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Sambar (Spicy Lentil Soup)

Sambar is a flavorful spicy South Indian lentil soup made with a variety of vegetables. It fits nicely with many South Indian meals, including dosas (pancakes), idlis (savory cakes), and rice. It could be said that a South Indian meal is incomplete without sambar.
Course dal
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Dal
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup toor dal/arhar dal available in any Indian grocery store
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1/4 tbsp turmeric (haldi)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1/8 tbsp fenugreek seed (methi)
  • 1/4 tbsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • Pinch of asafetida (hing)
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 4 dry whole red chilies
  • 1 large tomato cubed in small pieces
  • 1-½ cups mixed vegetables, cute into bite-size cubes (green beans, carrots, zucchini, radishes)
  • 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sambar powder, available in any Indian grocery store

Instructions

  • Wash and soak the dal in two cups of water for ten minutes or longer.
  • In a pressure cooker combine soaked dal with 2½ cups of water, salt, and turmeric. Cook over medium high heat.
  • When the pressure cooker starts to steam, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another six minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and wait until steam has escaped before opening the pressure cooker. Dal should be soft and mushy.
  • Mix the dal well enough to remove lumps. If the dal is thick, add up to one cup of water.

Notes

Prepare Seasoning
  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks immediately, the oil is ready.
  2. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, red chilies, and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds.
  3. Add tomatoes, vegetables, sambar powder, tamarind pulp and ½ cup water.
  4. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook until they are tender over medium heat.
  5. Combine the vegetables and the dal to make the Sambar.  Sambar should be thin, like soup. If the sambar is thick, add water as needed.
  6. Cook sambar on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Serve Sambar with dosa, idli, rice or with any meal as a side.