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Sambar Recipe | Authentic South Indian Sambar Recipe

Sambar Recipe, a popular South Indian lentil and mixed vegetable soup made with spices, tamarind and coriander leaves. This family favorite sambar recipe gets so much compliments in our home when made with fresh homemade sambar powder. This delicious combination of dal, vegetables, spices which is filled with nutrients and can be served for your lunch/dinner or for your breakfast with Idli, Dosa, medu vada, rava khichdi and ven pongal. Learn how to make perfect ultimate sambar recipe with step by step pictures, video, tips and tricks and variations.
4.67 from 9 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 246kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Cooking pot

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Oil or Ghee
  • 1 large Onion peeled and chopped roughly
  • 10 no Shallots (Sambar Onion) peeled and left whole (optional)
  • 2 no Tomato chopped
  • 2 slit Green Chilli
  • 3 tbsp Sambar Powder Homemade or Store Bought
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp Jaggery
  • 2 tbsp Tamarind pulp
  • ½ cup Coriander Leaves finely chopped

For Cooking Dal

  • 1 cup Toor Dal
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 3 cups Water

Mixed Vegetables to Use

  • 1 no Potato peeled and chopped
  • 1 no Brinjal chopped
  • 1 large Carrot chopped
  • 1 cup Cucumber peeled and chopped
  • 6 no Beans chopped
  • 2 no Ladysfinger chopped
  • 1 Raw Banana / Plantain peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup Raw Mango peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup Pumpkin peeled and chopped

For Tempering

  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1 tsp Urad Dal
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 2 no Dry Red Chilli
  • ½ tsp Asafoetida
  • 2 sprig Curry Leaves

Instructions

  • For making sambar, you have to start by cooking dal. I used toor dal in this recipe. But you can use half toor dal and half yellow moong dal. Wash toor dal in several changes of water. Take washed dal in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Add some turmeric powder and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistle. Let the pressure release by itself. Open the cooker and mash the dal slightly using back of a spoon and set aside.
  • Heat ghee or oil in a pot. Add in chopped onions, tomatoes and slit green chillies. You can add peeled whole shallots of taste and texture. Saute the onions and tomatoes for 2 minutes. Add in your chopped mixed vegetables. In this recipe for sambar I used pumpkin, potato, cucumber, carrots, raw mango, beans and brinjal. You can add whatever vegetables you have or prefer. Saute the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes till the raw smell leaves from it.
  • Cover the vegetables with water. You can add some salt to the vegetables. Bring it to a boil. Cover the pot with lid and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes till vegetables are almost cooked. Once vegetables are cooked, add in the cooked toor dal. Add in sambar powder, tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery and mix well. Simmer this whole thing for 10 minutes.
  • For tempering sambar, heat ghee or oil. Add in mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for few seconds. Add in broken dry red chillies and mix well. Add a dash of asafoetida and curry leaves in hot oil and mix well. Pour this into the sambar and mix.
  • Add lots of finely chopped coriander leaves into the sambar and mix well. This coriander leaves adds so much aroma to the sambar. Serve sambar with idli, dosa or rice.

Video

Notes

  • You can cook dal ahead of time and store in fridge and use as needed.
  • Instead of using toor dal, you can use moong dal or half toor and half moong dal. 
  • Instead of homemade sambar powder you can use store bought sambar powder.
  • Any vegetables can be used in making sambar.
  • You can use whole peeled shallots of making sambar.

How to Make Instant Pot Sambar

  • Set instant pot to saute mode on high heat.
  • Add oil, add mustard, urad dal, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Now add in all veggies and stir fry for 2 mins. Add in spice powders and mix well. Add salt, sugar, tamarind, dal and water.
  • Now change the mode to pressure cook in instant pot. Set temp to 15 mins on high pressure. Leave the pressure to release on its own.
  • Open the lid and add coriander leaves. Mix well and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servings | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 4432IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
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