Sambar (South Indian Lentil and Vegetable Stew)
سانبھر (جنوبی ہندوستان کی دال اور سبزی)
Sambar is to South India what daal is to the north: the dish on the table almost every day. It's a thinner, tangier lentil stew than North Indian or Pakistani daal, sour with tamarind, warm with , and full of vegetables: drumsticks, okra, aubergine, pumpkin, carrots or whatever is in season. Serve it with rice for lunch, or with idli and dosa for breakfast.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 45 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Cook the toor dal with the turmeric and 3 cups of water for 30 minutes (or 3 whistles in a pressure cooker) until completely soft. Mash smooth.
Soak the tamarind in ½ cup hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze and strain the juice.
In another pot, simmer the onion, tomatoes, carrot, aubergine and okra in the remaining 2 cups of water with the tamarind juice, salt and jaggery for 10–12 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the sambar powder and the mashed dal. Simmer for 8–10 minutes; it should be pourable, like a thick soup. Add water if needed.
For the , heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and let them pop, then add the dried chillies, curry leaves and . Pour over the sambar, add the coriander and cover for 2 minutes before serving.
Kitchen notes
Ready-made sambar powder is sold in Indian grocers worldwide. To improvise, mix 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp fenugreek powder and ¼ tsp black pepper.
Toor dal is the classic, but masoor (red lentils) cooks faster and works well.
Sambar tastes even better the next day, after the tamarind and spices settle.
South India’s everyday dal
Every South Indian home has its own sambar. In Tamil Nadu it often includes small shallots and drumsticks; in Karnataka it’s a little sweet with jaggery; in Kerala, freshly roasted coconut may go into the spice paste. What they share is toor dal, tamarind, a roasted spice blend and a final of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
The tangy balance
Sambar should taste sour, savoury, a little spicy and faintly sweet, all at once. Tamarind gives the sourness, jaggery softens it, and sambar powder brings roasted coriander, chilli and fenugreek. Taste at the end and adjust: more salt if flat, a pinch more jaggery if too sharp.
Vegetables
Drumsticks (moringa pods, sohanjna) are the classic, chewed to pull out the soft flesh. If you can’t find them, okra, aubergine, pumpkin and carrots are all used across South India. Add hard vegetables first and soft ones later.
Serving
Pour sambar over plain rice with a spoon of ghee for a classic South Indian lunch, or serve it with idli, medu vada and masala dosa. For a thinner, peppery soup from the same kitchen, try rasam.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between sambar and daal?
Sambar is thinner and tangier, made with tamarind, a special roasted spice blend and plenty of vegetables. North Indian and Pakistani daal is thicker and tempered with garlic, cumin or onions.
Can I make sambar without tamarind?
Yes. Use 1–2 tbsp lemon juice at the end, or extra tomatoes. The taste is a little different but still good.
Which vegetables go in sambar?
Drumsticks, okra, aubergine, pumpkin, carrot, radish, shallots and beans are all traditional. Use two or three you have.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 170
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
