Vadakkan Sambar (North Kerala Sambar)

Ingredients for Vadakkan Sambar (North Kerala Sambar):

1. Toor dal (Pigeon Pea) – ½ cup

    Green chillies – 3, split into 2 or 4

    Ginger chopped – 1 small spoon

    Onion sliced thin – 1 cup

    Potatoes cut into big pieces – 8 or 9

    Beans – 7 or 8, cut into pieces

    Tomatoes chopped length-wise – 1 cup

2. Brinjal, carrot, okra, long beans cut into lengthy pieces – 7 or 8 pieces each

    Bitter gourd cut into lengthy pieces – 4 or 5 pieces

3. Tamarind – 1 small ball sized

    Salt – As required

4. Coconut oil – As required

5. Coconut scrapped – ¾ cup

    Bengal gram dal – 1 small spoon

    Fenugreek – ½ small spoon

    Black gram dal (Urud dal) – ½ small spoon

    Garlic – 4 or 5 cloves

    Shallots – 3 or 4

    Curry leaves – 6 nos.

    Asafeotida – One piece

6. Turmeric powder – ½ small spoon

    Chilli powder – 1.5 small spoons

    Coriander powder – 1.5 small spoons

    Cumin seeds – ½ small spoon

7. Coriander leaf and curry leaves – As required

8. Mustard – ½ small spoon

    Fenugreek – ¼ small spoon

    Red chillies – 2, split into 2 or 3

9. Sugar – ½ small spoon

How to prepare Vadakkan Sambar (North Kerala Sambar)?

1. Transfer ingredients no: 1 to a pressure cooker adding sufficient water.

2. Cook the contents till whistle no: 1.

3. When pressure dips to zero, open the cooker and add ingredients no: 2.

4. Cook the vegetables and then add tamarind juice and salt.

5. Allow the contents to boil well.

6. Heat coconut oil in a pan and fry ingredients no: 5.

7. Add ingredients no: 6 to it, mix well and put off the flame.

8. When the coconut mixture cools off, blend it well in a mixer (Never make a fine paste).

9. Add a little water to this mixture and pour the gravy to cooked vegetables.

10. Add coriander leaves, curry leaves, salt (if extra needed) and sufficient water, and allow the contents to boil well.

11. Heat oil in a pan and sauté ingredients no: 8.

12. Pour this mixture to sambar and sprinkle sugar on top.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine, April 1-14, 2018

Read a few more dal vegetarian recipes here. Click on the images in the gallery to read.