Flavors of Mumbai

Sambar Recipe, How to make Vegetable Sambar without Sambar Powder | Sambar Recipe

by 28 Comments

Sambar Recipe with vegetables – a easy recipe to make sambar without sambar powder. For people who knows what is sambar?? Its made from lentils and is similar to a stew with lots of veggies.  This Sambar Recipe is my mom’s recipe and no sambar powder is required. I never used to liked Sambar in my childhood however I have developed taste for Sambar few years back and make them atleast once a week.

Lots of veggies goes in Sambar. You can use drumsticks, brinjals, pumpkin, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, jackfruit seeds, ladies finger etc. Sambar is low fat, lots of vitamins and proteins. Great to have during winter or rainy season. Add veggies of your choice for instance I have added jack fruit seed, carrots, brinjal which are optional.

Sambar is made with yellow lentils (arhar or toor dal). I have made sambar in a wok / vessel. But you could make them in pressure cooker too as it’s easy and saves a lot of time. There are various kind of sambar made towards Southern India. We eat sambar-rice with fried papads, pickle or fried fish goes well with it.

I remember as a child we used to eat lot of dosas, appams and idlis with hot piping sambar in udipi restaurant in Matunga – Mumbai. We have eaten a lot of south indian tiffin snacks at Radha Krishna Hotel Andheri West. In- fact in Pune you have many hotel serving south indian snacks like Ram-Krishna Camp Pune, Jyoti Restaurant Kondhwa,  Dawangere Loni (homemade butter) Dosa  sold on Pune street and Priya restaurant Camp has the best butter uttapam a must try.

Lots of veggies goes in Sambar. You can use drumsticks, brinjals, pumpkin, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, jackfruit seeds, ladies finger etc. Sambar is low fat, lots of vitamins and proteins. Great to have during winter or rainy season.

South Indian Sambar RecipeGenerally in South Indian food sambar is eaten with dosa, idlis, steamed rice. Also sambar is a regular food for South Indians. In India people relish sambar and are really fond of eating Sambar. There are lot of versions to make sambar in India. But I love the sambar made from my mom.

Let’s make Sambar Recipe step by step:  

1. Firstly chop veggies like carrots, ladies finger and jackfruit seeds (remove the outer covering of Jackfruit and chop them into 2 halves). Immerse them in water and keep it aside.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

2. Also take the Tamarind ball and immerse in water for 10 mins. Keep it aside.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

3. Take a frying pan and roast grated coconut, coriander seed, fenugreek seed (methi dana), kashmiri chilies, curry leaves, chopped ginger, garlic, 1 chopped onion, urad dal, cumin seed, pepper corn and 1/2 tbsp hing. Put little oil and roast them for 5 mins on low flame.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

4. Now grind the roasted spices into the processor.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

5. Grind until smooth paste is formed.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

6. Boil toor dal until cooked.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

7. Take a big wok or vessel add toor dal with 1/2 cup water. Add chopped carrot and jackfruits seeds into the dal.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

8. Add Turmeric powder along with roasted masalas paste. Let this cook for 5 mins on low flame.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

9. Now add chopped veggies and tomatoes.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

10. Add water as consistency required. Cook for another 5 mins on low heat.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

11. Immerse tamarind in hot water for n 5 mins. Squeeze the tamarind and use the water. Alternatively you could use tamarind pulp. Pour this tamarind water in the sambar.  Add salt as per taste. Cover the sambar with a lid and cook for 15 mins. Keep stirring occasionally.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

12. Take another small pan or vessel. Add oil once hot. Put Mustard seeds, rest of curry leaves, 1/2 tbsp hing and rest of red chilies. Saute for 2 mins on low flame.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

13. Mix the above tempering (tadka) in the Sambar. Let the sambar cook for another 5 mins.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

14. Your Sambar Recipe is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice or dosas.

South Indian Sambar Recipe

If you looking for more south indian snacks then do check dosa, cheese dosa, ragi dosa, south indian prawns curry, curd rice, unniyappam and tomato rice.

Sambar Recipe details and printable version below:

 

Sambar Recipe, How to make Vegetable Sambar without Sambar Powder | Sambar Recipe
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Easy Sambar recipe which could be made without adding sambar powder. Sambar goes well with rice, dosa and idlis.
Author:
Recipe type: main
Cuisine: indian
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients (used american measuring cup, 1 cup = 250 ml)
For Sambar :
  • 6 tbsp fresh grated coconut (nariyal)
  • 1 ball of seedless tamarind immersed in hot water or 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (imli)
  • 8 kashmiri chilies
  • 1 inch ginger chopped (adrak)
  • 10-12 garlic cloves (lehsun)
  • 1 tbsp hing (asofoetida)
  • 1 tbsp methi seed (fenugreek seed)
  • 3 tbsp coriander seed (dhaniya)
  • 2 tbsp pepper corn (sabut kalimirch)
  • 1 tbsp cumin seed
  • 2 onion chopped
  • 200 gm pumpkin (kadu / bhopla) optional
  • 150 gm bottlegourd (dudhi) optional
  • 10-12 jackfruit seeds (fanas) optional
  • 3 chopped carrots optional
  • 2-3 tomatoes chopped
  • 4 ladies finger optional
  • 1 tbsp urad dal (split black gram)
  • 100 gms toor dal (split pigeon peas)
  • 1.5 cups water or as consistency required
For Tempering:
  • 14 curry leaves
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp mustard seed (rai)
  • Salt as per taste
How to make the recipe?
  1. Firstly chop veggies like carrots, ladies finger and jackfruit seeds (remove the outer covering of Jackfruit and chop them into 2 halves). Immerse them in water with little and keep it aside.
  2. Also take the Tamarind ball and immerse in hot water for 10 mins. Keep it aside. Alternatively you could use tamarind pulp.
  3. Take a frying pan and roast grated coconut, coriander seed, fenugreek seed (methi dana), kashmiri chilies, curry leaves, chopped ginger, garlic, 1 chopped onion, urad dal, cumin seed, pepper corn and ½ tbsp hing. Put little oil and roast them for 5 mins on low flame.
  4. Now grind the roasted spices into the processor.
  5. Grind until smooth paste is formed.
  6. Boil toor dal until cooked.
  7. Take a big wok or vessel add toor dal with ½ cup water. Add chopped carrot and jackfruits seeds into the dal.
  8. Add Turmeric powder along with roasted masalas paste. Let this cook for 5 mins on low flame.
  9. Now add chopped veggies and tomatoes.
  10. Add water as consistency required. Cook for another 5 mins on low heat.
  11. Immerse tamarind in hot water for n 5 mins. Squeeze the tamarind and use the water. Alternatively you could use tamarind pulp. Pour this tamarind water in the sambar. Add salt as per taste. Cover the sambar with a lid and cook for 15 mins. Keep stirring occasionally.
  12. Take another small pan or vessel. Add oil once hot. Put Mustard seeds, rest of curry leaves, ½ tbsp hing and rest of red chilies. Saute for 2 mins on low flame.
  13. Mix the above tempering (tadka) in the Sambar. Let the sambar cook for another 5 mins.
  14. Your Sambar Recipe is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice or dosas.
Notes
1. Soak lentils an hour before cooking them.
2. You could use a pressure cooker just cook the lentils until 2 whistles then add all the veggies and simmer.
3. Generally in Udipi restaurants sugar is added hence their sambar tastes sweet.
4. You could tamarind pulp from the store.
5. Add water as consistency required.

South Indian Sambar Recipe



Comments

  1. Hi Maria,

    Nice recipe. One suggestion , plz mention how many tomatoes v need to add in sambhar & which one i.e, sweet tomato or other one.

    Thanks,
    Reshma

    Reply

  3. I’ve never had jackfruit seeds… after looking at the ingredients, I will defnetly try to prepare it for this durga pooja

    Reply

    • Hing is distributed 1/2 tbsp in roasted masalas and 1/2 tbsp in tadka so it doesn’t overpowers the sambar flavor Or masala.

      Reply

    • Hey Nancy,

      Thanks a ton for stopping by and for liking sambar. Please try them its similar to a stew with veggies. I am happy you invited me and looking forward to participate every month dear 🙂

      Reply

  6. your recipes is so excellent but one mistake to written,where has the used of fenugreek? have you used of fenugreek in the sambher masala or tadaka or mixed with toor dal?

    Reply

    • Hi Suresh,

      Thanks for pointing out already corrected in my post. I have used fenugreek (methi) while roasting masalas.Do try them! Also thanks for your views:)

      Love,
      Maria

      Reply

    • Hey Sabrina,

      Thanks yeah the flavor and aroma are tempting. Yeah do try its delicious and again Thanks for your wishes:))

      Love,
      Maria

      Reply

  9. Nice, but you do not need to capitalize the names of the ingredients! It looks silly, and none of the professionals do it. Because it looks silly.

    Reply

    • Hey Tiffany,

      Do try Sambar you can also sip it like soup. Its terrific and delicious you can have it any time of the day. I am sure you will love it!

      Love,
      Maria

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe: