Varutharacha Sambar ~ Mixed Vegetables and Lentils in a Spiced Tamarind Sauce

No feast / sadya in Kerala is complete without sambar. Even in TamilNadu for that matter. As with anything similar, there are several different ways of making it. In Kerala, it is always made with mixed vegetables – usually the mix is onions, potatoes, carrots, drumstick, okra, winter melon, pumpkin etc. In TamilNadu, it is usually just one vegetable and it is called that – like if you use okra then it become okra sambar or vendakka sambar, if you use drumstick / moringa, then it becomes drumstick asmbar or muringakka sambar and so on.

In both these states, whether with one vegetable or more, there are still some other different nuances when making this dish. Some use a premade spice mix called sambar powder. This is how sambar is made by my mom and paatti (grandmom). Some others use several different powdered spices. Some other use freshly toasted spices and coconut ground to a paste, which is the recipe used here.

Varutharacha Sambar – The Recipe

Ingredients:

Tamarind – key lime sized ball
Water – 1 to 2 cups
Toor Dal / Pigeon Peas – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Carrots, diced – 1
Potatoes, diced – 1
Drumstick, cut into 2 inch pieces – 8 to 10
Red Onion, diced – 1/4 cup
Pearl Onion, peeled – 10
Tomatoes, diced – 1
Okra, cut into 1 inch pieces – 5
You can add all or some of this (Onions, Pearl Onions and Drumsticks give a really good flavor so I wouldn’t make those optional) and / or add more vegetables like eggplant, winter melon, pumpkin etc.
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste

To Roast and Grind to a fine paste:
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies – 4 or 5
Pearl Onions – 5
Fenugreek Seeds – 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal / Gram Dal – 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing – 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Oil – 1 tsp

For tempering:
Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 8 to 10
Minced Cilantro – 2 tbsp, to garnish

Method:

Soak tamarind in the 1 to 2 cups of water, squeeze the pulp out of it and keep aside.
Wash the toor dal well and cook in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan till mushy.
Place the tamarind pulp in a heavy bottomed pan on the stove. Add all the vegetables, except tomatoes. Add more water, if needed.
Add turmeric powder and cover and cook, till the vegetables are cooked well.
Add the tomatoes and let it cook though as well. Add salt and keep heat on low.

To make the ground paste:
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan and dry roast the spices. Add the coconut to it and roast till coconut slightly turns color. Don’t let it brown a lot.
Let it cool. Grind to a very fine paste in a food processor or an Indian mixie, adding very little water occasionally.
Now add this mixture to the vegetables in tamarind sauce and let it come to a boil.
Mash the cooked dal well and add it to this. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Heat the oil for tempering in a saute pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and pour it over the sambar.
Switch off the heat for the sambar. Add some minced cilantro at the very end.

Varutharacha Sambar ~ Mixed Vegetables and Lentils in a Spiced Tamarind Sauce | Kerala Sadya Recipes

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Author: Manju

Ingredients

• Tamarind - key lime sized ball
• Water - 1 to 2 cups
• Toor Dal / Pigeon Peas - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups
• Carrots diced - 1
• Potatoes diced - 1
• Drumstick cut into 2 inch pieces - 8 to 10
• Red Onion diced - 1/4 cup
• Pearl Onion peeled - 10
• Tomatoes diced - 1
• Okra cut into 1 inch pieces - 5
• You can add all or some of this Onions, Pearl Onions and Drumsticks give a really good flavor so I wouldn't make those optional and / or add more vegetables like eggplant, winter melon, pumpkin etc.
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• To Roast and Grind to a fine paste:
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Dried Red Chillies - 4 or 5
• Pearl Onions - 5
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Chana Dal / Gram Dal - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida / Hing - 1/2 tsp
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 1 tsp
• For tempering:
• Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 8 to 10
• Minced Cilantro - 2 tbsp to garnish

Instructions

• Soak tamarind in the 1 to 2 cups of water, squeeze the pulp out of it and keep aside.
• Wash the toor dal well and cook in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan till mushy.
• Place the tamarind pulp in a heavy bottomed pan on the stove. Add all the vegetables, except tomatoes. Add more water, if needed.
• Add turmeric powder and cover and cook, till the vegetables are cooked well.
• Add the tomatoes and let it cook though as well. Add salt and keep heat on low.
• To make the ground paste:
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan and dry roast the spices. Add the coconut to it and roast till coconut slightly turns color. Don't let it brown a lot.
• Let it cool. Grind to a very fine paste in a food processor or an Indian mixie, adding very little water occasionally.
• Now add this mixture to the vegetables in tamarind sauce and let it come to a boil.
• Mash the cooked dal well and add it to this. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
• Heat the oil for tempering in a saute pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and pour it over the sambar.
• Switch off the heat for the sambar. Add some minced cilantro at the very end.

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