Sambhar Recipe / Lentil and vegetable stew

Tangy and flavourful Pigeon pea and mix vegetables stew-Speciality from Southern India


Sambhar is a speciality from Southern part of India and is also the most popular dish which paired very well with idli, dosa, vada, rice and many other snacks or tiffin varieties.

The main ingredients of sambhar are pigeon pea/tuvar daal ,tamarind and sambhar masala,which gives the wonderful flavour and sourness to sambhar and makes it different then the regular tuvar daal.

There are many versions and variations of making sambhar depends on each region and individual taste.The main diffference is the addition of vegetables and the sambhar masala,though the main ingredients of sambhar masala are chana daal/bengal gram,white lentil/urad daal,coriander seeds,curry leaves,fenugreek seeds/methi dana etc,but the ratio of ingredients vary in individuals recipe and that makes a lots of difference in the taste.

Addition of vegetables in the sambhar also depends on personal choice,some like to make it with a single vegtable and some prefer to use a mixture of few vegetables(like I do) but taste great both ways.

Sambhar made with freshly made sambhar powder taste awesome,I always make fresh sambhar masala(will post the recipe soon) but you can also use readymade sambhar powder as there are so many good brands of sambhar masala readily available in the market.

Prep time-10 minutes
Cooking time- 45 min
Cuisine- South Indian
Type- main course
Serve-6

INGREDIENTS-

• Pigeon peas/Tuvar daal /Arhar daal- 1 cup
• Sambhar powder- 2 tbsp
• Jaggary/Gur, grated - 1 tbsp *
• Tamarind /Imli -2 tbsp
• Fresh coconut,grated- 1.5 tsp(optional)
• Turmeric-/haldi 3/4 tsp
• Chili powder/lal mirch-2 tsp
• Tomato,chopped-1cup
• Ginger/Adrak,grated -1 tsp
• Drum stick/sehjan phali-1
• Bottle gourd/Lauki,chopped-3/4 cup
• Baby brinjals/Baigan,cubed -3/4 cup
• Okra/bhindi, sliced-1/2 cup
• Curry leaves/Curry patta- 12

Tempering/waghar

• Cooking oil- 4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds /Rai - 1 tsp
• Cumin /Jeera -1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek /methi dana-a pinch of
• White lentil /Urad daal- 1 tsp
• Whole red chilies- 4
• Asafoetida /Hing- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves-10

PROCEDURE-

1. Wash and soak tuvar daal for 20 minutes.
2. Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water and then mash it well and remove the fibre and seeds and keep aside the pulp
3. Peel drum sticks and make 2 inch long pieces.
4. Now add the soaked daal along with the water and 1 tsp of oil in a pressure cooker.
5. Add little extra water if needed,the water level should not be more than 1 inch above the dal,otherwise it will spill out.
6. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistle or cook till it become soft and mushy.
7. Now open the cooker and mash it well with a whisk.
8. Heat about 4 tbsp of oil in a cooking pan and add chopped okra and stir fry till they become golden.
9. Remove the okra from the pan and keep aside.
10. Now add all the tempering ingredients in the pan  and cook till mustard start crackling and urad dal become golden
11. Now add chopped bottle gourd and brinjal cubes(or any vegetable you want to add in the sambhar) and stir fry for a minute.
12. Add turmeric powder,chili powder,sambhar powder,tamarind water,chopped tomato and 1.5 cups of water.
13. Let this mixture boil on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
14. Add mashed daal , 4 .5 cups of water, jaggary/gur, salt, ginger,chopped drum sticks and curry leaves.
15. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes on low flame.
16. Add stir fried okra/bhindi and simmer for 10 minutes.
17. Now add grated fresh coconut and fresh coriander and give it a boil.
18. Serve hot with idli, dosa or steamed rice.

Tips-
1- Sambhar masala-You can either make fresh sambhar masala or use any good brand of readymade sambhar powder,but the addition of this flavourful sambhar masala is a must.there are so many good brands of readymade sambhar powders available in the market to choose from.
2-Vegetables- Selection of vegetables and their quantity depends on personal choice and taste,I have added my favourite vegetables but you can also add yellow pumpkin, raddish, cauliflower, french beans, cluster beans/guvar,capsicum, carrot or any vegetable of your choice.
3-* Addition of jaggary and fresh coconut is optional,but jaggary gives a wondeful taste to sambhar,so do try it once.
4- Thickness of sambhar- if you want to serve it with idli then make it little thin and if you want to serve it with dosa or steamed rice then make it medium thick or depends on your personal choice.