Kalyana sambar is a traditional South Indian style with no onion no garlic rice accompaniment during the wedding. The detailed recipe with tips and tricks makes it a great beginner-friendly recipe for South Indian cuisine meals.
What is Sambar?
Sambar is one of the most popular traditional South Indian dishes. A good amount of protein, and vegetables, blended with flavorful sambhar powder - makes it not only healthy & nutritious but also tastes delicious
What tastes best with sambhar?
Sambhar plays a key role in South Indian cuisine. Sambhar goes well with tiffin varieties like idli, dosa, uthappam, etc. It also tastes great with rice, without sambhar their no special thali/ festive/ wedding lunch / Indian lunch combo
Should I always soak toor dal?
No, it is optional but I feel soaking helps for even cooking
How much water should I add while cooking dal?
It depends on the dal you use. I generally use a 1:3 dal: water ratio. The number of whistles also depends on the dal you use.
What variety of dal should I use for sambhar?
For rice accompaniment sambar I generally use toor dal. For the tiffin variety, I sometimes use moong dal. Restaurants/hotels use a combination of toor dal and masoor dal
How much Kalyana Sambar powder should I use?
Freshly ground sambar powder gives the best taste to wedding sambar. The amount of sambhar powder might slightly vary based on your spice level. If you want to make it spicy add extra Sambar powder/ Chilli powder. If you are increasing sambhar powder, you might have to proportional increase tamarind accordingly.
How to make instant pot sambar
Cook the dal for 9 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. Follow the rest of the steps same for the instant pot Sambhar recipe
What kind of vegetables can I use?
white pumpkin, bottle gourd, eggplant, beans, sweet potato, etc. can be used for sambhar.
Can I increase the cooked dal?
For catering style sambar add less cooked dal and increase dal for sambar powder
What should be the texture of the cooked sambhar veggies?
Cooked veggies should be fork-tender. Always remember not to overcook the veggies. They should hold their shape and not become mushy.
Should I add the ghee tempering?
I generally use peanut oil for tempering and use little ghee towards the end. In our home, we prefer adding ghee while eating. You can use ghee according to your choice
What should be the consistency of the sambhar?
Some like thin sambar while others prefer it thick. I prefer mine on the thicker side.
Can I make one pot pressure cooker sambar or an instant pot sambar?
In our home, I prefer making sambhar in steps. Pressure cook dal, meanwhile cook veggies in tamarind water with sambar powder, add the ground mixture, and finally boil everything together. You can make one pot instant pot sambar but follow the recipe for the best result. Avoid cooking everything together
Kuzhambu recipes in TMF
Tamarind based recipes in TMF
Other Sambar varieties in TMF
Ingredients
Pressure cook
1/3 cup toor dal 1 cup water Pinch of turmeric powder Sesame oil
Sambar powder
1/2 teaspoon ghee 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon toor dal 4 red chilli 1 tablespoon chana dal 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Temper
2 tablespoon oil 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds Few fenugreek seeds 250 grams mixed vegetables water Requires salt 1 cup tamarind water 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder jaggery few curry leaves and coriander leaves
How to prepare sambar with step-by-step pictures:
Firstly wash and soak the dal for 30 minutes
Discard the water and add a 1:3 ratio of water, a pinch of turmeric powder, and a drop of oil
Pressure cook for 5 whistles and let the pressure releases naturally
Add ghee and heat
Furthermore, add coriander seeds, chana dal, toor dal, cumin seeds, pepper, red chilli, and fenugreek seeds; saute till color changes
Add coconut and saute till they turn aromatic and change color
turn off the stove and cool
grind fresh sambar powder
In a wide pan add oil and when the oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fenugreek seeds; let it splutter
Furthermore, add asafoetida; mix well
Add okra and saute till it shrinks and changes color
Furthermore add carrots, drumsticks, yellow pumpkin, and potato and saute for a minute
Add brinjal, turmeric powder, jaggery, and salt; mix well
Pour water; cook for 3-4 minutes until veggies are 3/4th cooked
Furthermore, add tamarind water; boil for 5 minutes
Mix water with sambar powder; mix well
Add sambar powder+water, water; boil for 5 minutes
Furthermore add cooked dal, coriander leaves, ghee, sesame oil, and water; boil for 5 minutes
Finally, add coriander leaves and asafoetida; mix well
