All recipes

Vegetable sambar

Vegetable sambar
Photo: Samphotography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

For 4 servings. 1 serving = 1 adult; a 6-year-old eats about half.

  • Toor dal (sambar parippu)120 g
  • Drumstick (muringakka), frozen80 g
  • Shallots (kunjulli)80 g (~6½)
  • Tomatoes120 g (~1 medium)
  • Pumpkin (butternut or kent)160 g
  • Carrots80 g (~1 medium)
  • Green beans60 g
  • Okra (vendakka)60 g
  • Sambar powder2 tbsp
  • Tamarind block20 g
  • Turmeric powder½ tsp
  • Mustard seeds1¼ tsp
  • Curry leaves1 sprigs
  • Dried red chillies1
  • Asafoetida (kayam)a pinch
  • Coconut oil1 tbsp
  • Salt1¼ tsp

You need

  • Pressure cooker (3–5 L)
  • Small tempering pan (tadka pan)
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Sieve or colander
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Ladle and flat spatula (dosa turner)

Method

  1. Soak 20 g tamarind in 240 ml (about 1 cup) hot water. Leave it for 10 minutes while you do the rest.
  2. Rinse 120 g toor dal in a sieve 2 to 3 times, until the water runs almost clear.
  3. Peel and halve 80 g (~6½) shallots. Chop 120 g (~1 medium) tomato. Cut 160 g pumpkin and 80 g (~1 medium) carrot into 2 cm cubes and 60 g beans into 3 cm pieces. Cut 60 g okra into 2 cm pieces and keep it separate. Use 80 g frozen drumstick straight from the freezer.
  4. Put the dal, drumstick, shallots, tomato, pumpkin, carrot and beans in the pressure cooker with ½ tsp turmeric and 800 ml (about 3¼ cups) water. Close the lid.
  5. Cook on medium-high until the first whistle (about 6 minutes), then turn to medium for 2 more whistles. Turn off and let the pressure drop by itself (about 10 minutes).
  6. Open the cooker and stir. The dal should be soft and creamy. For a toddler, ladle out some dal and soft vegetables now, before the spicy sambar powder goes in.
  7. Squeeze the tamarind hard in its water, then pour the water through the sieve into the cooker. Throw away the pulp.
  8. Add the okra, 2 tbsp sambar powder and 1¼ tsp salt. Simmer uncovered on medium for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the okra is tender and the raw powder smell is gone. If it is thicker than pouring cream, add a splash of hot water.
  9. Tempering: heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in the small pan on medium for 1 minute. Add 1¼ tsp mustard seeds and wait until they pop (about 30 seconds).
  10. Add 1 dried red chilli (broken in half), 1 sprigs curry leaves and a pinch asafoetida. Stir for 10 seconds until the leaves crackle, then pour it all over the sambar and cover for 2 minutes before serving.

Tips

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Cool it within an hour, then reheat until steaming hot. Good in a thermos with rice for the next day's lunch.

Keeping and freezing

  • Fridge: keeps 3 days in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
  • Freezer: freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot.

Good to know

  • Contains: gluten (wheat, oats).
  • Toddlers: take their portion out before adding chilli or pepper.