Sambar – South Indian Lentil and Vegetable Dal

Sambar – South Indian Lentil and Vegetable Dal

Sambar is a South Indian stew made with toor dal and vegetables, tangy with tamarind and flavorful from freshly roasted spices. It goes well with rice, dosas or idlis, and is often also sipped as a soup.

By yumbelo · 4 servings · 60 minutes

Ingredients

  • 200 g Toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
  • 1 pc Onion
  • 2 pc Tomatoes
  • 2 pc Carrots
  • 250 g Hokkaido pumpkin
  • 1 pc Zucchini
  • 2 tbsp Tamarind paste
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 3 pc dried red chilies
  • 1 tbsp Chana dal
  • 0.5 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 10 pc fresh curry leaves
  • 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing)
  • 10 g fresh ginger
  • 1 bunch Fresh coriander leaves
  • Salt

Method

  1. Rinse the toor dal and chana dal in a sieve until the water runs clear. Then bring them to a boil in a large pot with about 1 l of water, half of the turmeric and 1 pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until soft. Skim off the foam.
  2. Toast the coriander seeds, cumin, fenugreek and dried chilies without oil in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Remove, let cool and grind finely in a mortar or spice grinder.
  3. Finely dice the onion, roughly chop the tomatoes, cut the carrots and pumpkin into small cubes, and slice the zucchini. Finely grate or chop the ginger.
  4. Cook the vegetables with 400 ml of water, the remaining turmeric and a little salt in a second pot for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender.
  5. Stir the tamarind paste into 200 ml of hot water, strain through a sieve and add to the vegetables. Stir in the ground spice powder and simmer for 5 minutes.
  6. Blend the cooked lentils briefly with an immersion blender until creamy, then add to the vegetables. Simmer everything for 10 minutes over low heat and season with salt. Thin with water if needed.
  7. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they pop. Briefly fry the curry leaves, asafoetida and the chopped ginger until fragrant.
  8. Pour the tadka over the sambar, stir and cover immediately, letting it rest for a few minutes.
  9. Roughly chop the fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle over the stew before serving.

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