How to make sambar at home | Easy Sambar recipe
Sambar Recipe – Sambar is a staple lentil based curry in South India. There are various varieties of sambar which can be had along with both breakfast dishes like idli, dosa, vada and for lunch along with steamed rice.
The South Indian Sambar is one of the most popular dishes in India and is healthy, nutritious and relatively easy to make.
Sambar can be made with toor dal, moong dal, masoor dal, chana dal or even with mixed dal. Likewise any vegetables can be added to the sambar including drumstick, brinjal, radish, potato, broad beans, carrot, raw mango etc. Each vegetable added gives an unique taste to the sambar. A mixture of various vegetables are commonly used in South India.
This is an easy sambar recipe made with toor dal, drumstick, brinjals and raw mango. This sambar can be had with both breakfast dishes and with steamed rice. Homemade sambar powder is used here. Usually homemade sambar powder results in the best tasting sambar but if it’s not available you can substitute it with any store bought sambar powder.
Checkout my other curry recipes for rice,
Pre preparation
Wash dal well in running water and soak for around 10 minutes.
Chop shallots, green chillies and tomatoes.
Chop the vegetables and keep it aside.
Soak tamarind in hot water. Skip if using tamarind paste.
Cooking instructions with step by step pictures
Wash dal several times in running water.
Soak the dal for at least 10 minutes.
In a pressure cooker add soaked toor dal, 2 cups water, garlic cloves and castor oil.
Pressure cook on high flame for 3 whistles and simmer for 10 mins. Let the pressure release naturally.
Meanwhile in a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add chana dal, urad dal and cumin seeds.
Once the dals are roasted, add chopped shallots, red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves.
Add asafoetida.
Once the shallots turn translucent, add chopped tomatoes.
Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Now add sambar powder, turmeric powder, mix well and switch off the flame.
In the same pressure cooker, mash the dal slightly, add the chopped vegetables and 1 ½ cups of water and bring it to a boil. You can adjust the quantity of water as per your need. This yields a thick sambar. If you need a slightly runny one add half a cup of extra water.
Now add the tempered mixture and mix well.
Add tamarind water or tamarind paste.
Add required salt.
Pressure cook on high flame for just 1 whistle and release the pressure manually since we have used drumsticks. If you are not using drumsticks you can allow the pressure to release naturally.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot !!!
Recipe notes
Cook the dal well till it is soft and mash it thoroughly. This yields a thick sambar.
Sambar powder plays a major role in the taste and aroma of the sambar. Use homemade sambar powder whenever possible.
I have used homemade tamarind paste here. If using store bought one, add carefully as salt is usually added in the store bought tamarind paste.
Reduce the amount of tamarind while using raw mango in the sambar as it can become too tangy.
Easy Sambar Recipe
Equipment
- 3 L Pressure cooker
- Small kadai / pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup toor dal
- 1 tsp castor oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 cups + 1 ½ cups of water
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 15 shallots
- 2 dried red chillies
- 2 green chilli
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 drumstick
- 1 cup any chopped vegetable of your choice.
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste / tamarind water from lemon sized tamarind
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- To temper
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp split urad dal
- ½ tsp chana dal
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp of asafoetida
- 1 ½ tbsp sambar powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Wash dal several times in running water.
- Soak the dal for at least 10 minutes.
- In a pressure cooker add soaked toor dal, 2 cups water, garlic cloves and castor oil.
- Pressure cook on high flame for 3 whistles and simmer for 10 mins. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile in a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add chana dal, urad dal and cumin seeds. Add asafoetida.
- Once the dals are roasted, add chopped shallots, red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves.
- Once the shallots turn translucent, add chopped tomatoes.
- Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.
- Now add sambar powder, turmeric powder, mix well and switch off the flame.
- In the same pressure cooker, mash the dal slightly, add the chopped vegetables and 1 ½ cups of water and bring it to a boil. You can adjust the quantity of water as per your need. This yields a thick sambar. If you need a slightly runny one add half a cup of extra water.
- Now add the tempered mixture and mix well.
- Add tamarind water or tamarind paste.
- Add required salt.
- Pressure cook on high flame for just 1 whistle and release the pressure manually since we have used drumsticks. If you are not using drumsticks you can allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve hot !!!
Notes
- Cook the dal well till it is soft and mash it thoroughly. This yields a thick sambar.
- Sambar powder plays a major role in the taste and aroma of the sambar. Use homemade sambar powder whenever possible.
- I have used homemade tamarind paste here. If using store bought one, add carefully as salt is usually added in the store bought tamarind paste.
- Reduce the amount of tamarind while using raw mango in the sambar as it can become too tangy.
