Eat Healthy and Cheap
Sambar
Sambar is two pots that meet at the end: toor dal simmered until it collapses, and vegetables cooked soft in a sour tamarind broth. The dal does the thickening, so the stew turns velvety without a drop of cream or oil. The flavor lands in the tempering, the mustard seeds and curry leaves usually crackled in ghee. Toasted dry and bloomed with a spoonful of water, they still give up their aroma, and the asafoetida carries the savory weight that would otherwise come from salt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Toor dal, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 1/2 tbsp Tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp Sambar powder, salt-free
- 8 Shallots, peeled, halved if large
- 1 Carrots (cooking), cut into coins
- 1 cup Eggplant, cubed
- 6 Okras, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 1 Fresh tomatoe, chopped
- 1 Indian green chile, slit lengthwise
- 1 tsp Brown mustard seed
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed
- 2 Byadgi chiles, whole, dried
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
- 3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Rinse the toor dal until the water runs clear. Put it in a pot with the turmeric and 3 cups (720 ml) water. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer partly covered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the grains are soft enough to smear against the side of the pot. Whisk it smooth. A pressure cooker does this in about 15 minutes.
- While the dal cooks, stir the tamarind paste into 1.5 cups (360 ml) warm water until it dissolves. That is your sour broth.
- Put the shallots, carrot, and eggplant in a second pot with the tamarind water, sambar powder, and slit green chile. Simmer for 8 minutes, then add the okra and tomato and cook 5 minutes more. Adding the okra late, straight into acidic liquid, is what keeps it from turning slimy.
- Scrape the smooth dal into the vegetables. Loosen with about 1 cup (240 ml) water until the sambar is brothy rather than thick. It should pour, not mound. Simmer gently for 5 minutes to let the flavors marry, then turn off the heat.
- Make the tempering last. In a small dry pan over medium heat, toast the mustard seeds until they pop and jump, about 1 minute. Add the fenugreek seeds, dried chiles, curry leaves, and asafoetida with a tablespoon of water, and let them sizzle for 20 seconds. The splash of water blooms the spices the way oil would, and the asafoetida gives sambar its savory backbone in place of salt.
- Pour the whole tempering into the pot and stir once. The curry leaves should still be crackling. Cover for a minute to trap the aroma.
- Stir in the cilantro. Taste, and reach for more tamarind before you reach for salt: a small pinch is all it needs. Serve over brown rice.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 240 calories, 14 g protein, 13 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
