About this dish
A tangy South Indian lentil and vegetable stew flavoured with tamarind, sambar powder and a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
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Ingredients
🫘3/4 cup toor dal, cooked until soft
🫙1 tbsp tamarind paste
🌶️2 tbsp sambar powder
🥕Drumsticks, aubergine, carrot, shallots and okra
🍅1 tomato, chopped
🌿Tempering: mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies, asafoetida
🧈1 tbsp oil or ghee
🌿Coriander leaves
Method
Serves 41
Cook the vegetables and tomato in water with turmeric and salt until tender.2
Add the tamarind and sambar powder and simmer for 5 minutes.3
Stir in the mashed dal and simmer until thick, adding water as needed.4
Fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies and asafoetida in oil and pour over the sambar.5
Garnish with coriander and serve with rice, idli or dosa.✓ What Makes it Authentic
Sambar is eaten daily across South India with rice, idli, dosa and vada; each household has its own spice blend and choice of vegetables.
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