Indian Sambar Recipe 🍲

A quintessential South Indian dish, Sambar is a spicy, tangy, and flavorful lentil stew enriched with an array of vegetables and aromatic spices. It pairs beautifully with steamed rice, idlis, dosas, or vadas. Here's how you can recreate this classic comfort food in your kitchen.

Ingredients

For the Sambar Base:

Toor dal (split pigeon peas): 1 cup (200 g)

Mixed vegetables (chopped): 1/2 cup (100 g)

(e.g., drumsticks, carrots, beans, okra, pumpkin, eggplant)

Tamarind paste: 1 tablespoon (15 ml)

(or a small lemon-sized ball of fresh tamarind, soaked in warm water and strained)

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Red chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Sambar powder: 2 teaspoons (optional, for enhanced flavor)

Water: 4 cups (960 ml)

Salt: To taste