Sambar recipe | South indian sambar recipe | How to make sambar recipe

Sambar recipe with step by step photos – A typical south Indian sambar recipe calls for lot of vegetables like pumpkin, bottle gourd, drumstick, eggplant, cucumbers, lady finger, sweet potatoes, onions and tomatoes. The choice of vegetables is based on a personal liking and are optional. Each vegetable lends a different flavor and taste.

Sambar recipe shared here is the one which has been followed by my mum for years. It makes a great side dish to pair with breakfast or a meal. This tastes good with idli, dosa, and even with rice.

If you are new to South Indian Cuisine, this may help you

What is sambar?

Sambar is a South Indian lentil (dal) & mix vegetable soup that is eaten along with breakfast or meal as a side dish. Most people enjoy this with some hot Soft idli, dosa, Vada or with plain rice. This is an everyday dish that is made in most homes since it is protein rich and healthy.

Which daal is used to make sambar?

Most traditional South Indian households use only toor dal / tuvar dal or arahar dal or split pigeon peas to make sambar. But usually tiffin centers and restaurants use a mix of toor and masoor dal. I use a mix of toor dal and moong dal. This is a personal choice and you can experiment with different proportions or use toor dal alone.

Moong dal lends a thick, creamy and delicious aroma to the dish. Including different kinds of lentils provide different nutrients to the body.

Is sambar good for you?

Yes it is rich in protein, fiber and many other nutrients essential for the body. It helps to gain weight in kids and toddlers if included in the diet regularly.

Which vegetables are used in sambar

A basic sambar can be made with just shallots and tomatoes. But including a wide variety of veggies will enhance the taste. Here are the vegetables that can be put in sambar.
Shallots or small to medium sized onions
Tomatoes
Okra – ladies finger – bhindi
Vegetable drumsticks – (moringa)
French beans
Carrots
Golden pumpkin
Brinjal – egg plant – baingan
Yellow cucumber

We at home use even spinach called as palakura (palak) which gives a very good taste.

Tips to make best sambar

1. The spice powder known as sambar powder is the key to a delicious and flavorful dish. So make a good choice of the powder you are going to use. I have also shared an instant sambhar powder in this post. If you have any ready made powder you can use it. Adjust to suit your liking, i suggest using mtr powder if you cannot make fresh for the recipe. It is one of the popular south Indian brands.

2. A proper combination of the veggies is also important. Use the veggies of your choice. Vegetables like brinjal, bottle gourd and cucumber do alter the taste of the dish.

If you are new to cooking i suggest reading all the notes and tips to make the best out of this South Indian sambar recipe. It keeps good for 2 days when refrigerated. I have shared the tips on how to refrigerate it at the end of the post.

For more different sambar recipes on the blog, check
Tiffin sambar
Drumstick sambar
Sambar rice

In this post I have also shared the sambar powder just enough for this recipe. You also can check this post on how to make sambar powder. If you have the powder ready, it is very quick to make the vegetable sambhar anytime.

South Indian sambar recipe

Preparation for sambar recipe

1. Cook 3/4 cup dal with 2 cups water till mushy and soft. You can use only tur dal or a combination of tur dal, moong dal and masoor dal. The taste of the sambhar depends on the dal used. To get a hotel style sambar, use masoor dal and tur dal in equal quantities. If cooking dal in pressure cooker, let it whistle for 2 to 4 whistles on a medium flame. Mash it up.

If you do not have a masher, do it with the back of a laddle or with the base of a steel glass. But dal must be very smooth. That gives a good texture to the sambhar.

2. While the dal cooks, make the sambar powder. If you have a ready made powder skip this step. Dry roast red chilies, chana dal & urad dal till golden. Then add coriander seeds fry until aromatic. Remove to a plate. Dry roast methi until slightly dark. Then add cumin and fry for a minute. Cool them and powder.
3. Wash and chop all the desired vegetables.

4. Add veggies to a large bowl with 5 cups water. Begin to cook them. You can also saute them first in a tsp of oil in the pot, if you want to bring out the flavors of veggies. But taste wise not much difference.

5. Take some hot water from the vegetable pot and add tamarind. Set aside to soak.

How to make sambar recipe

6. When the veggies are soft cooked. Add sambar powder,salt. Bring it to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Squeeze up the tamarind and pour the tamarind water to the sambar. I prefer to filter the tamarind to remove unwanted particles.

8. Add dal and mix it well. Now taste it to check the sour and salt taste, add more if needed.

9. Bring it to a boil. Add coriander leaves.

10. Add ghee or oil to a pan and make the seasoning. Add cumin, methi and mustard to hot oil. When they begin to crackle, add red chili and curry leaves. Sprinkle hing. Switch off the heat.

11. Add the seasoning to the hot sambar. Let the sambar simmer for 2 to 3 minutes for a good aroma. Some folks prefer not to boil further after adding the seasoning. You can choose whatever you like.

Serve sambar with rice, idli or sambar.