Sambar Recipe

5 from 6 votes

An authentic recipe for sambar, a south Indian dal or stew of lentils and vegetables. Eat with rice, dosa or idli for a healthy, nourishing meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Stew

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 163kcal

½ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
¼ cup moong dal (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon oil (Use any oil of your choice. I used avocado oil).
1 sprig curry leaves
1 medium red onion (diced. You can also use a large shallot or 10-12 red pearl onions).
Salt to taste
2 medium carrots (cut in a ½-inch dice)
10-12 pieces drumsticks (Moringa seed pods. If using frozen, no need to thaw first. If you have access to fresh drumsticks, use 2 drumsticks, trim the ends and cut into 2-inch pieces).
2 cups pumpkin (cut in a ½-inch dice)
2 medium potatoes (red potatoes or yellow potatoes, cut in ½-inch dice)
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate (or 1 small-lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in ½ cup warm water for 30 minutes. Squish the tamarind pods with your fingers to release the pulp, strain out the tamarind pulp and water, and reserve. You can discard the tamarind pods).
1 teaspoon sambar powder (optional)
1 teaspoon jaggery (or unrefined sugar)

1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2-3 dried red chili peppers
1 tablespoon chana dal
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds or methi seeds (methi)
2 teaspoons rice (uncooked)
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 small red onion (or 1 shallot, sliced. If using red pearl onions, use 10-12 pearl onions, whole).
2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
1 medium tomato (diced)

Place the lentils in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot liner or saucepan. Wash in a couple of changes of water.
Add enough water to cover the lentils by at least two inches. Stir in the turmeric.
Pressure cook the lentils for three whistles in a traditional pressure cooker or for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot on high pressure. If cooking the lentils on the stovetop, cook 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are very soft and mushy. Mash the lentils with a wooden spoon or ladle.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet. Add coriander seeds, chana dal, dried red chili peppers, black peppercorns, fenugreek seeds and uncooked rice.
Fry over medium heat until the coriander seeds and chana dal are a couple of shades darker and very aromatic. Remove the spices to a bowl or plate and set them aside to cool.
In the same skillet add sliced onions and a curry leaves. Fry until the onions are soft and beginning to brown. remove them to the bowl or plate with the other spices to cool.
Place all the ground masala ingredients in a blender along with the diced tomato. Add a cup of water.
Blend into a very smooth paste and set aside.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the diced onions and a third of the curry leaves and saute until the onions are soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the vegetables to the pot: drumsticks, carrots, pumpkin and potatoes. Add a cup of water to the pot, cover and let the vegetables cook 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in a tablespoon of tamarind paste or all of the pulp and juice extracted from the tamarind pods and continue cooking five minutes (don't cover the pot this time).
Add the cooked dal and the fresh-ground masala to the pot. Mix well and add salt to taste.
Stir in the optional sambar powder followed by the jaggery.
Bring the sambar to a boil and continue to cook for five more minutes. Add a cup of water or more if the sambar is too thick. The right consistency for a sambar is not too thick but not too thin either. The vegetables should sink slightly below the surface, not rise to the top.

In a skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds to the skillet and wait for them to sputter. Add the cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
Pour the tempering into the sambar and mix it in. Turn off heat. Check salt and add more if needed. Enjoy the sambar hot.

Cook the lentils to a mushy and soft consistency. The lentils should not hold their shape in the sambar. They should create a smooth, creamy base for the vegetables, which will add lots of texture.
Use lots of curry leaves. Curry leaves add wonderful flavor to sambar. I use it at three different stages in this recipe.
Use the stock from the dal. In my pressure cooker the lentils appear to use up most of the water, but if you have more liquid left in the lentils after they have cooked to the right consistency, don't throw it out. It is full of flavor. Add it to the sambar with the dal and just use less water.