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Sambhar ( How To Make Sambhar, South Indian Recipe)

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restaurant style sambar recipe | sambar recipe for idli | sambar with sambar masala | hotel sambar recipe | with 54 amazing images.

restaurant style sambar recipe | sambar recipe for idli | sambar with sambar masala | hotel sambar recipe is made in every household in the south of Indian daily. Learn how to make sambar recipe for idli.

To make restaurant style sambar, wash the toovar dal thoroughly and drain. Combine the washed dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Blend the dal using a hand blender till it is smooth and keep aside. Combine the drumsticks, bottle gourd and potatoes with 1 cup of water in a deep non-stick pan and cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes or till the vegetables are soft. Keep aside. Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add the cooked bottle gourd and drumstick, shallots, tamarind pulp, cooked dal, salt, sambhar masala powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and ¾ cup of water, mix well and bring to boil and allow to cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add the coriander, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute. Serve the sambar hot.

Sambar with sambar masala is one South Indian dish that needs no introduction, and probably the most versatile of them all. Each family uses the ingredients in various proportions. You can try our version of sambar or try varying the quantities depending on your preference.

Here we have shared the recipe of sambar masala too. It is the flawless blend of spices for the perfect restaurant style sambar! The combination of this sambar masala with a horde of veggies gives rise to an aromatic and flavourful sambar that will steal everyone’s hearts.

The vegetables added to hotel sambar recipe are referred to as ‘thaan’. We have used bottle gourd, potato, drumstick, tomatoes and shallots, but various thaans also include colocasia, radish, carrot, capsicum, brinjal, ladies finger etc.

This sambar recipe for idli can be served with a variety of dishes like medu vada, onion rava dosa and mysore masala dosa to a very simple accompaniment like steamed rice.

Tips for restaurant style sambar. 1. You can even make use of a combination of toovar dal and chana dal. However, chana dal is used in small quantities like 1 to 2 tablespoons only. 2. The fat used for tempering the sambar varies from region to region. Authentic South Indian homemade sambar makes use of ghee while sambar recipe in Tamil Nadu makes use of sesame oil and Kerala uses coconut oil. You can use any other oil also. 3. Shallots can be replaced with finely sliced onions. These will be sautéed before tomatoes. 4. In Karnataka a bit of jaggery is added for a pleasant and contrasting mild sweet taste of the sambar. 5.If you serve the sambar later, you may have to adjust the consistency by adding little water before reheating. 6. You can also make sambar masala using pandi chillies.

Enjoy restaurant style sambar recipe | sambar recipe for idli | sambar with sambar masala | hotel sambar recipe | with step by step photos.

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Restaurant Style Sambar, Sambar with Sambar Masala recipe - How to make Restaurant Style Sambar, Sambar with Sambar Masala

Preparation Time:    Cooking Time:    Total Time:     6Makes 6 servings
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Method

For the sambhar masala powder
    For the sambhar masala powder
  1. Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add all the ingredients and roast on a slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes or till the dals turn light brown in colour. Keep aside to cool completely.
  2. Once cooled, blend in a mixer to a fine powder.
  3. Use the sambar masala as required or store refrigerated in an air-tight container.

How to proceed
    How to proceed
  1. To make restaurant style sambar, wash the toovar dal thoroughly and drain.
  2. Combine the washed dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  3. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
  4. Blend the dal using a hand blender till it is smooth and keep aside.
  5. Combine the drumsticks, bottle gourd and potatoes with 1 cup of water in a deep non-stick pan and cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes or till the vegetables are soft. Keep aside.
  6. Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
  7. Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
  8. Add the cooked bottle gourd, potatoes and drumstick, shallots, tamarind pulp, cooked dal, salt, sambhar masala powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and ¾ cup of water, mix well and bring to boil and allow to cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
  9. Cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
  10. Add the coriander, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
  11. Serve the sambar hot.

Restaurant Style Sambar, Sambar with Sambar Masala recipe with step by step photos

If you like restaurant style sambar recipe
  1. If you like restaurant style sambar recipe, then try other South Indian recipes like
    • rasam recipe | South Indian rasam | restaurant style rasam | how to make rasam with rasam powder |
    • bisi bele bhat recipe | Karnataka style bisibele bhat | how to make bisi bele bhat at home | with step by step photos.
    • masala appe recipe | masala paniyaram | masala appe made with idli batter | with 17 amazing images.

What is restaurant style sambar made of?
  1. Restaurant style sambar is made of 3/4 cup toovar (arhar) dal, 2 drumsticks (saijan ki phalli / saragavo) , cut into 3” pieces, 1/2 cup bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki) cubes, 1/2 cup potato cubes, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson), 6 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta), 2 pinches of asafoetida (hing), 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 8 small shallots (madras onions), 2 1/2 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp, 3 tbsp sambar powder, 2 tsp chilli powder, of turmeric powder (haldi), salt to taste and 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania).

Tips for restaurant style sambar
  1. You can even make use of a combination of toovar dal and chana dal. However, chana dal is used in small quantity like 1 to 2 tablespoons only. 
  2. The fat used for tempering the sambar varies from region to region. Authentic South Indian homemade sambar makes use of ghee while sambhar recipe in Tamil Nadu makes use of sesame oil and Kerala uses coconut oil. You can use any other oil also. 
  3. Shallots can be replaced with finely sliced onions. These will be sautéed before tomatoes. 
  4. In Karnataka a bit of chopped jaggery is added for a pleasant and contrasting mild sweet taste of the sambar. 
  5. If you serve the sambar later, you may have to adjust the consistency by adding little water before re-heating.
  6. You can also make sambar masala using pandi chillies. 

How to Select toor dal, toovar dal
  1. Toovar dal is readily available in grocery stores, pre-packaged as well as in bulk bins. 
  2. If buying pre-packaged, check the use-by date, and quality of packing. 
  3. If buying from bins, make sure they are stored covered to keep away the dust, and that the store has a good turnover so you do not have to worry about old stock.
  4. Check that the dal is not contaminated with debris or infested with insects. 
  5. The dal should be uniform in colour and size. 
  6. Both oil coated and non-oil coated dals are available. If you buy annual stocks, you should prefer the oil-coated variety as it acts as a natural preservative. However, you should wash off the oil before use. If you buy small quantities at regular intervals, you can go for the non-oily version.

How to make sambar masala
  1. To make sambar powder | how to make South Indian sambar powder at home | best sambar masala powder | sambar masala with Kashmiri chillies | heat 1 teaspoon oil in a broad non-stick pan.
  2. Add 1 tbsp chana dal (split bengal gram).
  3. Add 1 tbsp toovar (arhar) dal. Some people skip using toor dal in making sambar masala.
  4. Add 1 tbsp urad dal (split black lentils).
  5. Add 1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds.
  6. Add 4 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds. Whole coriander seeds also called akha dhania is a crucial ingredient. The dals (chana, toovar and urad dal) used in sambar are in equal proportion (1:1:1) while the whole coriander seeds is 4 times the dal.
  7. Add 8 whole dry kashmiri red chillies. The secret to the colour of the sambar is using kashmiri chillies. When you use this, you don't need to add any chilli powder.
  8. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) for the colour.
  9. Add 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing) to get that flavour.
  10. Add 15 to 20 curry leaves (kadi patta). Curry leaves is optional but since I love the taste of curry leaves, i add them.
  11. You can add 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut along with the other ingredients and powder them together. Do this if you are going to consume the sambar powder the same day. As I like to store my sambar masala we skip the usage of coconut which enables the masala to last in the fridge upto 7 days.
  12. Mix well.
  13. Roast on a slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes. If the flame is high there are chances that the dals will start blackening or burning.
  14. You have to saute till the dals turn light brown in colour. There is a nice aroma of the red chillies, curry leaves that you will experience as the dals turn brown.
  15. Keep aside to cool completely. Then put the roasted masala in a blender.
  16. Once cooled, blend in a mixer to a fine powder. The blending will take a few steps as you will have to pulse for 10 seconds each time and move the powder to the centre and pulse again. Continue the process to get a fine sambar powder | how to make South Indian sambar powder at home | best sambar masala powder | sambar masala with Kashmiri chillies | .
  17. Use sambar powder |  South Indian sambar powder at home | best sambar masala powder | sambar masala with Kashmiri chillies to make sambar.
  18. You can store the remaining sambar powder | best sambar masala powder | sambar masala with Kashmiri chillies in the refrigerater in an air-tight container. It stays fresh for 2 to 3 months.

Preparation for restaurant style sambar
  1. To prepare Sambar, prepare the sambhar masala as per this detailed recipe and keep aside
  2. Wash the toovar dal thoroughly in a bowl full of water or under running water. Restaurants and tiffin centers use a mix of tuvar dal and masoor dal to cut down the cost. You can even make use of a combination of moong dal, masoor dal and toor dal to make the hotel Sambar recipe.
  3. Drain it using a strainer.
  4. Transfer the washed dal into a pressure cooker.
  5. Add 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  6. Allow the steam to escape naturally before opening the lid.
  7. Blend the dal using a hand blender till it is smooth and keep aside. Alternatively, you can even blend the dal with a hand whisk or potato masher.
  8. This is how you need to cut drumstick for Sambar.
  9. Take 1 cup of water in a deep non-stick pan and bring it to boil.
  10. Add bottle gourd to the water.
  11. Further add drumstick.
  12. Cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. The veggies should hold their shape and not become mushy.
  13. Drain them and keep aside. You can reserve this water and use it later while preparing the Sambar.
  14. Soak 2 tbsp tamarind in ¼ cup of hot water for a minimum of half an hour to extract the tamarind pulp. Once the tamarind gets soft, squeeze the tamarind in water itself. Strain and make use of the pulp. 

How to make restaurant style sambar
  1. For making the Sambar recipe, heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan.
  2. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
  3. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Fresh kadi patta is a must ingredient while tempering the Sambar as it lends a unique flavour and aroma.
  4. Sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
  5. Add the tomatoes. They provide a tangy flavour to the South Indian vegetable Sambar.
  6. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
  7. Add the cooked bottle gourd,drumsticks and potatoes. 
  8. Add the shallots. If you don’t have sambar onions then make use of regular onions.
  9. Add the tamarind pulp.
  10. Add the cooked dal.
  11. Add the salt and sambar masala. Nothing beats the aroma and flavour of a freshly made sambar masala.
  12. Add the chilli powder.
  13. Add the turmeric powder.
  14. Add ¾ cup of water. Feel free to add water as per the consistency you desire.
  15. Mix well and bring South Indian homemade Sambar to boil and allow to cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
  16. Add the coriander, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
  17. Serve the South Indian Sambar hot. Enjoy the piping hot sambar with soft idlis, palak paneer dosas and other South-Indian delights like vada, paniyaram, adai etc.
Accompaniments

Indian Cooked Rice Idli, Leftover Rice Idli 
Lemon Rice ( South Indian Recipes ) 
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe) 
Quick Rava Idli ( South Indian Recipes) 

Nutrient values (Abbrv) per serving
Energy175 cal
Protein8.2 g
Carbohydrates23 g
Fiber4.8 g
Fat5.7 g
Cholesterol0 mg
Sodium15.6 mg

RECIPE SOURCE : South Indian RecipesBuy this cookbook
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Reviews

Sambhar ( How To Make Sambhar, South Indian Recipe)
5
Foodie #608573
 on 20 Jun 20 11:31 PM


Can we omit tamarind pulp? Also, can we use readymade sambhar masala. IF YES, can u tell me the measurement?
Edited after original posting.
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Tarla Dalal    Hi, you can more of tomatoes to the recipe and skip the tamarind. If using the readymade masala.. use 2 tbsp of it.
Reply
13 Aug 20 04:15 PM
Sambhar ( How To Make Sambhar, South Indian Recipe)
5
 on 10 Jul 17 08:16 PM


Tastes good but didn''t really taste like sambhar to me. Tasted more like a generic curry. Maybe if you double the tempering ingredients it might taste more reminiscent of South Indian cuisine.
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Tarla Dalal    Hi Katherine, thanks for your feedback. Please keep posting your thoughts and feedback and review recipes you have loved. Happy Cooking.
Reply
11 Jul 17 08:41 AM
साम्भर
5
 on 08 Nov 16 08:58 AM


Tried and came very well. Thanks
Reply
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Tarla Dalal    Hi Seema, we are delighted you loved the Sambhar recipe. Please keep posting your thoughts and feedback and review recipes you have loved. Happy Cooking.
Reply
08 Nov 16 10:22 AM
Sambhar ( How To Make Sambhar, South Indian Recipe)
5
 on 21 Jun 16 05:58 PM


very best
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| Hide Replies
Tarla Dalal    Hi Pramod , we are delighted you loved the Sambhar recipe. Please keep posting your thoughts and feedback and review recipes you have loved. Happy Cooking.
Reply
22 Jun 16 03:40 PM
Sambhar ( How To Make Sambhar, South Indian Recipe)
5
Payal Parikh 86
 on 04 Sep 12 09:19 AM


This Sambhar recipe is really tasty..i added less of bottle gourd as i prefer less vegetables in my smbhaar...the taste is really very good of this recipe....thank you Tarla aunty !
Reply