Sambar (Bitter Gourd & Ground Spices)
Sambar (pronounced Saambaar) is a versatile dish that has become very popular all over India and the World. Sambar can be used as a “gravy” on top of a hot bed of rice, or it can be used as a side dish for items like Dosas, Idlis, Vadas and so on. It even tastes good with Tortillas. Besides being a tasty, aromatic sauce/stew with vegetables, this Sambar with Bitter Gourd & Ground Spices is very healthy.
There are mainly two kinds of Sambar recipes. One recipe is simple, using just the Sambar Powder which can be bought in any Indian Grocery Store such as this. The other kind of recipe uses a ground paste of roasted spices and coconut instead of the Sambar Powder. This recipe that I am offering here is the latter version with ground spices and coconut.
And to make this Recipe more gourmet, if you will, it uses Bitter Gourd as the Vegetable. It is very healthy, and believe me, the “bitter gourd” loses almost all the bitterness when the process is completed. This dish will taste great as a Gravy or Side Dish to a lot of main dishes.
RECIPE :
Sambar (Bitter Gourd & Ground Spices)
Sambar (pronounced Saambaar) has become a very popular dish all over India and the World. Besides being a tasty, aromatic sauce/stew with vegetables, Sambar (Bitter Gourd & Ground Spices) is wonderfully healthy.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Sambar
- 1 cup Toor Dahl
- 3 - 4 Tender Bitter Gourd
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Tamarind Paste
- 1 tsp Hing Asafoetida
- 2 - 3 tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp Cooking Oil Olive, Avocado, Canola, Sunflower
- 4 - 6 Leaf Curry Leaves optional
Ingredients to make the spicy paste
- 2 tbsp Channal Dahl
- 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 2 - 4 Dried Red Chillies depending upon your taste
- 2 - 3 Pieces Fresh Coconut each piece about 1 inch square
Instructions
Prepare The Toor Dahl
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Cook the toor dahl. See Recipes for Cooking Toor Dahl. Use this Link : https://versatilefoodie.com/category/indian-basic ~ Note: After cooking the Toor Dahl, let it sit for 30 minutes, so that the Toor Dahl can be mashed well.
Prepare Bitter Gourd
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Slice each bitter gourd lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Slice them into small pieces. (see picture)
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Place the bitter gourd pieces in a saucepan. Add water so that it is about 3 inches above the vegetable. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. Boil until the vegetable is well-cooked but firm. Do not overcook.
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Drain the bitter gourd pieces in a colander. Set aside.
Stir Fry Spices To Grind
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Place a small frying pan on medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil.
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When oil is hot, add whole dried red chilies, coriander seeds and channa dahl. Fry until channa dahl is golden brown. Do not fry too much.
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Add the coconut pieces and stir fry for a minute more, or until the coconut pieces are slightly roasted. Set aside the frypan and let it cool.
Grind The Stir-Fried Ingredients
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Place the fried spices in a blender/grinder. Add half a cup of water or enough water to cover the ingredients. Grind the contents. If paste is too thick to grind, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time, as necessary, until it turns into a smooth paste. The paste should be like thick pancake batter, not too thick, not too thin.
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Transfer the ground paste into a bowl. If the paste is too sticky in the blender, you can add 2 tablespoons of water and pour it out into the bowl. Set the Spicy Paste aside.
Prepare The Sambar
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Place a large sauce pan on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp oil. When oil is heated add mustard seeds. When they crackle rapidly, add the drained bitter gourd pieces into the sauce pan.
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Add 2 cups of water or enough water to cover the bitter gourd pieces.
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Add turmeric, hing and 1 tsp salt. Stir the contents.
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Mash the cooked toor dahl really well with a ladle.
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Add the mashed toor dahl to the saucepan contents. Mix well.
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Add the blended spice paste into the sauce pan. Stir the ingredients gently without breaking the veggie pieces. Let it simmer for 1 minute.
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Sambar should be pourable with a ladle, like thin pancake batter. So if it is too thick in the pan, add water, half a cup at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.
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Taste a little. Add more salt or tamarind, if necessary according to your taste.
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Serve hot as a gravy or stew on a bed of hot rice, Or serve as a side dish with any kind of Idlis, Dosas and Vadas.
