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5 from 6 votes

Kerala Style Sambar

A lentil based vegetable stew cooked with spices and tamarind pulp. A South Indian delicacy. It tastes so good with dosa, idli and rice. This is my own evolved kinda sambar recipe with tips taken from my mom and my friends :)
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: kerala
Servings: 5 serving
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Jane Jojo

Ingredients

Pressure Cook

  • ½ cup toor dal
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 cup water
  • salt

Saute

  • 10 onion Small
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (grinded)
  • 2 tsps Chilly powder
  • 2 tsps coriander powder
  • 4 teaspoon sambhar powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
  • 1 potato
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 drumsticks
  • 2 brinjal (small)
  • 4 ladies finger
  • 1 tomato
  • coriander leaves (a small handful bunch)
  • 2 teaspoon tamarind

Tempering

  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 3 Chilly Dried Red
  • 1 sprig curry leaves

Instructions

  • Soak tamarind in water for 15 minutes. Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric, salt, and water until soft, then mash lightly if you prefer. Meanwhile, chop shallots and cut vegetables like drumsticks, potatoes, carrots, okra, brinjals, and tomato.
  • Heat oil in a pan. Shallow fry lady's finger, adding some salt. Once it's done, keep it aside.
  • Add small onion and garlic. Once it is sauteed well, add chilli powder, coriander powder, fenugreek powder, asafoetida, sambhar powder and turmeric powder.
  • Then add the vegetables and salt. Saute veggies for around 10 - 15 minutes. Don't add water. Add 1 -2 tsps of oil. Stir it in between otherwise it can get burnt. 
  • Add the sauteed veggies into the cooked dal. Add around 1 - 2 cups of water or as much as needed. Pressure cook up to 1 whistle. Veggies will be done by this time. Squeeze water out of tamarind. Add the tamarind water, chopped coriander leaves and fried lady's finger. Mix it up well. Adjust the salt.
  • To temper - Heat oil in the pan. Splutter mustard seeds, then add dried red chilly and curry leaves. Add this to the sambar and mix well.

Notes

  1. Lentil Preparation: Cook toor dal until completely soft and mushy but not watery. If time allows, roast the dal lightly before washing to enhance flavor.
  2. Mash the Dal: For a thicker, more uniform texture, mash the cooked dal well before adding vegetables.
  3. Make-Ahead Prep: Cut vegetables a day in advance and store in the fridge. For bulk prep, freeze them and thaw fully before cooking to prevent excess water.
  4. Let it Rest: After adding the tempering, cover and let the sambar rest for 10–15 minutes so the flavors blend fully.
  5. Serving Tip: Add a dollop of ghee to the sambar just before serving to boost aroma and taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 916mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 2570IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg