Fat-Free Crockpot Sambar for Two

An easy recipe for a Crockpot Sambar, a south Indian style dal with veggies for one, or two. This recipe is also fat-free but it is full of flavor.

Do you ever get tired of those leftovers? I know I do.

I cook up a big pot of dal or pasta for Desi and I, and then– many cooking experiments later– I am digging it out of the back of the refrigerator. It is covered in fuzzy gray stuff, smells lethal, and I am afraid it’s too spoiled to go into the trash. Ugh.

That’s why I am madly in love right now with my little baby crockpot. It’s really tiny, looks awfully cute, and is perfect for anyone who cooks regularly — or once in a way — for just one or two.

Yesterday, I made a fat-free sambar in it that was just enough to fill Desi and me up for dinner, without me having to break out the Tupperware afterwards. It was a simple, totally delicious recipe that required just 10 minutes of prep– mainly chopping up some vegetables. How great is that?

While crockpots often get associated with cooking meat, they are perfect for vegan or vegetarian cooking. That’s because the gentle heat and long cooking period helps the flavors meld together. It’s like you spent four or five hours slaving over a hot stove to draw out all those flavors out when all you were really doing was sitting in your porch, sipping a margarita. Or working, which is a lot less fun, so let’s go with the porch and the margarita, shall we?

This is a perfect recipe if you are all thumbs when it comes to Indian cooking because you don’t really need any technique. You just need to know how to measure and throw things into a pot. And then add some water. And plug the crockpot into an electric outlet.

If that sounded like too much work for you…well, you just need to order in.

Leaving you now with the recipe. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Fat-Free Crockpot Sambar

I use a really small crockpot with a capacity of 0.65 quarts, although this can also be made in a 2-quart crockpot. To cook for more people just multiply the ingredients proportionately and use a larger crockpot.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 97kcal

Author: Vaishali Honawar

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup masoor lentils or pink lentils (don't use any other kind because they will not break down in the crockpot)
• 1/4 medium onion, finely minced
• 1/2 cup veggies of the kind used in a sambar, chopped in small pieces. I used eggplant, but you can go with carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, red peppers, baby onions, or, if you're hard-core into Indian cooking, drumsticks , bottle gourd, or bitter gourd
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 curry leaves
• 1 tsp sambar powder
• 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock

Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of your crockpot. Stir thoroughly, and cook for 6 hours or until the lentils are soft and mushy. The dal will get really tender, but it won't break down into a mush, the way it would if you pressure-cooked it.
• Check seasoning and add more salt if needed.
• Serve hot with rice and papads.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal | Protein: 6g | Fiber: 4.8g

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More sambar recipes:

White Pumpkin Sambar

Onion Sambar

Ezhukari Kuzhambu