Soulful Sambar

Sambar in south Indian household is a daily affair, sharing the recipe for making this soulful sambar in simple and easy method.

A basic sambar recipe will have a mix or one or two types of vegetables along with lentils, tamarind, sambar powder and a few spices.

Preparation

Making Soulful Sambar

  • Soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze and keep aside the tamarind puree.
  • Rinse and add about 100 grams of Toor Dal, and pressure cook the same for 4 whistles in a cooker by adding 1.5 litres of water, make sure the dal is soft and mushy, keep it aside.
  • Cut your choice of vegetables – Ash Guard, brinjals, okra, drumsticks, carrot, small onions, it can be a mixed bag of veggies or one single vegetable, as per your preference. (I usually use only one vegetable, and prefer Ash Guard or drumsticks the most).
  • Add around 1.5 to 2 cups water or enough to the cut veggies so that they are covered, to this add some salt (as per taste) and turmeric and let it cook till they are soft.
  • Once the vegetables are cooked till soft, add the tamarind puree to the cooked vegetables, along with 2-3 tbsp of Soulful Sambar Podi to bring in the aroma, allow the mixture to cook until the sambar podi is soaked into the veggies well.
  • To this mixture, add the cooked toor dal and at this stage you can check the salt, and add if needed. Also, if the consistency of the sambar is thick, add a little more water to bring it to medium consistency.
  • Let it boil until a froth is formed and cover it with a lid.

Ingredients

For Soulful Sambar:

  • Tamarind - 1-2 tbsp
  • Toor Dal-100 grams
  • Cut veggies - 1 cup
  • Turmeric – 1 spoon
  • Curry leaves – 5-6
  • Musturd Seeds – 1 small spoon
  • Salt – as per taste

Seasoning:

  • In a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil of your choice, coconut, sesame oil, refined oil or even ghee, add one tbsp of mustard seeds, 5-6 curry leaves and asafoetida (hing) if you prefer, allow the seasoning to crackle, add to the sambar, and closed the lid.
  • Serve with your choice of food like Idly, Dosa, Medu Vada, Uthappam, Or pair it with steaming hot rice for a comforting, nutritious and filling meal.

Note:

  • : you could also add freshly grounded coconut to the podi and blend it to give it a variation or add a spoonful of jaggery to give it a slightly sweet taste.