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Tamil sambar served

Authentic Tamil Sambar Step-by- Step Recipe with Photos

Sambar is a staple South Indian dish, packed with protein-rich lentils, aromatic spices, and a mix of nutritious vegetables. This homemade Tamil-style sambar is flavorful, comforting, and perfect to pair with rice, idli, or dosa.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Tamil Sambar
Servings: 4
Author: Chef Yogi

Ingredients

Sambar Powder

  • 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Chana Dal Split Bengal Gram
  • 8 no Dried Red Chilies
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/3 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
  • 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 2 springs Curry Leaves
  • 1/2 cup Grated Coconut

Tamil Sambar

  • 1/2 cup Toor Dal Pigeon Pea Lentils, washed and rinsed
  • 3 cups Water for pressure cooking dal
  • 1 no large Tomato diced
  • 1/4 tsp Hing Asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
  • 2 cups Mixed Vegetables Diced Drumstick, Potato, Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower, Pearl Onion,
  • 2 cups Water for cooking vegetables
  • 2 tbsp Homemade Sambar Powder
  • 1 tbsp Jaggery grated Optional, for mild sweetness
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

Tempering

  • 2 tbsp Oil Sesame or Coconut Oil preferred
  • 4 no Gundu Milagai Round Red Chilies
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1/3 tsp Urad Dal Split Black Gram
  • 2 sprigs sprigs Curry Leaves

Instructions

Sambar Powder

  • In a Kadai, Dry roast each ingredient for sambar powder separately—coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, chana dal, red chilies, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves over medium heat until aromatic (about 3-4 minutes per ingredient). and grated coconut till golden color.
    Roasted spices for sambar
  • Dry roasted spice is cooled separately before grinding into a fine powder
    Cooling roasted spices
  • Grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.
    Ground sambar spice mix

Tamil Sambar

  • In a pressure cooker, add washed toor dal, diced tomato, hing, turmeric powder, salt, and 3 cups of water.
    Cooking toor dal mix
  • Cook for 4-5 whistles or until the dal is soft and mushy and set aside.
    Soft cooked toor dal
  • In a pot, add 2 cups of water and the mixed vegetables.
    Boiling mixed vegetables
  • Cook on medium heat until the vegetables turn tender (about 8-10 minutes).
    Tender cooked vegetables
  • Add the mashed dal to the cooked vegetables and mix well.
    Mixing dal with vegetables
  • Add 2 tbsp of the prepared sambar powder, jaggery and stir well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
    Simmering sambar mixture
  • Stir in chopped coriander leaves, allowing the flavors to blend.
    Garnishing sambar
  • Heat oil in a small pan.
    Heating oil in pan
  • Add mustard seeds, urad dal and let them splutter.
    Tempering mustard and urad dal
  • Add dried red chilies, and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds until aromatic.
    Frying chilies and curry leaves
  • Pour the tempering over the sambar and mix well. Let it simmer for another 3 minutes before turning off the heat.
    Tempering added to sambar
  • Serve hot with steamed rice, idli, dosa, or vada.
    Authentic Tamil Sambar
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