Kerala Sambar Recipe

Kerala Sambar is a curry made using lentils, vegetables, tamarind, and freshly ground coconut masala. Try this traditional recipe at home.

3.67 from 6 votes

Kerala Sambar is a curry made using lentils, vegetables, tamarind, and freshly ground coconut masala. Try this traditional recipe at home.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Vegetarian Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

For The Sambar

1 cup Pigeon peas lentils (toor dal)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
4 cups mixed vegetables I used a mix of carrots, potatoes, brinjal, and yellow pumpkin, cut into ½-inch cubes. and drumsticks cut into 2-inch pieces.
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons tamarind pulp

For The Sambhar Masala Paste

3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons Bengal gram (chana dal)
2 teaspoons split and skinned black lentils (white urad dal)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds (dhaniya)
5-6 whole dry red chiies
½ teaspoon asafetida (hing) skip for gluten-free
1 cup thinly sliced onions
15-20 curry leaves
½ cup grated fresh coconut

For The Tempering

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
3-4 whole dry red chilies
12-15 curry leaves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook The Lentils

Rinse the lentils well with water 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
Add the lentils to a 3-quart instant pot along with 4 cups of water, salt, and turmeric powder, and stir gently.
Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes at high pressure.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Mash the lentils with the back of a ladle.
Note - To cook the lentils in a traditional pressure cooker, pressure cook (in a 3.5-4 liters cooker) for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

Make The Sambar Masala Paste

While the lentils are cooking, make the sambar masala paste.
Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add chana dal and urad dal and fry till they turn golden brown, stirring frequently.
Add fenugreek seeds, whole coriander, seeds, dry red chilies, asafetida, onions, and curry leaves, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add coconut and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and let the masala cool to room temperature.
Once the masala is cooled, add it to a blender with ½ cup water and blend to make a smooth paste.

Make The Sambar

Add the masala paste to the cooked dal in the instant pot and mix well.
Add the vegetables and tomatoes to the pot and close the lid again.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 3 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Stir in the tamarind pulp.
Add more water if the sambar is thick for your liking.
Check for salt and tamarind pulp and add more if required.
Note - If cooking the sambar in a traditional pressure cooker, then pressure cook for 3 whistles on high heat.

Temper The Sambar

Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, dry red chilies, and curry leaves and fry for 4-5 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the sambhar and mix well
Serve hot with rice.

Video

Notes

You can replace tuvar dal with yellow moong dal or pink masoor dal also.

You can add any vegetable of your choice to the Kerala sambar recipe. I have added carrots, drumsticks, potatoes, brinjal, pumpkin, and tomatoes, but you can also add cauliflower, bottle gourd, french green beans, etc.

Avoid adding asafetida (hing) to make it gluten-free.

Nutrition