Sambar (Indian Lentil Soup)

Sambar is a spicy south Indian lentil soup, usually tomato based. Lentils are boiled till done, then various vegetables are added. Turmeric, tamarind, Sambar powder and a masala are added as a flavoring agent. It is a stable of south Indian cuisine and really reflects the conditions of living in south India. The climate is hot and muggy, so having a hot soup will cause you to sweat more, thus regulating your body temperature. The main base of the soup are lentils, which store very well for long periods of time in a tropical environment. As you boil both the lentils, water and vegetables, the dish is naturally clean, virtually eliminating the chance of any kind of food contamination. When I was living and working in Chennai, I would have Sambar daily--it was cheap, nutritious and I knew I wouldn't get sick from it.

When I was growing up, my mom would make Sambar for my dad daily. We would have are weekly portions on Sunday, with Dosa and Idly. I hated it as a kid, and would much rather have had pancakes and sausages.

When I went to college is when I really began to miss Sambar, and appreciate my mom's sambar- my mom makes really good Sambar, not bad for a Scottish girl from Chicago! She swears her secret is Brahmin's Sambar powder. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any sold here in the US. She usually brings back a suitcase full when she visits India and that will last her to the next trip. I have asked around various Indian grocery stores here in the Bay area, but no one seems to carry it. You can check out there add on YouTube here

There are lots of different recipes out there for Sambar. I have been experimenting around with a number of them.

One of the major breaks I have make has been to use Vietnamese Tamarind. When I was traveling in Vietnam, I had a tamarind tomato soup with fresh coriander, onions, tomatoes and fish. It was really delicious, but what really made that dish for me was the Vietnamese tamarind. I have switched from Indian Tamarind to Vietnamese Tamarind. Indian tamarind is dark and has a slight smokey flavor, whereas Vietnamese tamarind is bright red and is more tangy. I find that I like my sambar better with Vietnamese tamarind.

Another major way to differentiate sambar is the amount of water you use to cook the lentils. I prefer to have my sambar a little bit more soupy than thick, so I add more water.

Ingredients
A mix of yellow and red lentils (dahl) 1 cup total
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons sambar powder

A walnut sized piece of Vietnamese tamarind (if you like tamarind, you can make it a lime sized amount)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup of red potatoes, skinned and diced (optional)
6 leaves of kale or collard greens, cut into slivers (optional)
A handful of Okra, sliced

 For tempering (Masala)
1.5 teaspoons oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
10 fresh curry leaves

2 green chilies  diced  (you can add more to make it spicier. If you want to decrease the spice, you can remove all of the seeds and just have the chili flesh).

For Garnish
1 small bunch coriander leaves, chopped (for garnish)
1 lemon, squeezed

Boil 1 cup of water. Add turmeric and sambar powder and stir till powder is dissolved. Add lentils, Stir occasionally, so that the lentils do not stick to the pot.

In the meantime, take an additional cup of water and pour it into a cereal bowl. Add the tamarind and soak. You can also squeeze the tamarind to extract the juice. There is usually a seed or two in the tamarind that you need to remove.














Make the tempering Masala. Heat oil in a small nonstick pan. First add the asafoetida powder. Then, as the oil heats up, almost smoking, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the green chilies and continue to stir for a few seconds. At this point, you need to add the curry leaves. If you have curry leaves that are old and dried out, add them to the masala and stir fry for a few seconds. If you have fresh curry, leaves, hold out on them for a few minutes. Remove the masala from heat and add to the lentil pot.

Add the tamarind water and any remaining pulp to the lentil pot. Add the tomatoes and the onions. If you are using potatoes and kale or collard greens, add them to the lentil pot at this time. Stir to incorporate. Add fresh curry leaves if you have them.

At this point you want to check on the lentil to see how well cooked they are. You can really boil the heck out of lentil and have your sambar as more of a mush, or you can boil them a little bit so they retain their structural integrity and give you a little bit more texture. Personally, I like mine with a little texture. Continue cooking until the lentils, potatoes and kale (or collard greens) are cooked.

Serve into individual bowls and garnish with freshly cut coriander and a juice of lemon or lime juice. I usually have mine with Rasam, rice and a little lemon pickle!

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