A traditional South Indian meal is incomplete without sambar, a stew made with split pigeon peas lentils and vegetables.
This versatile dish can be served with steamed rice or as a side dish for idli, upma or pongal .
Okras / lady’s finger taste great when added to sambar. Here I have served vendakkai sambar with rice and kovakkai poriyal.
Vendakkai Sambar recipe
Category:Main
Cuisine:South Indian
Author:Jiya Jesh
Serves:2-3
Prep Time:15 mins
Cook Time:20 mins
Total Time:35 mins
a delicious South Indian style stew using toor dal and okra.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toor dal / split pigeon pea / thuvaram paruppu
- 8-10 okras / bhindi / vendakkai
- 1 onion, large
- 1 tomato, medium-sized
- Lemon-sized tamarind
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp sambar powder
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp broken urad dal / ulutham paruppu
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A few curry leaves
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice the onions and chop the tomatoes.
- Wash the okras, dry them using a towel and chop into 2 inch pieces.
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and extract the tamarind juice, discarding the pulp.
- Cook toor dal with turmeric powder and asafoetida in enough water till it turns soft.
- You can pressure cook the dal for 2-3 whistles.
- Once the pressure is released from the cooker, mash the cooked dal well.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
- Saute for a few seconds and add the chopped okras and sliced onions.
- Fry till the stickiness of the okras goes away and they turn soft.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn soft.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and sambar powder and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Then add the tamarind juice along with 2 cups water and let this boil.
- Add the mashed dal and mix well.
- Cook for 10 minutes and switch off the flame.
- Garnish vendakkai sambar with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
- You can substitute onion with shallots / sambar onions.
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