Sambar Rice also called Sambar Sadam in Tamil is a delicious, comforting meal of both sambar and rice cooked together. This South Indian lentil, rice and vegetable preparation is healthy and filling as well.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice
  • ½ cup toor dal ((tuvar dal, arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils))
  • 3 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil ((gingelly oil))
  • ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
  • ⅓ cup hot water
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil ((gingelly oil))
  • ⅓ cup thickly sliced onions (or pearl onions or shallots)
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ½ cup diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 cups chopped mixed veggies (- like french beans, carrots, capsicum, brinjal, pumpkin)
  • 1 drumstick ((medium to large), use tender drumsticks)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ½ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika)
  • 2 to 2.5 cups water (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 tablespoon sambar powder
  • 1 tablespoon ghee (- optional)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil ((gingelly oil))
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 3 to 4 dry red chillies (- halved and seeds removed)
  • 12 to 15 curry leaves
  • 1 generous pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons ghee (- optional)

Method

Cooking rice and lentils

  1. Rinse together rice and toor dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils) a couple of times in water. Drain all the water and add both rice and dal in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
  2. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
  3. Pressure cook for 15 to 16 minutes on medium heat.
  4. When the pressure falls naturally on its own, remove the lid and check if the rice and lentils are cooked together.
  5. Mash lightly and keep aside covered. In case the lentils are undercooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for some more time.

Making tamarind pulp

  1. Meanwhile when the rice & lentils are cooking, soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. Later squeeze the tamarind pulp extract in the bowl of water and keep aside.

Cooking veggies

  1. So when the lentils and rice are cooking, you can also start to prep and cook the veggies. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a pan.
  2. Add ⅓ cup thickly sliced onions. You can also use pearl onions or shallots.
  3. Sauté for 1 minute on a low to medium heat.
  4. Then add 5 to 6 curry leaves (kadi patta) and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing).
  5. Sauté for a couple of seconds then add ½ cup diced tomatoes. Mix and saute tomatoes for 2 minutes.
  6. Next add 1.5 cups chopped mixed veggies like french beans, carrots, capsicum, brinjal, pumpkin and 1 medium to large drumstick. Sauté the veggies for a minute.
  7. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder. Mix again very well.
  8. Now add 2 to 2.5 cups water or add as required.
  9. Season with salt as per taste. Stir to mix.
  10. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the veggies on medium-low to medium heat for 16 to 18 minutes. Do check in between.
  11. Simmer till the veggies are almost cooked. Then add the tamarind pulp.
  12. Next add 1 tablespoon sambar powder. You can also add more sambar powder if you want. Mix very well.
  13. Continue to cover and cook till the veggies are cooked well and the raw taste of tamarind disappears. So cook for a further 5 to 6 minutes or more on low to medium heat.

Making sambar rice

  1. When the veggies are cooked tender and softened, then add the lightly mashed dal and rice.
  2. Mix everything thoroughly. if you want a more liquid consistency in sambar rice then add some hot water at this step and then mix again.
  3. Then add 1 tablespoon ghee. Ghee can be skipped if you want.
  4. Mix again. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.

Making tempering

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a tadka pan or a small frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
  2. Then add 3 to 4 dry red chilies, 12 to 15 curry leaves and 1 generous pinch of asafoetida (hing).
  3. Stir and fry till the red chilies change their color and become dark. Take care not to burn them.
  4. Pour this entire tempering mixture on the sambar rice. Mix very well.
  5. Serve sambar sadam plain or you can accompany with a side veggie dish, curd (yogurt), pickle or appalam (papaddums). You can also dot with some ghee while serving.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.