Sambar Recipe – For beginners

Few years ago, when I was at college, few of us decided to prepare traditional Kerala lunch (sadhya) and invite rest our friends for lunch. On a Sunday, we all gathered together, and started the job without a single person knowing what to be done exactly.


We could somehow handle all the items except the Sambar which was the chief gravy we were planning to serve. So all of us collaboratively formulated a Samabar recipe for us to experiment. Then, that was confirmed with our mothers over phone before trying out.

So for those of you who are planning to experiment, here’s our contribution.

I. VEGETABLE AND DAL
1. Toor Dal dal – 1/3 cup
2. Mixed vegetables chopped– 4-5 cups
(Carrot, tomato, onion, Potato, brinjal, beans, drumstick etc.)
1. Add 1/3 teaspoon turmeric to 2 cups of water and soak dal in it for 1/2 hr.
2. Cook the dal mixture and chopped vegetables in a pressure cooker on medium flame for 20 min. Add a pich of salt before cooking to prevent vegetables from desicating if over cooked.

II. MASALA
1. Chickpeas dal – 2 Teaspoons
2. Blackgram dal – 1 Teaspoon
3. Coriander seeeds – 4 Teaspoons
(4. Cumin seeds – 1/2 Teaspoons
5. Fenugreek seeds – 10 grains
6. Mustard seeds – 1/3 Teaspoon
7. Pepper corns – 5-6
8. Asafoetida (soft) – Size of a peanut
9. Turmeric powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
10. Tamarind – small piece squeezd to paste in small amount of water.
11. Red chilly – 5-6 (Byadgi/Kashmiri)

Heat 3 teaspoons of cooking oil on medium flame. Fry Bengalgram dal, Blackgram dal. When done, add Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds,Fenugreek seeds, Asafoetida and Pepper together and stir. Then add Red chillies and Turmeric powder just before swithching off the flame. Cool the mixture and grind it in the dry mixer.

III. CONSTITUTING SAMBAR
Add the ground mixture to the vegetables in the cooker. Add required quantity of tamarind squeezed water. Then add plain water to bring it to the required consistency and add salt to taste. Cook in low flame with cooker lid open and stiring consistently. Once done, add chopped coriander leaves .

IV. SEASONING
Splutter mustand in 2 teaspoons of cooking oil on medium flame. Add red chilli pieces and a pinch of Asafoetida powder and curry leaves to it. season the dish with the mixture.

—THE SAMBAR IS READY TO BE SERVED—