SAMBAR RECIPE

How to make Simple Sambar – with Step by Step pictures

Step 1.Set the ingredients required for making Sambar ready on the kitchen table. Peel and wash the onions. Wash and partially slit the green chilies. Wash and cut the tomatoes. Wash the cilantro. Soak tamarind in half-a-cup of warm water

Step 2.Rinse pigeon peas well and drain the water. Add turmeric powder, cumin and curry leaves [I had no curry leaves then. So you won’t be seeing in this picture] I will give you a quick tip. I add 1/4 tsp. of asafoetida and 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds. Adding these two ingredients in this step will give the sambar a WONDERFUL smell.

  

Step 3.Add 2 cups water to the lentils. Close the pressure cooker and place it on the stove in HIGH flame. Wait for 3 whistles (Takes 5-7 minutes). Switch off the stove after the 3rd whistle. [My pigeon peas gets cooked in 3 whistles. If yours doesn’t, have them in LOW flame for 10 more minutes after the 3rd whistle. Check 3Ts section to check how to make sambar if you do not have a pressure cooker.] 

   

Step 4.Once the pressure subsides by itself (Takes 5 minutes), open the pressure cooker (hummmmm… the lentils are smelling awesome already!) and stir it nicely with a ladle such that the lentils loose shape. Now add 1½ cups more water. Stir and place the pressure cooker on the stove in HIGH flame.

   

Step 5.Wait until the tur dal begin to boil (Takes 7 minutes). Once the dhal begins to boil, add the vegetables (onions, chilies, tomatoes, curry leaves). Add salt now. [Remember to add salt at this step. If you add salt at a later stage, only the sauce takes the salt leaving the vegetables bland.]

    

So the Sambaar looks something like this at this stage. Continue to cook it, but in MEDIUM flame. Stir every 4-5 minutes else the toor dhal might burn.

Step 6.Let the tuvar dal and vegetables boil for 10 minutes. When you find the vegetables almost half done (70% cooked), add the red chili powder. Stir and continue to cook. [You may close the vessel with the lid ajar. Optional if you want the vegetables to cook fast. You may need to add little water if you find the sauce to be very thick at this stage. It’s good to have some warm water ready.]

   

Step 7.In another 7 or 10 minutes the vegetables should be cooked (In the meantime extract the juice from tamarind). You see the lovely cooked red pearl onions below? By this stage the raw smell of the chili powder must also be vanished.

 

Step 8.Once the vegetables are completely cooked and the raw smell of the red chili powder goes, add the extracted tamarind juice. (Check 3Ts section if you wanted to know how to extract juice from tamarind) 

 

Step 9.Stir. Saambaar is almost done. Turn flame to Medium-Low and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, just until the tamarind looses its raw smell.

Step 10.Let’s temper the sambar. Heat a small wok in Medium flame. Once the oil is heated nicely, add the mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to splutter completely. Then tear a whole red chilly and add to it. Change flame to LOW. Add fennel seeds. Once the fennel seeds turn brown add the fenugreek seeds. Take care not to burn fenugreek seeds. [You may also omit the fenugreek if you have already added them while pressure cooking the dhal.] Add 1/8 tsp. hing. Hing tends to stick to the pan, so act fast. Switch off flame.

     

Step 11.If you have fresh coriander, chop them and add during tempering. Quickly toss the tempering into the sambar. Stir the sambar. Change flame to LOW. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Switch off flame and close the sambar.

  

Step 12.South-Indian Sambar is ready. Wooo… you see the roasted potatoes too? Check in 3Ts for more of side-dish options for Sambar rice.