Vendakkai Sambar | Okra Sambar
Vendakkai sambar recipe with step by step photos. This is a delicious sambar variety made with okra or bhindi, tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils), tamarind, onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs. This is known as vendakkai sambar in Tamil language or bhindi sambar in Hindi language. It makes for a comforting and delicious meal when served with steamed rice or idli or dosa.
If you like okra, then this okra sambar is definitely for you. And even if you don’t, try it because this recipe will change the way you think of the humble vegetable bhindi or okra.
By now I have posted quite a number of various sambar varieties. At least once or twice a month I make sambar with rice or with idlis or dosa. So, whenever I make a different, not so popular version, I surely take pictures to demonstrate the recipe here on the blog too. This Vendakkai Sambar is one of them.
The taste and flavor of bhindi comes through very well in the sambar and it tastes very good. Make sure to use fresh, tender and green okra as it is one of the star ingredients in the dish. Avoid using fibrous okra.
This ladies finger sambar goes very well with plain steamed rice or rava idli or dosa. Accompany a side veggie dish like a poriyal or a veggie roast and you have a delicious South Indian meal. Also serve some appalam or vadams (papads) and a pickle as a side.
How to make Vendakkai Sambar
1. First soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ½ cup hot water for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes squeeze the soaked tamarind pulp. Filter and keep aside.
3. Meanwhile when the tamarind is soaking, rinse ⅓ cup tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils) in fresh water and add them to a stovetop pressure cooker.
4. Then add 1 medium onion, which has been diced.
5. Add 1.5 cups of water. Pressure cook the lentils for 6 to 7 whistles or 10 to 12 minutes on high heat.
6. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid of the cooker.
7. Mash the cooked lentils with a spoon and keep them aside.
Making Vendakkai Sambar
8. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or coconut oil. Add 10 to 12 medium-sized chopped okra.
9. Stir and saute for 2 minutes on a low heat.
10. Then add 1 medium sized tomato (diced).
11. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Add the mashed lentils.
13. Then add ½ cup water.
14. Add the tamarind pulp.
15. Next add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 3 teaspoon sambar powder. Stir and mix very well.
16. Season with salt according to taste.
17. Simmer on a medium heat for 9 to 10 minutes or till the okra has become tender. Don’t overdo as then the okra will cook too much and become mushy. Cover and keep aside.
Making tempering for vendakkai sambar
18. For tempering, heat 1 to 1.5 tablespoon sesame oil or coconut oil in a small pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon urad dal.
Let the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turn into a maroonish color. Keep the heat on low while tempering.
19. Then add 2 dry red chilies, 1 sprig of curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing). Saute till the red chilies change color and the curry leaves become crisp.
20. Pour the tempering in the vendakkai sambar. Cover and keep aside for 5 minutes for the tempering flavors to infuse with the sambar.
21. Serve vendakkai sambar hot with steamed rice or with Idli or Dosa.
More sambar varieties
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
for cooking lentils
- ⅓ cup tuvar dal (arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
- 1 medium onion – diced
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking
other ingredients
- 10 to 12 medium sized okra (bhindi or lady finger)
- 1 medium tomato – diced
- ¾ to 1 cup water to be added later or add required
- 3 teaspoon Sambar Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt as required
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil or coconut oil or any oil
for tamarind pulp
- ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
- ½ cup water
for tempering
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon sesame oil or coconut oil or any oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (split husked black grams)
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
preparing tamarind pulp
- First soak 1/2 tbsp tightly packed tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes squeeze the soaked tamarind pulp. Filter and keep aside.
cooking lentils for bhindi sambar
- Meanwhile when the tamarind is soaking, rinse 1/3 cup tuvar dal and add them in a pressure cooker.
- Then add 1 medium onion, which has been diced.
- Add 1.5 cups water. Pressure cook the lentils for 6 to 7 whistles or 10 to 12 minutes on high flame.
- When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, open the lid of the cooker.
- Mash the cooked lentils with a spoon and keep aside.
making vendakkai sambar
- In a pan heat 1 tbsp sesame or coconut oil. Add chopped okra.
- Stir and saute for 2 minutes on a low flame.
- Then add 1 medium tomato (diced). Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the mashed lentils.
- Then add 1/2 cup water, tamarind pulp, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 3 tsp sambar powder and salt. Stir very well.
- Simmer on a medium flame for 9 to 10 minutes or till the okra has become tender. Don't overdo as then the bhindi will cook too much. Cover and keep aside.
preparing tempering for vendakkai sambar
- Heat 1 to 1.5 tbsp sesame oil or coconut oil in a small pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp urad dal. Let the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turn into a maroonish color. Keep the flame on low while tempering.
- Then add 2 dry red chilies, 1 sprig of curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Saute till the red chilies change color and the curry leaves become crisp.
- Pour the tempering in the sambar. Cover and keep aside for 5 minutes for the tempering flavors to infuse with the sambar.
- Serve vendakkai sambar hot with steamed rice or with idlis.
This Vendakkai Sambar post from the blog archives first published in December 2015 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Yummy sambar! I loved it
Hi dassana,
I have never tried sambar with okra. In this, do the okras retain their sliminess? I mean is it felt after final cooking?
ruchi, the okra does have moistness and when you eat them you will feel slight sliminess, stickiness and moistness which is an inherent part of okra. but you will not see any sliminess in the sambar gravy. if you do not want any sliminess, then sauté the okra separately or pan fry them till they are done. then after the sambar gravy is done, add fried okra in the sambar and simmer for a minute or two.
Wonderful sambar. It tasted just like my patti’s. Thank you!
Welcome Meghna
Hi Dassana! Your website is amazing! Many of my friends in Canada and U.S. use your website – many of us have an instant pot pressure cooker that does not whistle. It is just set for number of minutes.
Could you please translate whistles into minutes? Some of your recipes say 9 whistles and some more, depending on other ingredients. For me, typically, 1 cup toor dal takes me about 12 minutes to make tender if cooking alone with onions.
This information would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much for your excellent website!
Welcome Anitha. Glad to know this. Now I am adding the minutes as well as the number of whistles in the recipe. However in older recipes this info is missing. Time taken to pressure cook depends upon the quality of the dal as well as the size of pressure cooker and the flame intensity. e.g. older dal will take long time to cook. if the dal is pre soaked then its cooks faster. in fact from my experience organic dal takes longer time to cook. so it becomes very tricky to give the exact timing. but i have started implementing this.
I followed exactly same steps and it came out superb.
Thanks Usha
Hi Dassana,
Do you have a recipe for south Indian sambar rice? Please think about posting one. Thanks! ?
Love your recipes!
ruben, you mean only sambar or sambar-rice? i have some south indian sambar varieties already posted.
Useful veg recipes n simple demonstrations. Super?
thankyou ashok 🙂
Hi your recipes are yum n tasty n easy to follow…..plz provide recipe for soya chaap in gravy
thankyou megha have taken your request for soya chaap curry recipe on our file.
Delicious