Easy Sambar Recipes: How to make perfect Sambar (2024)

Sambar is an indispensable part of South Indian cuisine. It is a hot and spicy soup made with lentils and vegetables and is a fantastic accompaniment for idlis, vadas, steamed rice and dosas. The taste and flavour of Sambar varies at different places as it is prepared using different vegetables and spices, and each one of it has a unique taste and flavor. It is loaded with numerous vegetables like drumsticks, pumpkin, brinjal, okra, tomatoes and other seasonal vegetables. According to various researches, Sambar has been proved to prevent colon cancer because the vegetables and spices added to it have potent cancer fighting properties. It is complete meal in itself and goes amazingly well with rice, dosa, appam and idli. But if you don't know how to make restaurant like sambhar, here's help.

- If you want a dash of sweetness, add a small piece of jaggery while preparing Sambar.

- If the consistency is too runny, balance it by adding a few spoons of rice flour to thicken it.

- The boiled toor daal must be mashed well in the sambhar.

- After turning off the flame, add some fresh coconut oil or ghee to enhance the taste of sambar.

- Boil tomatoes and make a pulp in the blender and add it with the boiled toor daal. This will make the sambar colourful and appetizing.

- Try using organic dal, smaller and flat ones which are unpolished. This can elevate the texture and flavour of your sambar.

- While you are sauteeing vegetables, add a tsp of finely chopped coriander leaves to enhance the flavour of the vegetables.

- Adding fenugreek will not only improve its flavour but also increase the shelf life of sambar.

Calories: 180 kcal

Cholesterol: 4mg

Protein: 10 grams

Fat: 2 grams

Carbohydrates: 32 grams

Calcium: 17%

Iron: 41%

1/3 cup toor daal (split pigeon peas)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sambar powder

1/2 tablespoon tamarind

1 tomato, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 cup chopped mixed vegetables

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

5-6 curry leaves

1-2 dry red chillies

A pinch of asafoetida

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup + 11/2 cups water

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

To prepare this easy Sambar recipe, take a bowl and clean and wash daal.

In a pressure cooker, add daal, salt and turmeric powder. Cover and pressure cook over medium flame for 2-3 whistles. Turn off the flame and allow it to stand until pressure comes down naturally. Now, using a hand blender, mash the daal and set it aside.

In an another bowl, soak tamarind in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Use a spoon to mash up the lumps and strain it using a sieve and discard the solids. Set it aside.

In a pan, add all the chopped vegetables with a cup of water and cook on medium flame for 5-7 minutes till the vegetables are tender. Keep them aside.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a kadai over medium flame. Add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter, add curry leaves, dry red chilies, asafoetida, and saute for 10-15 seconds.

Add chopped onion and saute until onion turns transparent. Add tamarind juice and cook for 2-3 minutes. Now, add chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes turn soft.

Add sambar powder and combine well. Let it cook for another 6-7 minutes.

Add cooked and mashed daal, boiled vegetables with 2 cups of water. Add salt as per taste. Mix well and bring it to boil and allow it cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes while stirring occasionally. Turn off the flame.

Transfer the Sambar in a serving bowl and garnish it with grated coconut, fried red chillies and curry leaves. Sambar is ready to be served with dosa, idli or vada and coconut chutney.