Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Simple Sambar Recipe (That Actually Tastes Good) is a vegetarian Indian main course made with toor dal/arhar dal, turmeric powder, and salt in about 46 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 46 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

To Pressure Cook the Dal

  • 1 cup toor dal/arhar dal (pigeon peas lentil)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups water ([adjustable] 24 oz [/adjustable])

Tamarind Juice

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind piece
  • ⅓ cup hot water

For Cooking The Vegetable

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • ½ cup chopped eggplant
  • 2 medium carrots (diced)
  • 7-8 drumsticks (I used frozen ones that I got from Indian store)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 medium tomato (chopped)
  • 3 cups water ([adjustable] 24 oz [/adjustable])
  • 2 tablespoons sambar powder (homemade or store bought, adjust to taste)
  • 2-3 teaspoons powdered jaggery
  • ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (optional)

Tadka/Tempering

  • 1 tablespoon ghee (or use oil)
  • ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds (black)
  • ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 10-15 curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, to garnish)

Method

  1. Wash 1 cup of toor dal and then add it to a stove-top pressure cooker along with ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups of water. Cook for 5 whistles on a medium-high flame, then lower the heat to medium-low and let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Once the pressure releases naturally, open the cooker and mash the cooked dal lightly with a potato masher. Set aside. If using an Instant Pot, pressure cook for 9 minutes on high pressure and let the pressure release naturally.
  2. Soak a small tamarind piece (around 1 tablespoon) in 1/3 cup of hot water for around 20 minutes. Then strain the water after 20 minutes using a strainer. You will get 3 to 4 tablespoons of tamarind pulp. Set this aside.
  3. In a pan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup chopped eggplant cubes and cook for around 2 minutes.
  4. Add 2 medium carrots (diced), 7 to 8 frozen drumsticks (it’s a vegetable, do not confuse with chicken drumsticks) and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add 1 medium chopped tomato and cook for 1 more minute.
  5. Add around 3 cups of (24 oz) water and stir and then add 2 tablespoons of sambar powder. You can add more to taste.
  6. Then add 2 to 3 teaspoons of jaggery powder (adjust to taste) along with 4 tablespoons of the tamarind pulp that you had extracted earlier
  7. Now, stir in the cooked dal. You can also add ½ teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder at this point (if using). Mix everything together with a spatula and let the sambar simmer on medium heat for 5 to 6minutes.
  8. To make the tadka, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee (or oil if you want to keep this vegan), in a small pan on medium heat. Once the ghee is hot, add ¾ teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them pop.
  9. Then add ¼ teaspoon of hing and 10 to 15 curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds until leaves turn crisp. Pour the tadka over the simmering sambar. Mix well and garnish with 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.

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.