Vegetable Sambar Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Sambar is a wholesome, vegetarian stew from South India. I am sharing an easy and tasty vegetable sambar recipe for idli, dosa, or vada.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 344kcal

To prepare vegetable sambar, clean, wash and soak dal in water for 15 minutes. While the dal is soaked, clean and chop the vegetables (bottle gourd, tomato, carrot, drumstick).
Transfer dal to a pressure cooker with the chopped carrot, pumpkin, bottle gourd, tomato, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garlic, salt and water. Stir to mix. Pressure Cook for 3 whistles over medium heat. The dal should become soft and mushy.
Turn off the heat and release the steam manually from the pressure cooker.
Heat ghee in a kadhai. Once hot, add mustard seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Saute for 30 to 40 seconds or till seeds start spluttering.
Add onion (shallots) and drumsticks. Fry till onions are translucent and drumsticks are tender. Add boiled sambar over the tadka (be cautious as there will be sizzling). Stir to combine.
Add tamarind paste, jaggery, and sambar powder. Allow the vegetable sambar to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. At this stage, you can taste and add more seasoning or spices to your sambar.
Serve Vegetable Sambar warm with idli, dosa or rice.

There could be infinite combinations of vegetables in vegetable Sambar. But I always prefer using easy-to-cook vegetables that do not have an overpowering taste like bitter gourd.
If you do not like overcooked vegetables in sambar, fry them with onion and drumsticks, cover and cook before adding the boiled dal.
Adjust the consistency of the sambar by adding more water.
While simmering, the sambar keeps on stirring at regular intervals. This process of simmering and stirring gives sambar a great depth of flavour.
If you want to make vegan sambar, skip using ghee for tempering. Use coconut oil or sesame oil.