind.
You can also like to know how to make authentic coconut chutney or Masala Dosa to complete your lunch or dinner.
How to cook dal for sambar?
Step 1: Take a large bowl. Add ½ cup of toor dal and rinse it thoroughly with water a couple of times.
Step 2: Now take a pressure cooker of 2 litre, add the drained dal (drain the water) along with ¼ tsp of Haldi.
Step 3: Add 1½ to 1¾ cups of water in the cooker and mix. Set it up on medium flame for 7-8 whistles.
Step 4: Set it off the stove and let the pressure settle down. The texture of the dal should be soft and mushy.
Step 5: Mash the dal with a spoon or fork. Cover it with a lid and keep it aside.
Vegetables for Sambar?
Step 1: Rinse and chop the vegetables.
Step 2: Take 1 to 1½ cups of chopped vegetables in a pan
Step 3: Add 6 to 7 thickly sliced pearl onions and 1 medium-sized tomato into the pan
Step 4: Sprinkle ¼ tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, ¼ tsp haldi, and salt.
Step 5: Add 1½ to 2 cups of water and mix well.
Step 6: Cook the vegetables on a medium flame. Keep checking the vegetables between regular intervals.
Step 7: Cook the vegetables well.
Note: Do not overcook the vegetables.
Step 8: Once the vegetables are cooked, add the tamarind pulp along with 1- 1½ tbsp sambar powder and stir well.
Step 9: Now add the mashed dal and mix well.
Step 10: Cook the sambar on medium-low blaze till it starts bubbling.
Step 11: After you start seeing a frothy layer on the top, turn off the gas, cover and set it aside.
Tips for a perfect Sambar recipe
- If you want, you can add a bit of jaggery to enhance the taste of Sambar.
- You can add vegetables of your own choice.
- Soak the lentils in water before cooking for 30 to 45 minutes for faster cooking.
- You can also steam the vegetables before preparing sambar and then add it.
- While tempering, you can add few cloves of garlic to impart a different flavor to your sambar.