Made with lentils, vegetables and spices, Sambar is a South Indian classic. I love the story on sambar’s origins. Of course, there are a few variants to this story so don’t hold me to it😊. Apparently when Chhatrapati Sivaji (an emperor in the 1700s) was ruling Tanjore (a region in the Tamil Nadu state of South India), his son Chhatrapati Shambaji tried to make tried to make a dal called Amti. Amti uses mung dal and kokum, which Shambaji substituted with toor dal (yellow lentils) and tamarind. This turned out so good that they named it Sambar after Shambaji!
My Favorite Sambar
Undoubtedly, my favorite sambar is the one that is served at Saravana Bhavan, a South Indian restaurant chain that has outlets in several cities. I have been to their outlets in Chennai, Kuala Lampur, Singapore, Dubai and New York and their quality is consistent across locations. The one I visit most often is their New York restaurant. My favorite dish there is Pongal Wada that is served with sambar and coconut chutney. I usually ask for a second helping of sambar and they always oblige.
Sambar served with Pongal Wada
Delicious Radish Sambar!
As a rule, I always pressure cook lentils first, for most of my lentil recipes. I like lentils very mushy, so they make a nice thick base for the dish. Another reason is that lentils cook at a higher temperature than vegetables. You don’t want to overcook them. I also like to add fresh grated coconut as it brings in a great flavor and texture. I love adding an assortment of veggies – typically carrots, beans, okra, eggplant, tomatoes and onions. For this recipe though, I added lots of radish, some carrots and green beans. Radish is very flavorful and gives out a distinct aroma when cooked.
Red Radish and Green Beans
Seasoning & Spices
For the most part, I add curry leaves, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chili peppers (red and green) for seasoning. You can also add fenugreek seeds. For spices, I typically use Kootu Podi (see recipe here). To make things easy for you however, you could just buy sambar powder off the shelf (at any Indian grocery, or Amazon). Tamarind and jaggery bring in a bit of tart and sweetness. You can imagine how complex the flavor profile would be, with all these different ingredients. It sure is!
Ingredients for Kootu Podi
Why Is This Healthy?
Toor dal is a great source of vegetarian protein. The assortment of vegetables brings in fiber and a host of other nutrients, making this a very wholesome recipe.
Check out some of our delicious lentil veggie recipes:
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Cabbage Kootu: Cabbage & Lentil Stew
- Andhra Tomato Pappu
- Tomato Fenugreek Dal
- South Indian Palak Dal – Spinach & Lentils Stew
- Mamidikaya Pappu- Raw Mango Dal
- Rainbow Chard Red Lentil Stew
- Blended Chana & Cluster Bean Curry
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
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Delicious Radish Sambar!
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Red Radish - Small pieces
- 1/2 Cup Green Beans - Small pieces
- 1/2 Cup Onion - Small pieces
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Grated Coconut
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Kootu Podi - ( Or 24 Mantra Organic Sambar Powder)
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 3/4 Teaspoon Tamarind - Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Bran Oil - Extra Virgin
- 1 Cup Toor Dal - Pigeon Peas
- 1/2 Cup Carrots - Small pieces
- 1/2 Cup Tomato - Small pieces
- 1/4 Teaspoon Jaggery
- 3 Cups Filtered water
Tempering
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 6-8 Leaves Curry Leaves - Split in half
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Slit lengthwise
- 1/2 Teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1/2 Pepper Dry Red Chili
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chana Dal
Instructions
- Pressure cook toor dal, tomato and carrots for 15 minutes on high pressure in Instant Pot (IP). Set aside, clean and dry the IP pan.
- Blend fresh coconut and set it aside.
- Now make sure you have all these handy before you start cooking: 1. Chopped onion, radish and green beans 2. Pressure cooked dal 3. Sambar powder, salt, turmeric, jaggery, tamarind paste (add salt, jaggery, tamarind paste to cooked dal and mash with a spoon) 4. Grated coconut 5. Tempering ingredients (curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds, green and red chili pepper, urad and chana dal) 6. Cilantro.
- Set IP to 'Sauté' mode. Once the 'hot' sign pops up, add tempering ingredients. As mustard and cumin seeds crackle, add veggies, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and mix well. Add onion, radish, green beans, blended coconut, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup water and let it come to a simmer. Now add the pressure cooked dal , 1 more cup filtered water and bring this to a simmer.
- Add cilantro, mix well and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Serve hot with freshly steamed multigrain idli and kharam podi.
