I love sweet and sour flavours and, thanks to the tang of tamarind, this South Indian dal and veggie stew is one of my favourites. Sambhar, also known as sambar is a staple in some parts of India and Sri Lanka, and is considered very Sattvic (see here) thanks to its soft, easy-to-digest lentils and its high veg content.
The ‘real’ sambhar depends on family tradition. However, for the most part, there are two types: either made with sambhar powder (which I’ve used here) or roasted coconut. There are also two serving styles: as a gravy for dipping your dosas or uttapams, or as a thick stew. Nearly any vegetable you like can go into a sambhar.
For the lentils, you can use chana dal, toor dal (as used in the Tamilnadu Vegetable and Lentil Stew, see here), whole mung beans or mung dal. I tend to use the latter, which are digestible for all Doshas and quicker to cook.
Serves 4
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
200g (1 cup) okra, tops removed and halved if large (or swap for green beans)
1 medium carrot, cut lengthways into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green chilli, chopped
l00g (½ cup) mung dal, or toor dal or chana dal (or mung beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained) – see Tip below
1 litre (4 cups) water
2 small Asian aubergines or 1 small European aubergine, cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
1 tbsp tamarind paste (see here) or juice from 50g tamarind block
1 tbsp Sambhar Powder (see here)
sea salt, to taste
FOR THE TARKA
1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
½ tbsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
8–10 fresh curry leaves
1 dried red chilli, broken into pieces (optional)
1 Melt the ghee in a large saucepan and fry the okra (no need with green beans) for 5 minutes, then set aside. Add the carrot, turmeric, onion, green chilli, mung dal and water to the saucepan. Stir, bring to the boil and simmer for at least 20 minutes until the lentils are soft.
2 Add the aubergines, okra, tamarind paste and sambhar powder and allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Add hot water to reach your desired consistency and season to taste.
3 Make the tarka. In a small frying pan, melt the ghee and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dried red chilli, if using. Quickly pour the tarka into the sambhar, then stir well and serve.
FEELING
PITTA
Leave out the chillies and add plenty of fresh coriander leaves.
TIP
•
The cooking times for the other dals and whole mung beans will vary and take longer. It is easier to cook the lentils separately in one pan until just tender, and cook the vegetables in a separate larger saucepan, adding in the cooked dals or mung beans halfway through the cooking so they finish cooking together. Then add your tarka.