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Sambar is typically made with Toor dal, boiled and cooked with a variety of vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, papaya, and more in a mixture of a number of aromatic spices and a special sambar masala powder. The procedure to make sambar at home may seem elaborate, but if you follow my recipe, you will find it easy to achieve the authentic taste.

Table of Contents

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sambar is a popular dish of South India but loved by most Indians.

Serve it with idli, dosa, vada, uthappam, or steamed rice for a wholesome meal.
Sambar tastes tangy, mildly spicy, and creamy.
Other similar recipes are rasam, kadhi, and dal tadka.

The Ingredients:

To boil the dal:

1 cup Toor dal (Arhar dal or split pigeon peas)

2 cups water
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

Vegetables to add to the sambar:

2 tbsp tomato (cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp bottle gourd (lauki, cut into small pieces)

2 tbsp pumpkin (cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp carrot (cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp onion (cut into thin slices)

10 pieces drumstick (peeled and cut into small sticks)

To make the sambar masala powder:

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds (rai or sarson)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4 pieces dry red chilies

1 tbsp urad dal (without skin)
1 tbsp chana dal
½ tsp black peppercorns (or 12 pieces)

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp dry coconut (thin slices)
15 pieces curry leaves

½ tsp asafetida (hing)
½ tsp turmeric powder

To make the sambar:

3 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
3 pieces dry red chilies

¼ tsp asafetida
15 curry leaves
3 tbsp tamarind pulp

½ cup water
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

2 tbsp sambar masala powder
Water as required
Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (a handful, finely chopped)

I came across this recipe during a society cleaning drive. One of the ladies brought a snack box to share, containing idli and sambar, and it all disappeared in minutes! I asked her for the recipe, and she laughed, “It is my motivation food.” She dictated it as we cleaned.

I made it that Sunday. My husband called it “cleanup comfort,” and my sons loved the flavor. Now, it is our reward meal after chores. That day reminded me that even shared responsibilities taste sweeter when paired with recipes passed over garbage bags, dustpans, and a lot of genuine community spirit.

How to Make Sambar? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: To start with, take 1 cup of Toor dal (Arhar dal or split pigeon peas) in a bowl and soak it in water for 15 minutes, with or without covering the bowl. Wash it nicely for 2 to 3 times after 15 minutes. Also, cut about 2 tbsp each of all these vegetables into small pieces to add to the sambar, such as tomatoes, bottle gourd or lauki, pumpkin, and carrots. Also, include 2 tbsp of thin slices of onions and about 10 pieces of drumstick (peeled and cut into small sticks) and keep them all in a plate aside.

Step 2: Now, put the soaked dal in a pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water to it. Then, add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of salt to it, mix them, close the lid of the pressure cooker, and let it cook for up to 5 to 6 whistles on a low flame.

Step 3: While the dal cooks and the pressure cooker cools after cooking, dry roast the spices and ingredients to make the sambar masala. Heat a frying pan and add 1 tbsp of cumin seeds, 1 tbsp of mustard seeds, 1 tbsp of coriander seeds, 4 pieces of dry red chilies, 1 tbsp of urad dal (without skin), 1 tbsp of chana dal, ½ tsp of black peppercorns (or 12 pieces), ¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds, 2 tbsp of dry coconut (thin slices), and 15 pieces of curry leaves. Stir and dry roast them all on a low flame for 1 to 2 minutes. Switch off the gas stove when you smell the aroma of the roasted spices and notice a slight color change in the dal, and let the ingredients cool down.

Step 4: When the spices have cooled down a bit, transfer them to a mixer. Add ½ tsp of asafetida and ½ tsp of turmeric powder to it. Grind them into a fine powder.

Step 5: Now, heat 3 tbsp of cooking oil in a kadai on a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add ½ tsp of mustard seeds, 3 pieces of dry red chilies, and ¼ tsp of asafetida to it and cook for about 20 seconds or so.

Step 6: At this stage, add about 15 curry leaves to it. Fry them for 10 seconds.

Step 7: Now, add the sliced onions and stir to fry them for about 2 to 3 minutes until they turn slightly brown in color.

Step 8: When the onions are fried nicely, add all the other vegetables except the tomatoes. Mix and cook them on a medium flame for another 3 to 4 minutes.

(Pro tip: Never boil the vegetables with the dal in a pressure cooker, or else it will be a thick broth).

Step 9: Now, add the tomatoes to it. Mix and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes become soft.

Step 10: Then, add 3 tbsp of tamarind pulp and ½ cup of water to it. Mix and let the vegetables cook in tamarind water for about 5 minutes more to become soft and juicy.

(Pro tip: Soak a lemon-sized tamarind in water for some time, then squeeze it and strain the water to extract the pulp).

Step 11: When the vegetables are soft and cooked nicely, add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder to it. Mix everything nicely and let it cook for 1 minute on a low flame. Check the doneness and color change.

Step 12: Now, add about 2 tbsp of the sambar masala powder you made earlier and mix it nicely with the vegetables.

Step 13: Then, add the toor dal you had boiled before. Mix it nicely with the spices and vegetables.

Step 14: Add water gradually as required along with salt to taste and mix it nicely with the dal. Let it cook on a low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes more, with or without covering the kadai.

Step 15: Now, after 10 to 15 minutes, use a dal ghotni (traditional wooden blender) to mash the dal for a smoother texture. Check the final texture and consistency of the sambar. Let it cook for the remaining 5 minutes.

Step 16: Finally, add a handful of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to it, mix them nicely, and cook it for another 2 minutes on a low flame so that the flavor of the coriander leaves infuses into the ingredients of the sambar.

Step 17: Your tasty and spicy homemade sambar is finally ready to serve. Take it out in a serving bowl and enjoy it hot with steamed rice, idli, or dosa.