Sambar Recipes – Two Popular Ways

A staple of every Southern Indian home, this hearty stew is rich in proteins and help keeps one full for long time. A good traditional sambar provides wholesome nutrition to body loaded with rich flavours of herbs and spices and packed with goodness of vegetables. Although, nothing beats authentic tinge of the dish, today many

As much as the process of preparing a good sambar is important, a good sambar powder plays a significant role in imparting the true and authentic flavours to the stew. The ingredients of sambar masala may differ from region to region, but a well-proportioned blend brings out the best essence. Cee Pee brings goodness of spices with Sambar Masala Packet grind to perfection. Now buy Sambar Masala online at convenience of your home.

For those with unparalleled love for cooking and unquestionable love for sambar, we will take an epicurean ride of five sambar recipes with some variations that are must try.

Mangai Sambar/Raw Mango Sambar

Packed with flavours, Mangai Sambar is refreshingly delicious stew with freshness of raw mango. It is popular lunch dish served with rice across Southern India.

Ingredients

• 1 small Raw Mango, about 100 gm, not too sweet and not too sour
• 1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small Tomato, finely chopped
• 2 Green Chillies, cut into 2 to 3 pieces
• 1 small gooseberry sized Tamarind
• 1/3 Cup Arhar Dal
• 2-3 tbsp Cee Pee Sambar Masala
• ½ tsp Cee Pee Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Cee Ppee Black Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cee Pee Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cee Pee Fenugreek Seeds
• 1 pinch Cee Pee Bandhani Hing
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Carinader Leaves, finely chopped for garnish

Method

1. Begin with soaking tamarind in one-cup hot water for around 15 minutes. Squeeze out all the pulp and set aside.
2. Cut raw mangoes into 2 to 3 inches pieces. Also, wash arhar dal soak in 1 cup water for 15 minutes.
3. Put the soaked dal in pressure cooker along with turmeric powder. Cook it for 3 to 4 whistles. Let the steam release naturally. Mash the arhar dal and keep it aside for late use.
4. In a pan, heat some oil. Add mustard seeds to it and let them sputter. Now add cumin seeds, hing and methi dana or fenugreek seeds. Roast them for about 10 seconds.
5. Now add onions, and sauté them until they turn translucent.
6. Add tomato, curry leaves and green chillies. Cook until tomatoes are mushy.
7. It is time to add tamarind pulp and salt. Let the dal come to boil.
8. Add raw mango pieces, cover the pan and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
9. Add Sambar Powder masala and mix thoroughly so that no lumps are formed.
10. Pour the mashed dal into the pan and mix to combine all the ingredients well. Add water to adjust consistency to your taste and mix it.
11. Bring it to boil and then let it simmer on low flame for 3 to4 minutes.
12. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and turn of the flame.
13. Serve the delicious Mangai Sambar peeping hot with hot rice.

Arachuvitta Sambar

Arachuvitta Sambar is a delish lentil stew prepared with yellow pumpkin, chillies, tamarind, and ground coconut and of course sambar masala. Its recipe may seem little tedious and complex but it is worth time spend in kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Arhar Dal
• 2 medium sized Tomatoes, chopped
• ½ Cyp Drumsticks
• 1 medium sized Onion, chopped
• 1 Cup Tamarind Extract
• Salt to taste
• ½ Cup Bengal Gram or Chana Dal
• 4 Whole Red Chillie
• 3 tbsp Coconut, desiccated
• 1 tsp Cee Pee Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Cee Pee Fenugreek Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cooking Oil

Spices

• 1 tsp Cee Pee Sambar Powder
• 1 tsp Cee Pee Red Chilli Powder
• ½ tsp Cee Pee Turmeric Powder

For Tempering

• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Fenugreek Leaves
• 2 ½ tsp Urad Dal
• 6-7 Curry Leaves
• ¼ tsp Cee Pee Hing

Method

1. Boil the Arhar Dal in pressure cooker with water, salt and turmeric powder. Mash the dal and keep it aside.
2. In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and sauté all the dry ingredients including chana dal, whole red chillies, coconut, methi seeds, and coriander seeds.
3. Once roasted, grind the ingredients with some water to form a paste.
4. Now cook drumsticks in water with a pinch of turmeric powder until they are soft but not mushy.
5. In another pan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Saute onions until they turn golden brown.
6. Add tomato, sambar masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and the paste of dry ingredients.
7. Saute them until tomatoes are soft, then add water and mix well.
8. In the same pan, add arhar dal, drumsticks and tamarind paste. Mix it thoroughly.
9. Add 2 cups of water and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium flame. Adjust spices, salt and consistency of the sambar.
10. In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoon of oil, add fenugreek seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves.
11. Saute them until they begin to crackle. Pour the tadka over sambar.
12. Serve fresh and piping hot.

Nothing is more delightful than delicious and aromatic sambar served for breakfast or lunch accompanying soft idlis and irresistible dosas. For those cooking sambar for first time, it may seem a bit daunting, especially getting the right proportion of spices that goes in to making perfect sambar masala. To resolve this problem, Cee Pee offers flavour packed Sambar Masala Packet providing the authentic flavours to your sambar. With procuring the freshest and purest spice from the farms, now buy our sambar powder online at several online portals including Amazon and Bigbasket.