Sambar Recipe (Easy / Base Version)

An easy sambar recipe to make a basic homestyle South Indian sambar to serve with idlis or rice.

Especially perfect for those new to making sambar at home, as I’ve shared the recipe with detailed step by step instructions & photos, along with notes on alternative ingredients and recipe variations.

Like most Indian dishes, there are many ways to make sambar. Many versions and variations, which differ based on ingredients used and even different regions of southern India.

However this is my go-to sambar recipe on a day to day basis, whether I want to make sambar for idli or sambar rice. As it uses basic ingredients, especially the vegetables, that I almost always have on hand.

Which is why, this is the recipe for sambar I wanted to share first. As it is perfect for beginners too.

That being said, I have used homemade sambar powder for this. But you can go with store-bought sambar powder too. Read the recipe notes to know how to adjust store-bought sambar powder to your liking.

Jump to:

• Ingredients You Need
• Step by Step Sambar Recipe
• Serving Suggestion
• Recipe notes / variations
• Popular South Indian Recipes to try..
• 📖 RECIPE

Ingredients You Need

Ingredient notes

1. Toor Dal vs Moong Dal – Traditionally sambar used to be made using toor dal. But I personally prefer a blend of toor and moong dal, to retain the taste to some extent, while being easier on the stomach, as moong dal is easier to digest. You can go with only toor or only moong dal.
   
2. Vegetables for Sambar – For this basic version of sambar, I have only used the veggies I always have on hand, like onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. You can add any other veggies you prefer. Drumsticks are a popular choice.
   
3. Tomatoes vs Tamarind – As you see, I have used both tomatoes and tamarind to add sourness to sambar. But you can increase the quantity of either one and skip the other. Add more tomatoes and skip tamarind, or increase the quantity of tamarind paste, and skip tomatoes, and go with some other vegetable instead.
   
4. Homemade vs Store-bought Sambar Powder – Like I mentioned above, I’ve used homemade sambar powder (recipe shared here), so I have adjusted the level of other spices in my sambar, based on what is present in my sambar powder. When you get store-bought sambar powder, you might need to adjust it a little to suit your tastebuds. For instance you can mix in a little chilli powder to make it a little spicier etc.

Step by Step Sambar Recipe

Start with pressure cooking the dal..

• Wash and rinse the dal, and pressure cook with 3 times the water.
  
• Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles, till you get a smooth, chunk free dal.

Now for making this sambar recipe..

• In a pot, add the cubed and chopped veggies (cubed & peeled potatoes, and roughly chopped onions and tomatoes), a little salt, turmeric powder, and water to cook the veggies, which just needs to be enough to cover the veggies in the pot.
  
• Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame, till there is a proper boil, and the potatoes are cooked. Insert a fork in the potatoes to test if they are cooked.
  
• When done, add the boiled dal to this, mix it in, and cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame, till the curry base comes to another good boil.
  

• As the curry base is coming to a boil – in a small bowl, in a few spoons of water, add the tamarind paste & sambar powder, and blend it all together to make a spice blend.
  
  This step is important to ensure the sambar powder gets well blended in the curry base.

• When the curry base has come to a proper boil, add this spice blend to it, along with the rest of the salt (as required), chopped coriander leaves, and mix everything together.
  
  Here I missed adding coriander, and added it after the tempering, which is also okay.
  
• Cover and cook on medium flame for another 5 minutes till there is another light boil.
  
• At this time, also start getting the tempering (tadka) ready.

For tempering the sambar..

• In a tadka pan, lightly heat up the coconut oil, and add in the mustard seeds.
  
• When the mustard seeds start to splatter, add in the curry leaves, roast for 5-10 seconds or so, and then add in the asafoetida powder, and mix everything together.
  
• Roast for about 10-20 seconds, till the curry leaves, and asafoetida powder get lightly roasted, and then turn off the flame.
  
• Add the tadka to the sambar, which should be ready by now, and mix it in.
  

Serving Suggestion

Serve hot with rice or idlis. Or even dosas, apams & uttapams.

Recipe notes / variations

• Adding Spice – You can also add slit green chilli in the curry or a red chilli in the tadka to make the sambar spicier.
  
• Adding Sweetness – Some even add a little jaggery in their sambar powder or sambar to give the curry a hint of sweetness. I usually skip jaggery, but if you prefer a slightly sweet taste to the sambar, add in the jaggery powder.

Popular South Indian Recipes to try..

⭐️ Homemade Sambar Powder Recipe ( grandmom’s recipe)
⭐️ Fool-proof Idli Batter Recipe (ingredients + ratio + tips)
⭐️ Idli Fry Recipe (quick & easy snack with leftover idlis)
⭐️ Coconut Chutney Recipe (classic white chutney)
⭐️ Red Coconut Chutney Recipe (using red chillies & garlic)

As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️ 

📖 RECIPE

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