Cook components separately
Tamarinde can slow the softening of lentils. Therefore Toor Dal first cook softly without acidity and first combine with the gardened vegetables.
Indian Recipe
Sambar with vegetables
Toor Dal is cooked softly and creamy, while vegetables are cooked separately in Tamarindensud. Only then are both parts joined and finished with freshly roasted spices.
Total time
1 hr 10 min
Calories
310 kcal
Servings
6 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Why this recipe works
South Indian lentil stew with tamarind and tadka
Sambar combines creamy lentils, sour tamarinds and vegetables to form a versatile dish. In South India it is served with rice, Idli, Dosa or Vada. The vegetables should be soft, but not completely disintegrate. Tadka comes over at the very end so that mustard seed, curry leaves and Asafoetida do not lose their flavour during long cooking.
Vegetarian Dinners
Lunch
Dinner
Indian Recipes
Recipe
Sambar with vegetables
Sambar is a South Indian lentil-vegetable stew with Toor Dal, Tamarinde, Sambar powder and a fragrant Tadka made of mustard seed and curry leaves.
Ingredients
6 servings
Method
-
1
Wash Toor Dal
Rinse lenses in a sieve until the water remains clearly clearer. Boil with 900 ml of water and half of the turmeric and remove the resulting foam.
-
2
Cook lentils softly
Cook the Toor Dal covered in a small heat for 30 to 35 minutes until the lentils completely disintegrate. Stir in between and add hot water if needed.
-
3
Dissolve tamarinds
Fill the tamarind paste with 250 ml of hot water, leave for 10 minutes and loosen with your fingers. Press through a sieve; discard the seeds and coarse fibers.
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4
Cook vegetables in the brew
Add carrots, shallots, pumpkin, eggplant, tomatoes, remaining turmeric, sambar powder and tamarind water in a large pot. Cook gently for 12 to 15 minutes.
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5
Connect Dal and Vegetables
Add soft dal to the vegetables, season with salt and simmer open for another 8 minutes. Adjust consistency with hot water; Sambar should flow, but not be watery.
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6
Fresh roasting Tadka
Heat ghee in a small pan. Let mustard seeds jump up, then gently add dried chilli and curry leaves. Stir in asafoetida for a short time.
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7
Flavouring and finishing
Pour hot Tadka immediately over the Sambar and stir in. Check acidity and balance with little Jaggery only if necessary. Sprinkle with coriander and serve hot.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for Sambar with vegetables
Don't leave Tadka
Add the freshly roasted spices and the hot fat to the sambar immediately. Curry leaves and mustard seed quickly lose scent while waiting.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
For a typical South Indian variant, cut two moringaschotes into 6 cm long pieces and cook together with the carrots in the Tamarindensud.
For breakfast sambar adjust the consistency with 150 ml additional water slightly thinner and cut pumpkin and eggplant smaller.
Nutrition per serving
310kcal
46.0 gCarbohydrates
15.0 gProtein
8.0 gFat
Values are estimates per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Sambar with vegetables
Toor Dal are peeled and halved shrubs. They cook yellow and creamy and form the classic lens base of many Sambar variants.
Tamarinde characterizes the fruity acidity. In the end, some lemon juice and a small amount of brown sugar are suitable as an emergency solution, but the aroma becomes different.
The selection differs regionally. Often used are moringaschoten, pumpkin, eggplant, shallots, okra, carrots, tomatoes or radish.
Old lentils, hard water or early added acid prolong the cooking time. Dal first cook completely softly in fresh water and then add tamarind.
Cool sambar quickly and store well covered in the refrigerator for at most three days. When warming add some water because the Dal thickens further.
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