South Indian Sambar is usually with fresh ground spices. Sambar smells so heavenly and tastes amazing. The fresh spices like coriander, cumin, hing, red chillies etc. makes the sambar delicious too. Any vegetable can be added to the sambar like drumstick, ladies finger, raddish, small onion etc. You can skip small onion if you do not like that.
- Cuisine: South Indian.
- Course: Lunch
- Prep Time: 20mins
- Cook time: 20mins
- Serves: 5 persons.
Ingredients:
For masala:
- Coconut oil -1tbsp
- Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
- Dry Red chillies – 8
- Chana dal – 1 tbsp
- Fenugreek seeds -1/2 tsp
- Shredded coconut – 1/2 cup
- Small Onion: 7nos.
- In a pan add oil and once hot add all the ingredients except coconut. Fry them until brown and add coconut fry them for a min.
- Cool down and transfer to blender.
- Before grinding add small onions and grind to fine paste.
For Sambar:
- Toor Dal – 3/4th cup (Pressure cook and mash it. Set aside.)
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds -2 tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- Green chilli – 2 Slit
- Small onion – 3/4th cup
- Salt as required
- Drumstick- 10-12 nos.
- Tamarind extract – 2 cups
- Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
- Coriander leaves for garnish
- Ghee – 2tsp
- In a vessel add oil, mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds pop add curry leaves and green chilli.
- Add small onion and saute them for few mins until soft. Add little soft to cook onions fast enough.
- Add the drumstick and saute for a min.
- Add water 1/4cup and cook until drumstick are 3/4th cooked. Close with a lid.
- Now add the tamarind extract, salt and turmeric. Give a quick stir. Allow them to boil for 10mins until raw smell of tamarind goes.
- Add the grind masala paste and cooked toor dal. Mix well to avoid forming lumps.
- Let it boil for another 10mins
- Garnish wit coriander leaves and ghee.
- Serve with hot rice or dosa or idly smeared with ghee.
Note: You can also add tomato when stir frying small onions. Instead of tempering with oil, you can use ghee for more flavor.
