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225 Comments

  1. I made this this evening. For some reason it tasted very tart and a bit overly tangy. I added a little bit of jaggery to mellow it out a bit.

    I might use less tamarind next time. Plus it wasn’t that beautiful copper red colour like yours, but brown. Interesting.

    1. The tartness is due to the tamarind quality and it also affects the color. I hope you have made the sambar using dried tamarind fruit and not tamarind sauce or paste. If using a tamarind sauce or paste, you might just need about ½ to 1 teaspoon.

  2. Loved the recipe. Since I am used to some sweet taste, I add jaggery. The taste was phenomenal and we all enjoyed the sambar with piping hot steamed rice. Delicious!5 stars

  3. Tried out your Sambar Recipe and turned out well. My grandkids loved it. Have saved your recipe. Thank you!

  4. I was given an idli cooker for Christmas and am keen to make the idli sambar I enjoyed when I stayed in Mysore many years ago.

    This looks like a great recipe but do you have a recipe for making sambar powder at home, as I find home-prepared spice mixes have more flavour than those bought from a store?5 stars

      1. Thanks for the sambar powder recipe you pointed me to, I made up a jar of this and then made a really gorgeous moringa (drumstick) sambar with it.
        And now I have enough sambar podi left to try making some other sambar variations! Thank you!

  5. 1 to 2 drumsticks – scraped and chopped in 3 to 4 inches sticks.

    Please explain what these are? I only know chicken drumsticks…….

  6. Hello…Thank you for this awesome recipe….i made today and turned out perfect…..we enjoyed with Idli. will try out other recipe of yours.

  7. It was just superb my dear friend Amit
    I really enjoyed preparing and having it with dosa
    Thank you soo much5 stars

  8. Hi Dassana, I have made this a few times for the family and all love it.
    Your recipes are straightforward and down to earth – no special expensive ingredients, just using whatever is in our kitchens yet FANTASTIC results always ! Also, sharing personal tips and stories around each recipe give a special touch that make all your dishes a joy to prepare (and eat !) as if from a cherished family recipe book ! God bless you !

  9. Best recipe ever :)…Am not very good in cooking …but your recipes are very clear in qty level and exactly came out well .After a long search this is the only site which actually true in recipe combination .Thank you guys you made my day5 stars

    1. Welcome Nisha. Glad to know that you like the website and recipes posted here. All recipes are tried and tested before being published. Thanks for your positive feedback on sambar recipe.

  10. Hi
    I love all your recipe
    But I have one question that how much Sambar do you make per idli please?5 stars

    1. thanks. one small to medium bowl of sambar can be served for one person with 2 to 3 idlis. so you can easily make sambar with 1/3rd or 1/2 cup of tuvar dal. it will serve 5 to 6 people.

  11. wow really excited to find this website! i’m gonna try some of these recipes on my dad when he visits next week…wish this ABCD luck 😉
    and thank u for the recipes!

  12. Hi!

    I love Sambhar…..gonna make for the first time. Could you please tell me any other alternative for tamarind as I stay abroad and it’s difficult to get it. I don’t want to miss that tangy sour taste…..

    Thanks,

    1. taste wise there is no alternative to tamarind. abroad, ready tamarind paste is available. so you can use this but add very less as tamarind paste is more concentrated than tamarind pulp made by soaking in water. for a sour taste lemon juice can be used, but the sour taste given by lemon juice would taste different in sambar.

  13. Mam all of your recipes are very good and the explanation makes them easy to prepare specially the photographs… Made sambar yesterday and it turned out to be delicious…5 stars

  14. The sambar powder’s raw taste didn’t go even after keeping it for low flame for a long time in the stove. Had a tough time making it!4 stars

    1. then the issue is with the sambar powder and not the sambar recipe. if the spices were roasted before making sambar powder, then it will get cooked quickly in the sambar. if not, then it will take some time.

  15. hello,just wanted to let u know whenever it comes to trying my hand at cooking,it’s just ur recipes which i can totally rely upon.
    Really looking forward to making this sambhar recipe too.
    Also, i wanted to know if just one whistle would be enough to cook the vegetables? for example if it’s potatoes,would one whistle do?
    Thank u in advance ☺5 stars

    1. thanks a lot jayashree. one whistle is fine as the veggies will be half done as they are cooked again after adding sambar powder. so if cooked for 2 whistles than the veggies can become mushy when cooking further. alternatively, you can cook for 2 whistles also and then reduce the later cooking time. but do make sure that there is no raw aroma of the tamarind pulp.

    1. Welcome Ekta. You can add some lemon juice towards the end of recipe. lemon juice is not the substitute but it will give some sour taste in the sambar. add at the very end.

  16. Hi,I’m priya from tamilnadu.I’m just 16 now and I luv cooking.I hope this recipe would satisfy my family,and frnds

  17. hi dassana!!! thank u so much for sharing such easy n well explained recipes…I’ve been following ur website since last year…this year I got married n today I made sambar for the first in my sasuraal…followed all the steps..n it turned out to be very yummy!!! thank u so much…!!!5 stars

  18. Hello, I tried samber recipe for the first time and it tastes awesome. I try many of ur recipes and everytime results are great. Thanks for sharing dear 🙂5 stars

  19. Hai,

    Prepared it today and it was delicious. My 3 years daughter loved it too. I blindly follow your recipies and the dishes always turn out to be delicious. Thank you.5 stars

  20. Tried this today and it was my first time trying Sambhar. Used the sambhar powder as mentioned and it turned out really well. In US we don’t get all the veggies to go in sambhar but I got a frozen veggie packet especially for Sambhar that even had the drumsticks and it was delicious. My husband who is a very picky water relished it. Thanks for sharing.5 stars

  21. I made sambar yesterday… Had known the basics of making it but I learnt and tried some more flavour-adding tips from this recipe. Everyone loved the result. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes 🙂
    The best part of sambar is that not only is it very easy to make but also very healthy. one can include all sorts of veggies whose individual, traditional sabzis would take much more time than the sambar5 stars

  22. I made this today, it was very good in taste. However, i felt the need to add a bit of sugar, 1tsp, after that it was really perfect almost. However, even though i fried the fenugreek seeds very well in the tempering, still i was finding it difficult to eat the seeds when they came in my mouth while eating the sambar.They had a very hard consistency ,n they wre too crunchy and hence tasted very bitter as well. Bitter taste is not a issue but i wanted to ask that should i soak the methi seeds in warm water first or do i dry roast them and then add in the tadka or what did i do wrong with the methi seeds in my tadka?

    1. thanks shea for the positive feedback. adding sugar depends on taste preferences. some variations of sambar like the udipi sambar does include addition of jaggery in it. for the methi seeds, they soften after adding to sambar. i think they needed to be fried a bit more. they don’t remain crunchy. could be you must be getting a larger variety of methi seeds, then what we get in india. so you can soak them in water for some minutes. you can even dry roast them or skip them entirely.

      1. Thanks a lot. I tried again today, i put the methi seeds first in the oil, and then the other ingredients , and the problem was solved. Actually, we mumbaites have a habit of eating sambar from udipi restaurants and so we are used to that taste of sambar which is a bit sweet.Today i used the leftover tamarind pulp from yesterdays preparation(i had strained it and used only the tamarind water from yesterdays pulp )and so i soaked that same pulp again in warm water and strained and used it today.But the result was not so good and i had to use fresh tamarind pulp again. So i guess there are no shortcuts to sambar .But the result was awesome, a hotel style sambar finally. I did notice that it tastes a lot better after 2-3 hrs once its made. It gives a thicker better consistency and taste.can u please post recipes of different varieties of sambar,and idli.

        1. fine shea 🙂 actually i am also from mumbai and i know about the sweet taste in sambar. initially, i would never like the sweet taste in sambar, but now i am fine with it. fresh tamarind pulp always tastes better. yes sambar tastes much better after some hours. there are no short cuts to make good food 🙂

          i have posted some varieties of sambar. you can try the hotel style sambar, mangalorean sambar and the udipi sambar that i have posted. here is a link to get the sambar varieties, i have so far added – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/?s=sambar

  23. Hello Dassana,

    This sambhar recipe is so simple yet flavourful and that is the best thing about your recipes.
    Your effort of adding pictures to the recipe is just commendable. Pictures helps a lot to understand the quantity and color till which to saute/cook.
    Thanks for such an awesome blog .

    Regards
    Ritu

  24. Hi Amit..
    i try ur recipes whenever i try smthng new… All reciepes were awesome.. Today i tried sambhar recipe.. n yes its as usual awesome.. Thnks ?5 stars

      1. It was really tasty ma’am.. ☺☺
        My father loved this recipe..
        Thank u for sharing ur amazing recipes.5 stars

          1. Today I am preparing it again ma’am.
            your awesome recipe… My father’s favorite.. ?

  25. ..simply amazing. my first dish as forced bachelor turned out to be the best sambar I had. thanks

  26. I just recently returned from my second trip coaching a student for the Young Chefs Olympiad and I must say that this is an excellent sambar recipe. I fell in love with the stuff so I just made this one and it makes me feel like I’m back in Kolkata. I was very sorry to hear of the tragic accident yesterday in that city. But again, wonderful recipe!

  27. Hi prasad here again , prepared my second dish sambar finally with your guidance learned how to make sambar and yes it came to be perfect and everyone in home likes it a lot ?? thank you again for dis easy recipe and i am going to try all of ur recipe for sure5 stars

  28. i have tried many times making sambhar and do not satisfy by result..after reading many comments i will try this recepie for sure…hoping it turn out well..

  29. Hey!
    It looked real simple when I read it. This was the first time I tried cooking sambar.

    You say it takes just 45 minutes, but then waiting for the pressure to cool now and then takes a lot of time, doesn’t it?

    Thank you so much for this, though. Cooking seems simpler to me because of your recipes. 🙂

    1. thank you anya. yes it does take time for the pressure cooker to cool. but in meantime we can chop the veggies and do the other prepping required for the tadka as well as prepare the tamarind pulp.

  30. Hi dear…

    Your recepies are simply amazing… they are so easy and are perfect in all proportions.
    really have to tell you i prefer your recepies over many renowned chefs. Your recepies are the best.
    keep posting more.
    thanks alot.5 stars

  31. Thanku so so much for this wonderful recipe… I am from Punjab and my husband loves south Indian food… today I tried this sambhar recipe and it turned out amazing.. he was soo happy after tasting my first Sambhar… Thanku once again… Ur website is amazing… m gonna try all your recipes…

    1. pleased to know amy your husband loved the sambar 🙂 surely try more recipes and let us know how they were? thankyou so much and you are always welcome.

  32. Hi Dasanna.. I generously follow ur recipes.. and they come out well… I would like to know the sambar powder recipe as well… so kindly pls do post it some time….

  33. Hiya, I want to try out your recipe, just one question. Instead of soaking imli, can I substitute that with imli paste? and if so, how much should I use?

  34. Hi Dassana! I have been following this recipe successfully from a long time and it never fails. Its easy and wonderful. Can you give us an idea to make home made sambhar masala? I use Everest masala but I want to use homemade masala. Kindly help.5 stars

  35. Fantastic recipe!! This was first time I tried sambhar. this came out superb. My hubby n family appreciated it a lot. Thanks for sharing your recipe5 stars

  36. thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful recipe…i made sambhar using your recipe yesterday & my husband gave the best food compliment i hv ever received…i told him ‘Thanks to Vegrecipes of India’. i had tried a lot of other recipes but nothing worked out like this one. Thanks for making my day & for sharing this wonderfully delicious recipe 🙂5 stars

  37. Its really a very fine way to make food without disturbing others ,, n all goes to this site…. u guys doing best done,, so pls pls pls continue….5 stars

  38. Such an easy method to prepare delicious sambar…I have been making sambar for over a year but this time it turned out to be so delicious….and thanks for using sambar powder otherwise with 15 different spices it would be out of my reach 🙂5 stars

  39. Awesome recipe….I tried it and sambar turned out to be so delicious…its absolutely simple …I thought you would use 15 different spices and it would be out of my reach but thanks you used sambar masala 🙂

  40. Dassana, i must say that your recipes are not just delicious but they truly reflect the ‘goodness’ in you. with such clarity you post the details that even a novice like me ends up making really Good food. thanks to you , Dassana!5 stars

  41. Really divine n delicious. Would like to give u lots of credit for getting all that combinations right in almost all recipes. Thank you for getting us to try all our Indian wonderful cuisine .5 stars

  42. Worlds best sambhar thnx for helping people like me and making life easier by posting such delicious recipes. Ma’am can you please post recipe of this italian dish called “crostini”. thnak youuu!!!!!

  43. Dear Amit ji,
    Awesome recipe, I was able to make tasty and aromatic sambhar. Question:
    In step 6 , do youn us to use the pulp or the strained tamarind juice ?

    1. welcome. soak the tamarind in warm water for 30 minutes. its the pulp which has been made in step no 2. you can strain the tamarind pulp if you want.

  44. After cooking the dal in the pressure cooker, do I drain off some of the remaining water? How watery should it be? I see the consistency of the dal but I can’t see how much water is left in the pot. Thank you. I am eager to try this.

  45. Easy & Super yammy !!! I am not the Sambhar fan. But love this one. Love the way you post pics & explain. Thanks.5 stars

  46. Delicious recipe… Yummy Sambhar!! Thanks fr sharing 🙂 Do you have a recipe for Sambhar Masala as well?

  47. Onion and tomatoes also will have to be pressurecooked with other veggies or these need to br fried separately??

  48. Hi mam,

    First of all thanks for sharing this wonderul recipe here.

    I was able to make my First sambar in a very decent way by using this recipe.

    But for me it felt lightly sweeter……what my be reason mam.

    Thanks for your recipe.5 stars

      1. initially it felt sweet, after some time it was good.

        In case if i have only onions and tomatoes, then how much qty should i add.

        Thanks for your reply.

        1. fine. you can add easily about 2 to 3 medium onions or 1 medium tomato. in this case, the sambar will be more like onion sambar. just slice the onions thickly. you can also use shallots or small onions. or you can add about 1 medium onion and 2 medium tomatoes. this would be like tomato sambar.

  49. Awesome thank you for sharing the great recipes of India I love your website! Will try this recipe pretty soon 🙂

  50. i have tried it for the first time and it was better than the regular sambars i had,
    i am from andhra and i felt i was in chennai having this sambar from sarvana bhavan.
    thanks a lot , the recipe was very easy .
    wish you good luck.

    1. welcome K. NARENDRA. this is a really a very positive and sweet feedback. considering the fact that your are comparing the sambar with sarvana bhavan samabr. i have heard a lot about sarvana bhavan food.

  51. Hi
    Thanks a lot
    I tried ur recipe when I was cooking sambar for the first time.
    It was too good
    Thanks for all the appreciation I got because of you5 stars

  52. Hi, I am also from udupi, but i dont remember anyone in my family using garlic.
    Is it really necessary?

    1. no its not necessary. you can skip. in udipi they don’t use garlic. but i have one aunt from mangalore, who adds garlic in the tempering in the sambar and we have learnt it from her.

  53. Hi Dassana,

    Your recipes are really great, easy steps and most delicious. I am a regular follower of ur site.
    Could you please post a recipe for Sambar powder?
    Also will be happy if you post more Karnataka cuisine recipes.

    Regards,
    Shweta5 stars

  54. Hi i have made sambhar with this lovable receipe nd the outcome result was super delicious mouth watering thanks u so much dassana for sharing this wonderful receipe

  55. Hi,

    This was my first attempt to make Sambar and i was really successful. :). I am very happy with the outcome. Your easy steps really helped me to make it very quickly and easily with out any worry. This is giving me confidence to cook. Thanks to you dasanna.5 stars

  56. I tried your sambar recipe today. It was my first attempt and turned out to be awesome. My husband loooved it and has asked me prepare it again for my in-laws. Thanks a ton Dassanaji……5 stars

  57. Though it was my first try of making Sambar… The taste and aroma was beyond imagination. !
    Thanks a lot for making it very simple recipe…. Really .. Awesome.. !

    Only one more thing to ask.. How can I make it look more red.. ?
    Also.. is it possible to use freshly made sambhar masala.. at home.. ?

    Thanks again.. Keep posting.. !4 stars

    1. thanks. the sambar will have a red color, if you use byadagi chili powder or kashmiri chili powder. if the sambar masala has these red chilies than also the sambar will have an orangish reddish color to it. you can make sambar masala at home and keep in a jar. i don’t have a recipe now, but i am sure you will get it on google search 🙂

  58. dassanaji…my first attempt was easy vegetable pulao…good….second palak paneer…goood…egg parantha….again goood….now sambhar….good of the highest order!
    i got drumsticks as well……..i have closed the lid now after pouring the tadka….slurpp….my mouth is watering…cant wait to open it!:)

  59. please tell me how I can prepare the sambar masala .Is it any readymade kind of masala?5 stars

    1. sambar masala or sambar powder can be made at home or brought from outside. i don’t have any recipe on the blog as my family is generous enough to share the sambar masala, they make at home with me. i will add a homemade sambar powder post soon.

  60. Hi..i follow the same recipe…will be good if u add some asafoetida before tempering..will give good aroma and flavour to the recipe….

    Thanks

    Salini

  61. Can you please give some idea about the quantity of vegetables to be added (bottle gourd, ladyfingers, french beans, potatoes, onions, tomatoes). Also, how much is a “ball” of tamarind?

    Also, thanks for your all your great (and simple) recipes, they’re perfect for beginners like me!

    1. if using 1 cup dal, then you can add about 1.5 to 2 cups of chopped veggies except the onions and tomatoes. one medium sized onion or 5-6 shallots are enough. 1 medium or large tomato is fine. one ball of tamarind is approx 1 to 1.5 tbsp seedless tamarind. basically a lemon sized ball of tamarind. thanks.