This Sambar recipe without coconut is a classic south-Indian mixed vegetable and lentil curry served with idly, dosa, vada or rice.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Servings: 3people
Author: Famidha Ashraf
Equipment
1 Pressure cooker
1 Saucepot
INGREDIENTS
For pressure cooking (boiling the lentils)
½cuptoor dal(split pigeon peas)
2garlic cloves
1pinchturmeric powder
1 ½cup water
½teaspoonghee
For tamarind extract
2tablespoonstamarind pulp
¼cuphot water
For cooking sambar
1tablespoongheeor coconut oil
¼cupmini shallots(pearl onions)
500gramssambar vegetables(see post)
2large tomatoeschopped
2 to 3green chillies
¼teaspoonturmeric powder
½teaspoonkashmiri red chilli powder
2cupswaterto cover the veggies
21/2tablespoonsambar powder
1teaspoonjaggeryoptional
Salt to taste
For Tempering (tadka)
1tablespoonghee or coconut oil
½teaspoonmustard seeds
2sprig of curry leaves
¼teaspoonfenugreek seeds(methi seeds)
a pinch of hing
2dried red chillies
Last addition
Fresh coriander leaveschopped
curry leaves
2green chillies
1teaspoon ghee to be stirred in before serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash and soak the tuvar dal
Rinse the dal a couple of times until the water runs almost clear. Soak the lentils in enough water for at least 20 minutes.
Pressure cook
Add to a small pressure cooker along with garlic clove, turmeric and a smidge of ghee. Pressure cook for 10 minutes or 3 to 4 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure release on its own. The cooked lentils should be cooked through and easily mashable with a spoon.
Prepare the tamarind extract
Soak the tamarind pulp in hot water and keep covered until required or at least for 10 to 20 minutes.
Cook the veggies for sambar
Heat some ghee in a deep thick bottomed saucepot. Saute the pearl onions or onions until translucent. To have the veggies retain their shape till the end, it is better to first add the vegetables that need more time to cook to give them a head start.
Add the chopped vegetables, tomatoes, turmeric, red chilli, half of the sambar powder and salt. Stir the veggies on high flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour water just enough to cover the veggies and bring this to a full boil. Reduce the flame to medium and cook partially covered until the veggies are almost cooked.
Prepare sambar
Check the veggies by poking a knife through the centre of a few pieces to make sure they are cooked. The veggies should not be hard.
Stir in the tamarind extract through a strainer or squeeze using your hands and mix well. Stir in the remaining sambar powder and the pressure-cooked dal.
Mix everything thoroughly, taste and adjust the flavours. ou may add more sambar powder, tamarind water, or jaggery to balance. Let it simmer on low to medium flame until the sambar comes to a boil. Switch off and move on to preparing the tempering.
Prepare the tempering (tadka)
Heat ghee or any coconut oil in a small tadka pan on a low flame. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.
Next, add the curry leaves, methi seeds and hing and fry until the curry leaves are crisp.
Switch off and add the dried red chillies and fry in the residual heat until they turn crisp. Pour this immediately into the pot of sambar, stir and cover the pot.
Serve and store Sambar
Stir in the freshly chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves and a teaspoon of ghee before serving with steamed rice, idli, dosa, vada, etc.
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for not more than 3 days.
Notes
You may start with the tempering process or you may do it in the end. You may buy the ready-to-use sambar veggies box of 500gms or mix any 3 to 5 vegetables like carrots, green beans, potato, yam, brinjal, any kind of gourds, drumsticks, okra, raw plantains, pumpkin, radish, etc. Chop the veggies chunky and in similar sizes.