Sambar Dal
- Serves: 4
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 40 min
Sambar is a hearty South Indian lentil dish simmered with seasonal vegetables and enriched with the tang of tamarind. Versatile and nourishing, it’s a wonderful way to showcase fresh produce from the farmers' market.
- Dinner
- Entree
- Vegan
- Vegetable
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) split red lentils (masoor dal) or whole red lentils, washed and drained
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ small eggplant (aubergine), diced
- ½ small cauliflower, divided into small florets
- 12 green beans, trimmed and diced
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- ½–1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
- SAMBAR PASTE
- 2 tablespoons yellow split peas
- ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons shredded (grated dried) coconut
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
- TEMPERING
- 30 g (1 oz) vegan ghee or vegan butter
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 whole dried red chillies
- 20 curry leaves
- 1 small onion, chopped
- Optional: Traditionally served with aromatic rice, it also pairs beautifully with snacks like cabbage bondas or upma.
Method
-
Put the lentils, turmeric, and 750 ml (25½ fl oz/3 cups) water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. (Whole red lentils will take longer to cook than split lentils.)
-
Meanwhile, to make the sambar paste, grind the yellow split peas using a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder. Transfer to a small bowl and mix with the fenugreek, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, coconut, and tamarind pulp to form a paste.
-
When the lentils are cooked, stir in the sambar paste, eggplant, cauliflower, green beans, and tomato. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
-
About 5 minutes before the sambar is ready, make the tempering. Heat the ghee or butter in a small frying pan over high heat. Add the mustard, cumin, and fenugreek seeds, dried chillies, and curry leaves. Heat until they begin to crackle. Immediately add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
-
Pour the tempering over the sambar, garnish with chopped coriander leaves if desired, and serve.
By: Ragini Dey, from Vegan Indian Food Cookbook
