Sambar recipe prepared with fresh ground spices like coriander seeds, red chilli, methi seeds, coconut. The ingredients are roasted and ground and added to the sambar for a flavourful sambar. I am a big fan of varutharacha sambar (sambar with fresh ground spices). I actually am not a fan of everyday sambar I make and eat only if both rice and sambar are hot. Otherwise I settle for paruppu podi or some other podi and curd rice. But love this varutharacha sambar because first thing I love the procedure, process of making this sambar. Like coffee, I love to prepare sambar and want to cook the most flavourful sambar. Like some restaurants like Annalakshmi serves. Like the one in kalyana veedu (marriage menu). So when ever I have few veggies leftover, I make this mixed vegetable sambar with fresh ground masala. At times, save little veggies just to make sambar with fresh masala. Off late, I make this tiffin sambar with coconut and hooked to it. For sometime now, I want to prepare sambar with coconut for lunch and I tried. Since this one is for rice and I am not comfortable with the consistency of sambar prepared using pressure cooker, I adapted the recipe only a bit and changed to suit it for lunch. It was amazing and totally loved it. This is one of the highly recommended recipes in Rak’s Kitchen. So do try it out and thank me later!
Varutharacha sambar recipe
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Click here for cup measurements
Ingredients
Toor dal – 1/2 cup
Tamarind – 1/2 tbsp packed
Vegetables – 1 & 1/2 cups, Refer below*
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Green chilli – 2
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves 1 sprig
Jaggery (optional)- 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp
Salt – as needed
Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Red chilli, dry – 5
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Coconut, grated – 1/4 cup
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Tamarind – 1/2 tbsp packed
Vegetables – 1 & 1/2 cups, Refer below*
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Green chilli – 2
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves 1 sprig
Jaggery (optional)- 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp
Salt – as needed
To temper
Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
To roast and grind
Ghee – 1 tsp
Red chilli, dry – 5
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Coconut, grated – 1/4 cup
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
*I used 1/2 drumstick, 1 small radish, 1/2 carrot, 6 broad beans, 6 cubes of yellow pumpkin, 2 brinjals
Step by step procedure
- Pressure cook 1/2 cup dal with 1 & 1/2 cups water for 4 whistles in medium flame. I keep tamarind also inside pressure cooker as shown in the picture. Mash the dal smoothly. Extract tamarind juice to make it in total 1 cup.
- Mean while, cook the veggies with 3 cups water. I first boiled drumstick, radish, carrot, broad beans.
- Heat kadai with ghee, roast first red chilli, coriander seeds, methi seeds, urad dal and asafoetida first until golden. In medium flame without burning it.
- Add coconut lastly and fry till golden. Keep aside and cool it down.
- Heat kadai with oil and temper with mustard, jeera. Add chopped onion and tomato, slit green chilli, together and fry for a minute. Add to the boiling veggies.
- Once vegetables are cooked, add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, curry leaves and tamarind juice.
- I added brinjal and yellow pumpkin lastly as it cooks fast. Add asafoetida, cooked dal and adjust water consistency.
- Now, grind the roasted ingredients with little water to a paste.
- Add ground paste, jaggery if adding to the sambar and boil for 3-4 minutes and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tips
- Though I have used lots of veggies, the way I like, you can do this with just one of your available vegetable. So depending on the veggies, the water quantity in step 2 may differ.
- Drumstick, radish, carrot, broad beans, potato needs precooking. Brinjal and yellow pumpkin does not need precooking.
- You can skip the red chilli powder and green chilli if you find it as too many ingredients. but increase red chillies to balance it.
- I add jaggery as I like it, but you can skip it too.
Serve with rice and a spicy curry. We had with vazhakkai curry. 
Meena
January 17, 2017 at 6:52 amNice colour and photo clicks of step by step sambar preparation Raks.. Always my favorite arachuvitta sambar:) Will sure try your version of adding red chilly powder.
Raks anand
January 17, 2017 at 8:51 amThank you 🙂 Do try and let me know how it turned out to be 🙂
Kayalvizhi Praveen
January 17, 2017 at 6:12 pmIs asofoetida added twice
Raks anand
January 18, 2017 at 12:09 amYes, once roasted, another raw. Both lends different flavour.
Preethy
January 18, 2017 at 7:18 amI wish to prepare yellow pumpkin sambar.Am not sure how it will be.I decided to try it and was searching for the recipe.I found your's.After checking this recipe i want to do it 🙂 Will sure try this week and let you know how it tastes.
5888sweet
January 20, 2017 at 1:01 amnice sambar…you mentioned one tomato but used many…what are the tomatoes you used? Are they cherry tomatoes?
Raks anand
January 20, 2017 at 1:11 amYes, yellow pumpkin is best choice for sambar. It is widely used in marriage menus too. Very flavourful and tasty:)
Raks anand
January 20, 2017 at 1:12 amThank you so much for your prompt feedback 🙂
Raks anand
January 20, 2017 at 1:13 amYes they are cherry tomatoes, but if using regular tomatoes, use 1.
amudha2011
February 7, 2017 at 1:24 pmLooks Yummy? Your dishes are easy to prepare for lazy ladies like me. Thank you raks for your efforts.
kuttygayu
November 5, 2017 at 12:12 amhi raks,
first of all, thank you for this yummy recipe. i tried it out and it came kinda okay. i think i roasted the masala and coconut too much or so. your sambar looks yellow and beautiful but mine was dark brown in color. how much should you roast for the masala ? should the coconut be dark brown ? please advise..
gayathri
Raks anand
November 5, 2017 at 12:23 amColour depends on the tamarind too. Some tamarind are too dark and makes the colour of the dish so dull. Buy new tamarind (we call it pudhu puli in tamil) which is sweet and light in colour perfect for sambars, not old one.
I try my best to show the colours in stepwise pictures, please refer to it to have it as guidance. Hope this helps
Aruna
August 11, 2018 at 1:27 amThank you for the recipe. Sambhar rombha nalla vandhuchi!!
Yahina Praveen
March 22, 2019 at 1:42 pmInstead of coriander seed I Want to add powder. How much should I take the corsinder powder?
Raks Anand
March 25, 2019 at 3:10 pmCoriander seeds tastes best than powder, but you can replace with 1 tsp levelled coriander powder.