Description
A tangy, spicy, and comforting South Indian stew made with toor dal, vegetables, tamarind, and sambar powder. Perfect with rice, idli, or dosa.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup carrots
- 1/2 cup eggplant or pumpkin
- 1/2 cup drumsticks
- 1 tomato
- 5–6 pearl onions
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 2 tbsp sambar powder
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric and salt until soft. Mash and set aside.
- Mix tamarind paste with warm water. Strain and set aside.
- Cook vegetables in a pot with water until tender.
- Add tamarind extract and sambar powder. Simmer 10 mins.
- Stir in cooked dal. Simmer 5–7 mins more.
- Prepare tadka with oil, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, chilies, curry leaves, and hing. Pour into sambar.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
-
Adjust spice level by increasing or reducing red chilies and sambar powder.
-
Leftover sambar can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
-
Best served with idli, dosa, or hot steamed rice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: South Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: sambar recipe, South Indian sambar, how to make sambar, sambar for idli, dal curry, Indian lentil stew, tamarind dal, vegetable sambar