Vegetable sambar/ sambar

 

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: South Indian

Author: Nivetha Jagadeesh

WHAT IS SAMBAR?

 Sambar is a bean and veggie pot from South India cooked with  tamarind extract, and a particular spice blend known as sambar powder. It is a traditional and also well dish in many South Indian households.  onion, tomatoes, drumstick, carrots, beans, and  other vegetables are usually used in sambar. The sambar is aromatic though it is made with a combination of vegetable.

 

My recipes, from the other hand, haven't used a lot of vegetables. Tomato, drumstick,  and carrots are among the vegetables I prefer. You can add as many vegetables as you want.

 

Always take into consideration not to overcook the vegetables in your sambar. Sambar has many different types that is plain sambar , Tiffin sambar , veggies sambar etc.. Let’s gets started our receipe.

 

sambar

Ingredients:

For presser cooking:

Toor dal – 1 cup

Water – Required

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Salt- As Needed

For cooking:

Tamarind – 1 tablespoon

Onion-3

Tomato – 3

Green chilli-2

Carrot- 2

Beans -2

Drumstick -1

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Sambar powder- 2 tsp

Coriander leaves- few

For Tempering:

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curryleaves- few

Hing- 1 tsp

Red chilli- 2 

 

Instructions:

• Combine the washed and rinsed toor dal,  turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups water in a pressure cooker. Simmer on medium-high heat for 5 whistles, then reduce to medium-low and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.
• Open the cooker once the pressure has naturally released and lightly mash the cooked dal using a potato masher. 
• Meanwhile, soak 1 tablespoon tamarind for 15 to 20 minutes in 1/3 cup warm water.
•  Using a strainer, drain the tamarind juice and keep it aside.
• In a pan add 2 tbsp of oil ,then add the chopped onion , green chilli to the hot oil and saute well.
• Then add  the carrots ,beans , drumsticks, along with add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and cook for few minutes.
• Finally, add around 2 cups of water and stir well.
• Then add spices- red chilli powder, sambar powder and required salt and let them cook for few minutes.
• Add cooked dal and add tamarind juice and mix everything together and let the sambar cook for 10-15 minutes.
• In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon ghee (or oil if you wish ) for the tempering. When the ghee is hot, toss in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and wait for them to pop then add red chillies.
• Stir in the hing and curry leaves for some few seconds, until the leaves turn crisp.
• Pour the tempering over the sambar that is boiling.
• Finally, Garnish with coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
• Serve the sambar with idli, dosa, Pongal, vadai and rice.

 

Notes:

1. If you like sweetness then add one small piece of jaggery in this receipe.
2. If you don’t like vegetables you can skip the veggies.
3. In addition you can also add the radish, pumpkin , okra(Ladies finger)
4. Cook the vegetables before adding the dal and tamarind juice.