South Indian Sambar (Homemade sambar recipe)

Last week I shared my recipe for homemade sambar masala that is very easy to prepare with just a few ingredients. Today, I share my quick and simple sambar recipe made using my sambar masala. This is a healthy side dish with rice because it has all the protein coming from the toor or tuvar dal. You can add some nutritious vegetables to the sambar for an extra dose of health.

I normally make onion and tomato sambar to go with idly,medu vada (garelu)uttappam or any dosa. But when I make this for rice, I add only vegetables and make it thick. Any dry curry like beetroot poriyal, aloo fry, arvi tandoor go excellent with sambar.

I make another milder version of sambar too which is Andhra special – Pappu chaaru. This is another classic south Indian side dish for rice and an easy lunch-box option.

Ingredients:

Toor or tuvar dal/Kandipappu – 1/3 cup

Anapakaya/sorakaya/dudhi or lauki/bottle gourd – ½ cup, optional (cut into thick pieces)

Drumstick/mulankada (vegetable) – 1 (cut into 1 inch long sticks)

Tamarind pulp/juice – ¼ cup

Sambar masala – 2 tbsp (check my homemade sambar masala recipe)

Coriander leaves – 1 tsp (very finely chopped)

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

For tadka/seasoning:

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds/jeera -1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 5

Whole dry red chili – 2, optional

Asafoetida/hing – ¼ tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Cook the toor dal in 1.5 cups water till it completely gets mashed. The best way to do this is to cook it in a pressure cooker. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai/saucepan and add the drumsticks, lauki, turmeric powder, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till vegetables are cooked.
3. Into this add the tamarind juice, sambar masala, cooked tuvar dal and 1/2 cup water. Adjust the salt and let it simmer for atleast 2-3 minutes on a low heat.
4. In a separate pan, prepare tadka by heating 1 tsp oil. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves, dry red chili and hing and pour this into the simmering dal stew.
5. Give a good mix, add the coriander leaves and simmer for another minute and remove from heat. Adjust the water level as per the consistency you desire.
6. Serve hot with plain rice and a dash of desi ghee.!!!

Note:

1. I sprinkle some freshly grated coconut on the sambar just before serving it.
2. You can add some dry red chili powder to the sambar if your sambar masala is not very hot.
3. You may add other vegetables like carrots, tomato, onion and brinjal to the sambar. Mixed vegetable sambar tastes good especially with idly and dosa.
4. If preparing sambar for rice, make it thicker than you make it for south Indian breakfast recipes.

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