How to Make Delicious Sambar at Home

Sambar is a famous South Indian dish that has now become a popular delicacy across the country. With its tangy and spicy taste, this lentil-based curry is a wholesome and nutritious meal that can be enjoyed with rice, idli, dosa, or even as a soup on its own. Making sambar at home can be a bit intimidating, especially if you’re not familiar with the ingredients or the cooking process.

But fear not! In this article, we’re going to show you how to make sambar step-by-step, using simple ingredients that are easily available at your local grocery store. With a few tips and tricks, you’ll be able to prepare a mouth-watering sambar that will impress your family and friends. So, grab your apron and let’s get cooking!

Ingredients Required to make Sambar

To prepare the quintessential South Indian delicacy, you’ll need a handful of basic ingredients that are easily available at your local grocery store. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Mix of Vegetables

The first and the most crucial component of Sambar is the vegetable mix. Generally, you can opt for a combination of veggies such as carrots, pumpkin, drumsticks, brinjals, and beans. However, the options are endless, and you can also use other vegetables like radish, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, etc. You can choose vegetables based on what’s in season and what you like.

Tamarind Pulp

Tamarind pulp is a souring agent that gives a tangy taste to the Sambar. You can use tamarind pulp that’s readily available in stores or prepare tamarind juice by soaking a small lemon-sized ball of tamarind in warm water for an hour. Strain the pulp and use the juice to make your Sambar.

Toor Dal

Toor dal or pigeon peas are the primary ingredients that give Sambar its creamy texture. It is also a rich source of protein, and hence, an important ingredient in the Sambar recipe. Soak the Toor dal for at least an hour or two before cooking.

Sambar Powder

Sambar powder is a blend of Indian spices that adds an earthy flavor to the Sambar. You can either use store-bought Sambar powder or make your own by dry roasting spices like coriander seeds, cumin, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and dried red chillies, and grinding them into a fine powder.

Onions and Tomatoes

Onions and tomatoes are the base vegetables that add sweetness and a tinge of sourness to the Sambar. Chop them into small pieces to ensure they cook faster.

Spices

Spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, and asafoetida or hing are also essential to add flavor and aroma to the Sambar.

Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are an aromatic herb that adds a distinct flavor to the Sambar. A handful of fresh curry leaves can work wonders for any South Indian dish, and hence, it’s an essential component of the Sambar recipe.

Mustard Seeds and Cumin Seeds

These are the two spices used for tempering or the tadka in the Sambar. The mustard seeds add a nutty flavor, while the cumin seeds add an earthy, warm taste to the dish.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the ideal choice for Sambar as it adds a delicate flavor to the dish. Using ghee or vegetable oil is also acceptable, but coconut oil is preferred since it adds more layers of flavor.

Water

Water is the liquid base that is blended with the spices, vegetables, and dal mixture to make the Sambar. Ensure to use fresh water for cooking and add more water as required while you cook the dish.

Now that we have gone through the ingredients, let’s dive into the recipe and find out how to make Sambar.

Ingredients Needed For Making Sambar – The South Indian Cuisine

Sambar is a staple food in South India and a delicious lentil-based vegetable stew with tamarind. The flavors range from slightly sweet to tangy, making it one of the most popular and nutritious food available. It is easy to make and can be served with rice, idli, dosa or even vada. Here are the ingredients that you will need to make sambar at home.

1. Tamarind – A small lemon-sized ball of tamarind
Tamarind is a quintessential ingredient in making sambar. It provides a tangy flavor to the dish and gives the sambar its characteristic taste.

2. Toor Dal – ½ cup of toor dal (pigeon peas)
Toor dal is the core ingredient of the dish. It is rich in protein and has a unique aroma that gives sambar its distinct flavor.

3. Vegetables – 2 cups of mixed vegetables
Sambar can be made with any vegetable of your choice. Usually, vegetables like carrot, eggplant, drumstick, pumpkin, and beans are used in sambar. Adding vegetables to the sambar make it more nutritious.

4. Sambar Powder – 2 tbsp of sambar powder
Sambar powder is a blend of spices that adds a robust flavor to the dish. It has a combination of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and other spices.

5. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp of mustard seeds
Mustard seeds are an essential part of the tempering that goes into sambar. It adds a nutty flavor, and the crackling sound from the seeds is the beginning of making sambar.

6. Dried Red Chillies – 2-3 dried red chillies
Dried red chillies give heat to the sambar. The heat should be balanced with the sweetness from the tamarind and vegetables in the dish.

7. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp of turmeric powder
Turmeric powder, also called Haldi, is added to the sambar for its distinct yellow color. It is also an antioxidant that has many health benefits.

8. Curry Leaves – A handful of curry leaves
Curry leaves provide an earthy aroma and flavor to the sambar. They are added to the tempering before adding to the sambar.

9. Asafoetida – A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
Asafoetida is added to the sambar to help with digestion. It also provides a unique flavor to the dish.

10. Salt – To taste (preferably the rock salt)
Salt is crucial in balancing all the flavors in the sambar. Make sure to add salt as per your taste preference and health requirements.

Now that we have walked through all the ingredients let’s move to the cooking process of making the delicious South Indian cuisine – sambar.

Ingredients for Sambar

Making sambar requires some staple ingredients that are commonly found in an Indian kitchen. Here are the essential ingredients that you’ll need to make sambar:

Preparing the Ingredients

Before you start cooking, you need to prepare the ingredients. Here’s how you can prepare the ingredients for sambar:

1. Toor dal: Rinse the toor dal in water a few times and then soak it in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep the toor dal aside.

2. Tamarind: Take a small lemon-sized amount of tamarind and soak it in warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with your hands to extract the juice and discard the pulp.

3. Vegetables: Wash and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

4. Sambar powder: If you don’t have store-bought sambar powder, you can make it at home by grinding 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, and 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds together with a few dry red chillies.

Cooking the Sambar

Now that all of your ingredients are prepped and ready, you can start cooking the sambar. Follow these steps:

1. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked toor dal, chopped vegetables, turmeric powder, asafoetida, and enough water until everything is immersed in water. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles on medium heat until the dal is cooked.

2. In a separate pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds. Once they sputter, add dry red chillies and curry leaves.

3. Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.

4. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté until they are soft and mushy.

5. Add the tamarind water and sambar powder to the onion-tomato mixture and simmer it for a few minutes.

6. Add the cooked dal and vegetables to the tamarind-sambar powder mixture and stir it well.

7. Add salt to taste and bring everything to a boil.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice, idli, dosa, or vada.

Conclusion

Making sambar from scratch is not as difficult as it seems. With the right ingredients and following the steps, you can make delicious sambar that your family and friends will love. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different vegetables and spices to make your sambar unique and flavorful. Happy cooking!

Enjoy your Homemade Sambar!

There you have it, a step-by-step guide to making a delicious and authentic South Indian sambar. Now it’s your turn to try it out in your kitchen and impress your family and friends with your new cooking skills. Remember, the beauty of cooking is in experimenting, so feel free to add your own twist to the recipe. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. Don’t forget to drop a comment on your experience making sambar. Until next time, happy cooking!