This healthy traditional Sambhar is made from cooked lentils with variety of vegetables. The flavour of the soup soaked in the vegetables, make this Sambhar just so irresistible. Perfect combination to eat with rice.
Sambhar is originated from South Indian. According to Dydy, it is their staple food that they always have it in every meal with other side dishes. The textures is less thicker than curry, and they not only have it for dinner, but also for breakfast. South Indian people usually have idli or dosa together with Sambhar. Idli and dosa is type of South Indian breakfast. I haven’t get the chance to post the pictures yet, but I will soon post about it.
When I first make Sambhar at home, it turns out to be disaster. It’s overly spicy, and doesn’t turn to how it suppose to be. I found out the second time I make this, that the key of traditional Sambhar is the Sambhar powder. All the flavour coming from the soup, is from the Sambhar powder. If you have good Sambhar powder, then, it will be tasty. My first sambhar, I bought the powder from the Indian supermarket. Then, I decided to make my own powder when I make it the second time. And it turns out to be so different.
Honestly speaking, I haven’t tried the original sambhar yet. Sometimes, I’m surprised that I’m cooking all sorts of Indian stuffs without actually tried the original Sambhar. But, I can tell you that this recipe is amazing, because Dydy eat so happily when I cook it the second time. He said that it is so similar with what he had back in India. He didn’t say and show that happiness when I cook it the first time (the disaster one).
I’m so excited that I can finally try all traditional Indian food pretty soon. I’m going to meet my in-laws, and get to try all their home-made cooking. That time, I will know for sure whether my sambhar is anywhere close to traditional South Indian Sambhar.
This dish is really healthy, and suitable for vegetarian. It only contains lentil and vegetable, and yet, the soup and quality of vegetable after soaking in the sambhar soup overnight, is just so different. Indian spices really bring out life in vegetable. I never eat such yummy vegetable soup in Chinese cuisine. Now that I know the secret in sambhar is the powder, and luckily I made big batch of it, I can make it often, and hopefully reduce weight by eating healthy vegetable and lentils.
- ½ cup lentils (toor dal)
- 1 Onions
- 6 shallots
- 1.5 cups beans, chopped
- 1.5 cups okra (lady fingers), chopped
- 2 tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 Dry Red Chilli
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoon sambhar powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Cook lentils until soft and mushy. Set aside
- In a pan, heat 2 tablespoon oil.
- Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and red chilli until spluttering.
- Add onions, shallots, beans, okra, and garlic. Mix until combined
- Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, and mix well.
- Add tomatoes, tamarind paste, sambhar powder, sugar, and water just enough to cover the vegetable. Mix well and close the lid until vegetables are soft.
- Add the cooked mushy lentils and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Sambhar ready to be served with rice.