Sambar

Quintessential Lentil Stew

Description

Sambar is a hearty lentil stew that is as delicious as it is versatile. Originating in Tamil Nadu, India, it is now consumed extensively all over South India with lots of regional variations. This is my mother's recipe and I have not had a better sambar anywhere. Sambar is eaten at breakfast as a dip for idli (rice cakes), dosas (crêpes), and vadas (savory donuts); at lunch with rice, mango pickle, and poppadoms; and dinner with rice. It also pairs well with roti, chapathi, or naan, and makes an excellent stew or soup on its own.

Ingredients

For stew

• Toor dal (split pigeon pea) - 2 cups
• Onion - 1 large, sliced (preferably red onion)
• Tomato - 1 large, chopped into small cubes
• Green beans - 1 can, drained (optional)
• Tamarind - 1 lime sized ball
• Sambar powder - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery (or brown sugar) - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

For tempering

• Cooking oil - 1/4 cup
• Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
• Green chillies - 3 whole, split lengthwise
• Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
• Dried red chillies - 3 whole, halved
• Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Directions

1. Soak tamarind in 2 cups of hot water; when cool to touch, squeeze the pulp and remove any pits and fiber and set aside.
2. Wash toor dal 3 or 4 times in water, until the water runs clear.
3. Pressure-cook toor dal with 6 cups of water for 4 whistles (if you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook in a pot until the dal is soft and can be easily mushed with a spoon, about 45 minutes).
4. In a separate pot, heat the oil and then add the garlic, green chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, and fry till garlic turns slightly brown.
5. Add the curry leaves (watch out for oil sputtering), asafoetida and turmeric, and fry till curry leaves wilt.
6. Add the onions, tomatoes, beans, sambar powder, salt, and jaggery with the tamarind juice and 2 cups of water and cook until tomatoes are mushy.
7. Add the cooked dal, mix well, and cook for 2 minutes.

Notes

• The sambar powder can be purchased at an Indian grocery store, or made at home from a recipe online.
• The green beans are optional here, but sambar is a great dish to incorporate vegetables such as carrots, eggplants, and squash.
• If you can find drumsticks (moringa pods) (fresh or frozen) at an Indian grocery store, they are an excellent addition to sambar.
• Another great variation on sambar is adding chopped radish. These variations and combinations make sambar such a versatile staple of South India.
• Look for jaggery at Indian grocers, or swap in molasses, brown sugar, or plain sugar.

Serve hot over steaming rice with mango pickle and poppadoms.