Sambar Recipe without Coconut
This Sambar recipe without coconut is a classic south-Indian mixed vegetable and lentil curry served with idly, dosa, vada or rice.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 310.1kcal
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker
- 1 Saucepot
Ingredients
For pressure cooking (boiling the lentils)
- ½ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- 1 ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon ghee
For tamarind extract
- 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
- ¼ cup hot water
For cooking sambar
- 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
- ¼ cup mini shallots (pearl onions)
- 500 grams sambar vegetables (see post)
- 2 large tomato chopped
- 2 to 3 green chillies
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 cups water to cover the veggies
- 21/2 tablespoon sambar powder
- 1 teaspoon jaggery optional
- Salt to taste
For Tempering (tadka)
- 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 sprig of curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 dried red chillies
Last addition
- Fresh coriander leaves chopped
- curry leaves
- 2 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon 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.½ cup toor dal, 1 ½ cup water
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.2 garlic cloves, 1 pinch turmeric powder, ½ tsp ghee
Prepare the tamarind extract
- Soak the tamarind pulp in hot water and keep covered until required or at least for 10 to 20 minutes.2 tablespoons tamarind pulp, ¼ cup hot water
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.1 tablespoon ghee, ¼ cup mini shallots
- 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.500 grams sambar vegetables, 2 large tomato, 2 to 3 green chillies, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder, 2 cups water, 21/2 tbsp sambar powder
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. You 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.1 teaspoon jaggery, Salt to taste
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.1 tablespoon ghee , ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- Next, add the curry leaves, methi seeds and hing and fry until the curry leaves are crisp.2 sprig of curry leaves, ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida
- 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.2 dried red chillies
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.Fresh coriander leaves, curry leaves, 1 teaspoon ghee , 2 green chillies
- Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for not more than 3 days.
Notes
Have a question or looking for more tips? Please refer to the content above the recipe card. It often contains valuable explanations, tips, and ideas to enhance your cooking experience.
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.
Instant Pot timing: I start with saute, add the soaked dal, veggies and spices. Add water and Pressure cook for 10 minutes and open only after natural release.
Nutrition
Calories: 310.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.56g | Protein: 8.61g | Fat: 12.29g
