The Kerala Sambar Recipe is a humble yet delicious classic made with lentils, spices, and vegetables. It's almost like a thick lentil soup. This simple, authentic, comforting Sambar pairs best with rice, idlis, or dosas. It's not only satisfying and flavorful, but also effortless to prepare - a much-loved dish that earns its place at every meal!
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Why does this recipe work?
- Incredibly versatile: Kerala sambar pairs perfectly with rice, soft idlis, masala dosas, uttappam, and more, and makes a reliable side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- Simple preparation: Traditional Sambar preparation often uses coconut, which means dry-roasting spices, grinding them into a paste, and adding an extra step to the process, like in kala chana curry. This version skips the coconut entirely, making it perfect for busy days when you still want a comforting, homemade meal on the table.
- Adaptable with vegetables: You can customize the flavor by adding a variety of vegetables, just as in Sadhya Aviyal, such as carrots, drumsticks, gourds, or okra. Each vegetable adds its own texture and depth, making the sambar or lentil soup slightly different and delicious.
- Better with time: As the sambar rests, the tamarind, vegetables, and lentils blend well, deepening the flavors just like in pulinjhi or chemmeen mulakittathu. The result is a rich, mouthwatering taste that's even more irresistible the next day.
- Perfect for meal prep: This sambar freezes very well, making it ideal for batch cooking and busy days. You can reheat and enjoy a comforting, homemade meal anytime, along with bhindi aloo, gobi aloo, or bharwa shimla mirch on the side.
What goes into this recipe?
- Tuvar (Toor) Dal - Split pigeon peas lentils pressure-cooked well.
- Veggies - Red onion, green chilies, pearl onions, tomatoes, carrot, okra, drumsticks(mornga pods), curry leaves, coriander leaves.
- Sambar masala ( made with roasted and powdered coriander seeds(about 3 tablespoons), a teaspoon each of fenugreek seeds, cumin, red chilies, black pepper, a tablespoon each of lentils like black gram, chana dal(Bengal gram), tuvar dal). For an authentic flavor, use fresh homemade sambar masala powder. However, a good-quality store-bought version works okay as well.
- Spices: Turmeric, Red Chili powder, Coriander Powder, Asafoetida.
- Tamarind Juice extracted from a lemon-sized tamarind ball.
- Mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, and curry leaves.
- Oil and Salt.
How to make Kerala Sambar?
We first start by pressure-cooking the washed lentils with chopped red onions, pearl onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and vegetables like drumsticks(moringa pods), carrots, salt, and spices, then cook with enough water to sit about an inch above the ingredients.
- Step 1: Transfer the washed lentils, vegetables, spices, and salt to a pressure cooker.
- Step 2: Add water and pressure cook for about 3 to 4 whistles.
Extract the juice from a lemon-sized ball of tamarind using lukewarm water and set it aside. Add this tamarind extract when cooking vegetables in a later step, and continue cooking until the raw smell of the tamarind disappears, just like in making the bitter gourd curry.
- Step 3: Extract tamarind juice by soaking it in lukewarm water.
- Step 4: Splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and pearl onions. Add asafoetida followed by tender vegetables like okra or brinjal.
Ensure not to add the vegetables that tend to become mushy, like okra, to the pressure cooker when cooking the lentils. It's better to first cook them separately by lightly sautéeing them with onions or pearl onions and green chilies. Add asafoetida and tamarind extract, and finally add it to the pressure-cooked lentils to retain the flavor and texture.
- Step 5: Sauteed Okra, onions, and green chilies cooking in tamarind extract.
- Step 6: Add the vegetables and tamarind extract to the lentils. Temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, and curry leaves.
After pressure cooking, you can mash the lentils for a thicker consistency or leave them mostly intact but not completely mashed, then add the vegetables cooked in tamarind extract to the well-cooked lentils and finally temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, and curry leaves.
Sambar is an essential part of the sadya, and we serve it with vegetarian dishes like mambazha pulissery, beetroot pachadi, olan, Kerala aviyal, Ash gourd pachadi, and inji curry.
Useful Tips
- It is preferable to use lukewarm water when extracting tamarind juice as it helps release the juice easily.
- Homemade sambar masala adds an authentic taste. It can be easily prepared by dry-roasting and grinding coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, dried red chilies, and black pepper. You can also add lentils such as black gram, chana dal, and tuvar dal. That said, a good-quality store-bought sambar powder works well too.
- Adjust the quantity of tomatoes and tamarind extract based on how tangy you like your sambar.
- You can choose to skip the final tempering.
- Mashing the cooked lentils for a thicker consistency is optional. You can also leave them mostly intact and soft for a slightly more textured sambar.
- Use pearl onions when sauteeing with vegetables to get an authentic taste. A trick to easily peel the pearl onions is to soak them for a few minutes in hot water.
Recipe FAQs
Transfer sambar to an airtight container and refrigerate. Properly stored, it stays fresh for 3 to 5 days. The flavors deepen and become more intense over time, making the sambar taste even better the next day. Before serving, reheat and adjust consistency with a little water if needed.
Toor dal or split pigeon peas are the best for making sambar, the traditional and best choice for making authentic sambar, as it provides the perfect flavor, texture, and thickness. In some variations, yellow moong dal or masoor dal is also used in combination with toor dal to add lightness and enhance the taste. This blend creates a well-balanced, flavorful sambar.
Carrots, beans, pumpkins, gourds, drumsticks(moringa pods), radish, raw banana, okra, eggplant, and potato can all be used in making sambar. You can mix and match these vegetables to create different flavors and textures, making each pot of sambar unique and delicious.
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Kerala Sambar Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups lentils split pigeon (tuvar dal)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tomatoes medium sized
- 3 green chilies
- 2 cups mixed vegetables carrot, okra, brinjal, drum stick, beans
- 2 tbsp spiced powder sambar masala powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1.5 tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups tamarind extract from lemon-sized ball of tamarind soaked in lukewarm water.
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- ¼ cup coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Wash the lentils and transfer to a pressure cooker
- Add chopped onions, green chilies, tomatoes and the vegetables like drumstick and carrot that take longer to cook
- Add spices, salt and water
- Pressure cook for about 3 to 4 whistles
- Extract tamarind juice from a lemon sized tamarind ball
- Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and dry red chilies
- Add chopped onions or shallots, asafoetida, and tender vegetables like okra and brinjal
- Saute well and add the tamarind extract and cook until the raw smell disappears.
- Once the lentils are pressure-cooked and the pressure is released , add the vegetables cooked in tamarind extract and mix in well.
- Add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves
- Temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and dry red chilies (optional)
Video
Notes
- It is preferable to use lukewarm water when extracting tamarind juice as it helps release the juice and pulp more easily.
- Homemade sambar masala adds an authentic taste. It can be easily prepared by dry-roasting and grinding coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, dried red chilies, black pepper, and lentils such as black gram, chana dal, and tuvar dal. That said, a good-quality store-bought sambar powder works well too.
- Adjust the quantity of tomatoes and tamarind extract based on how tangy you like your sambar.
- You can choose to skip the final tempering since the vegetables are already tempered with mustard and fenugreek and sautéed with spices.
- Mashing the cooked lentils for a thicker consistency is optional. You can also leave them mostly intact and soft for a slightly more textured sambar.
- Use pearl onions when sauteeing with vegetables to get an authentic taste. A trick to easily peel the pearl onions is to soak them for a few minutes in hot water.
I cooked this Kerala Sambar for dinner, and the spice blend was right on the money. It’s a really hearty and authentic-tasting dish that paired perfectly with my steamed rice.
Love finding new ways to cook lentils and this is perfect for cold winter nights.
Warm, filling, and super comforting for these cold days we've been having. We will make this one again.
I am always looking for new ways to cook lentils as they are budget friendly and part of the diet I'm on. I enjoyed this recipe very much.
This Kerala sambar came out rich, tangy, and full of warming spices—perfect for pairing with rice or enjoying on its own.