Vegan Sambar

By Kirsten Maxwell April 18, 2023 31 mins read 82 Views

The vegan sambar is exactly the same as you would find in your favorite Indian restaurant. This South Indian lentil and vegetables stew is fragrant and spicy. Learn how to prepare it at home.

Indian cuisine, and especially South Indian food, is always delicious for vegans. It's amazing that you can walk into a restaurant, and instead of choosing the one vegan option on the menu, there are dozens! Everything is flavoursome, satisfying, and hearty. A crispy dosa and sambar is one of my favorites.

What is Sambar?

Sambar is an Indian traditional stew that includes lentils, vegetables and a tangy broth made from tamarind. The lentils and vegetables are delicious, but this is a recipe that is all in the seasoning. It's packed with flavour because of the additions of turmeric, hing spicy chilis coriander and curry leaves.

The sambar is often served as a side dish or accompaniment to South Indian dishes such as dosa and idli. This hearty stew is often served in restaurants as a side dish or part of a larger dinner, but it can also be eaten on its own.

This vegan sambar recipe is authentic Indian. In fact, many versions of sambar can be made vegan. However, some use ghee to temper the dish. If you live far from an Indian grocery store, you can either order the ingredients online or visit your local Desi supermarket to get them.

Ingredients: Notes

Scroll down the recipe card for the ingredients quantities and the recipe instructions.

Pigeon peas _ Also known as toor dal .
Turmeric
salt
Water
Oil Use your favorite cooking oil here.
Pearl onions- The best pearl onions are fresh, but frozen ones can be used.
Eggplant
Carrots
Vegetable Drumsticks -- No, it's not a chicken substitute! Moringa is known as "drumstick" in South Indian cuisine. They can be found in the frozen section at Indian grocery stores. You can also omit or substitute them with another vegetable, such as green beans.
Tomato
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder This gives your sambar an attractive reddish color and mild heat.
Sambar Powder- A fragrant blend of coriander seeds, toor dal chana dal fenugreek and mustard seeds.
Tamarind Paste This is what gives sambar it's signature tangy taste. If you don't have lime juice on hand, you can use a generous amount of it.
Sugar
Fresh cilantro leaves
Mustard seeds
Fenugreek Leaves
Red Chili Peppers You can adjust the quantity according to your tastes.
Fresh Curry Leaves You can use dried curry leaves instead if fresh are not available. However, because they have less flavour, you will need to double the amount.
Hing

What is Hing?

The spice hing, also known as asafoetida, is made by extracting resin from the roots certain edible plant species. It's known for its pungent flavor and aroma, which is used to enhance dishes such as sambar. You can find hing in Indian grocery stores or online.

How to Make Vegan Sambar

You'll love the smell of your kitchen when you have a pot of sambar simmering on the stovetop. You'll need these ingredients to make it.

Prepare the dal. In a large pot, bring the toor lentil, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and three cups of water to simmer. Cook the lentils for 30 minutes or until they are mushy. Puree the lentils with an immersion blender into a thick paste.

Add the pearl onions to the saucepan while the lentils simmer. Saute for about 2 minutes, then add the remaining vegetables. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the red chilli powder.

Simmering the veggies Pour three cups of water in the pot and add the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the vegetables for 20 minutes or until they are fully cooked.

Season. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, sambar powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt on the vegetables. Add the sambar powder, turmeric and salt to the vegetables. Cook them for 2 to 3 more minutes or until they are soft. Add the sugar and tamarind paste.

Add lentils. Stir in the mashed lentils and vegetables. Simmer on medium-low heat until sambar reaches a boiling point. When the stew reaches a frothy top layer, turn off heat, add the coriander, and cover.

Prepare the tempering. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the fenugreek, dried chili peppers, and mustard seeds. Cook for 5 minutes or until mustard seeds start to pop. Stir in the hing and the curry leaves after they are crispy.

Finish. Stir in the tempering to the sambar. Cover the sambar and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.

Tips for Success

You can make a delicious vegan sambar by following these tips.

Mash lentils thoroughly. Use a wooden teaspoon if you don't own an immersion blender to mash lentils. You want a bit of texture, but mostly you just want to mash them. This will thicken your sambar.
You can adjust the heat as necessary.
Use as many ingredients as you can. You may not be able to find all of the ingredients in your local Indian grocery store. It's okay if one or two are left out, but you won't make sambar if almost all the spices are missing. It will still taste good, but not as authentically.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this vegan sambar along with steamed Basmati rice and a side of naan or vegan garlic naan. Serve this vegan sambar with steamed basmati rice and a side of vegan naan (or garlic naan! Sambar is a delicious meal-prep lunch.

How to store leftovers

Sambar leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. You can reheat it on low heat in a pan or in the micro-wave until it is heated through.

Can this recipe be frozen?

You can freeze vegan Sambar. Place the cooled sambar into an airtight container that is freezer safe. It will last up to three months. The sambar should be thawed in the fridge before being reheated according to the above instructions.

Vegan Lentil Recipes

One-Pot Red Lentil Curry
Walnut Lentil Bolognese
Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Pasta
Lentil balls with Zesty rice (Vegan Meal Prep).

Enjoy, friends! Please take a picture and tag #jessicainthekitchen if you make this vegan Sambar! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe! Thank you!

Vegan Sambar

This vegan sambar tastes just like the sambar you get at your favorite Indian restaurant. This hearty lentil and vegetable stew can be made at home.

Course Lunch, Dinner, Soups

Indian Cuisine

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 min

Servings Servings

Calories 253 Kcal

Jessica Hylton Author

Ingredients

1 Cup Toor Dal (Pea Lentils) 210 grams
3/4 teaspoon Turmeric divided
1 3/4 teaspoon Salt divided
6 Cups Water divided 1419 ml
5 teaspoons Oil divided
12 Peeled pearl onions 80 g
1/2 Eggplant 70 grams
1 Cup Carrots cut into 1/4" thick coins 80 grams
8 3-inch pieces Vegetable Drumstick 80 grams
1 1 Tomato, cut into large chunks 197 grams
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Sambar Powder 12 grams
1 Tablespoon Tamarind Paste
1 Tablespoon Sugar 12 grams
1 Tablespoon Fresh Coriander Leaves 1 gram
3/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
Pinch Fenugreek Leaves
1-2 Dried Red Chili Peppers broken into pieces
10-12 Fresh Curry Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Hing

Instructions

The dal

Toor dal with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3 cups of water should be combined in a pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook the lentils until they are mushy (about 30 minutes). Puree the lentils with an immersion blender until they are a thick paste. Set aside. You can use a wooden teaspoon if you don't own a blender.

Vegetables

After the lentils have started to simmer, start cooking the vegetables in the second pot. In a saucepan, add 2 teaspoons oil and the pearl onions. Add the rest of the vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add red chili powder after sautéing the vegetables another 2 minutes. Stir together.
Pour 3 cups of water over the vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. This should take about 20 minutes.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 3/4 teaspoons of sambar and 3/4 teaspoons salt to the vegetables. Continue to cook the drumsticks for 2-3 more minutes, until they are soft.
Add the tamarind and sugar to vegetables.
Add the lentils mashed to the vegetables, and mix together. Stirring constantly on low heat, bring to a boil. Turn off the heat once the sambar reaches a frothy top layer.
Add the leaves and stir. Cover and set aside.

Tempering

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the fenugreek, dried chili peppers and mustard seeds. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mustard seed pops.
Continue cooking and add curry leaves. Stir in the hing once the curry leaves have become crispy.
Pour the tempering in the sambar, and mix it well. Cover the soup and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. This will impart the flavor from the tempering into the soup.

Notes

Store leftover sambar in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge. You can reheat it on low heat in a pan or in the micro-wave until it is heated through.

Sambar can be frozen in an airtight container. It will last up to three months. Thaw the sambar completely before heating according to instructions.

Nutrition

Carbohydrates: 44g

Jessica in the Kitchen published the first post Vegan Sambar.

By: Jessica Hylton
Title: Vegan Sambar
Sourced From: jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-sambar/
Published Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2023 05:00:00 +0000

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How To

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