Hotel- style sambar recipe

Hotel style sambar is a healthy as well as nutritious South Indian recipe which has a mix of one or two types of vegetables along with lentils, tamarind, sambar powder and a few spices.  Sambar can be made with just one vegetable or a mix of vegetables. A basic sambar is made by cooking vegetables and dal separately. The dal is cooked till it is mushy and then mashed. Cooked vegetables, mashed dal, tamarind pulp and sambar powder are mixed together and then simmered for some minutes.  Sambar served with rice or idli makes up for a complete meal.

A good sambar powder always yields a good and tasty sambar. so when you make it, try to have a good aromatic sambar powder. You can also use your favorite brand of sambar powder. I make Sambar powder at home and I feel homemade sambar powder gives the best and perfect taste in sambar.

I usually add a mix of vegetables from the list mentioned above or just one vegetable in the sambhar. In this sambar recipe, I have added drumstick, okra, pumpkin, carrots, brinjals, french beans and small onions.

HOTEL STYLE SAMBAR

Recipe card for Hotel style sambar recipe: 

HOTEL  STYLE SAMBAR  PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES                   COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES                 TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES CUSINE: SOUTH INDIAN AUTHOR: SWATI RASOI SERVES: 4     INGREDIANTS  Cooking dal 1 cup toor dal or arhar dal  1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 to 4 cups water or add as required Cooking vegetables 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 5 to 6 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) - optional 1 to 2 dry red chillies - halved and seeds removed 10 to 12 curry leaves 2 pinch asafoetida (hing) 1 to 1.5 cups cleaned and chopped vegetables like pumpkin, carrot,onion 1 to 2 drumsticks, scraped and chopped in 3 to 4 inches sticks. 1 onion, roughly chopped 2 green chilli, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, finely chopped or paste 3 medium size tomato, finely chopped 6 to 7 pearl onions (sambar onions) or 1 small to medium onion, thickly sliced ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder  1.5 to 2 cups water or add as required 2 tablespoons sambar powder Salt per taste for garnish 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)    INSTRUCTIONS: Cooking Dal Rinse ½ cup of toor dal  a couple of times in water. In a pressure cooker add toor dal with 2 cups of water and also add pinch of turmeric. Pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles on medium flame. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dal. The dal should be completely cooked and mushy. Mash the dal with a spoon or wired whisk. Cover and keep aside. Cooking vegetables When the dal is pressure cooking – rinse, peel and chop the veggies like carrot, pumpkin, bottle guard, drumstick, onions and tomatoes. You can choose veggies whatever you required. Drumstick is essential as it is south Indian vegetable. Now, In a deep sauce pan, heat up 2 tablespoon oil and add mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add 10 to 12 curry leaves, 5 to 6 methi seeds and 2 pinches of asafoetida (hing). Fry them till the red chilies change color and curry leaves become crisp. Now, add chopped onion and mix well. Saute it till translucent. Now, add chopped tomatos along with salt. Cook covered for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame. Soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the tamarind gets soft, then squeeze the tamarind in the water itself. Discard the strained tamarind and keep the tamarind pulp aside. Now, add tamarind pulp and mix well. Furthermore, Add all the chopped vegetables to same mixture. Cook the vegetables with the tamarind water for about 8-10 mins. Now , add  kashmiri red chilli powder, sambar powder and  salt as per taste  and mix well. Cook vegetables on a medium-low to medium flame. In between do check when the vegetables are cooking. Now, add sliced onion and 1 teaspoon of jaggery/sugar and mix well. Cook till the vegetables are almost done. Ensure that you don’t over cook the vegetables. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add the mashed dal along with the stock. mix again very well. Simmer on a medium-low flame till it comes to a boil. Garnish it with a few coriander leaves and mix well if you prefer. You will see a frothy layer on top when the sambar begins boiling. Serve hot sambar with steamed rice, idli, dosa, medu vada or uttapam. finally, sambar is ready.

How to make hotel style sambar recipe with step by step photo

Cooking Dal

1. Rinse toor dal  a couple of times in water.

2. In a pressure cooker add toor dal with 3 cups of water, salt and also add pinch of turmeric.

3. Pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles on medium flame.

4. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dal. The dal should be completely cooked and mushy.

5. Mash the dal with a spoon or wired whisk. Cover and keep aside.

Cooking vegetables

1. When the dal is pressure cooking – rinse, peel and chop the veggies like carrot, pumpkin, bottle guard, drumstick, onions and tomatoes. You can choose veggies whatever you required. Drumstick is essential as it is south Indian vegetable.

2. Now, In a deep sauce pan, heat up 2 tablespoon oil and add mustard seeds.

3. Let the mustard seeds crackle, then add 5 to 6 methi seeds and 2 pinches of asafoetida (hing).

4. Fry them till the red chilies change color and curry leaves become crisp.

5. Now, add chopped onion and green chilli and mix well.

6. Saute it till translucent.

7. Now, add chopped tomatos along with salt and mix well.

8. Furthermore, add all the chopped vegetables to same mixture. 

9. Soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

10. Once the tamarind gets soft, then squeeze the tamarind in the water itself. Discard the strained tamarind and keep the tamarind pulp aside.

11. Now ,add  kashmiri red chilli powder, sambar powder and  salt as per taste  and mix well.

12. Cook covered for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame.

13. Now, add tamarind pulp and mix well.

14. Cook the vegetables uncovered with the tamarind water for about 5 minutes.

15. Cook vegetables on a medium-low to medium flame. In between do check when the vegetables are cooking.

16. Now, add sliced onion and 1 teaspoon of jaggery/sugar and mix well.

17. Cook till the vegetables are almost done. Ensure that you don’t overcook the vegetables.

18. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add the mashed dal. Mix it again very well.

19. Simmer on a medium-low flame till it comes to a boil.

20. Garnish it with a few coriander leaves and mix well if you prefer.

21. You will see a frothy layer on top when the sambar begins boiling.

22. Serve hot sambar with steamed rice, idli, dosa, medu vada or uttapam. finally, sambar is ready.

Tips

• Don’t overcook all the vegetables. Always cook the vegetables till they are done but whole. They should not break or become a mush in the sambar. 
• While tempering or tadka, always fry on a low flame and stir regularly. The spices and herbs fry fast, so you have to be attentive. If the tempering gets burned, then discard it and make a new tempering. Never add a burnt tempering in sambhar as it will spoil the entire taste of sambhar.