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A traditional South Indian dish, sambar is prepared with tamarind, vegetables, and a mixture of spices. It is a staple meal that is eaten every day in many South Indian households, and it is extremely important to the cuisine. Sambar is a tasty and healthful dish that combines vitamins from veggies, proteins from lentils, and a tangy taste of tamarind to create a well-rounded meal.
Usually, it is paired with vada (fried lentil fritters), dosa (savoury pancakes), idli (steamed rice cakes), or steamed rice. In fact, for most South Indians, lunch is usually all about eating a plate full of rice with sambar, as it forms the basis of a comfort meal. Sambar is a beloved component of South Indian dishes, appreciated for its hearty taste and comforting flavours. Its nutritional content and adaptability make it such.
The following is a list of different types of sambar that you can enjoy during the summer for a light comfort meal.
1. Raw Mango Sambar:
A zesty and savoury take on the classic sambar, raw mango sambar is renowned for its distinct flavour and cooling properties. It is made by cooking raw mango chunks with lentils, tamarind, and a mixture of curry leaves, turmeric, and sambar powder. Because of the raw mango, the resulting sambar has a bright colour and an acidic, slightly sour flavour. Usually eaten with steamed rice and a spoon of ghee for extra flavour and richness.
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2. Udupi Sambar:
A dish originating in the Udupi region of Karnataka, this sambar is a must-have. Lentils cooked with mixed veggies, tamarind, and blended seasoning is the base of this recipe. With lentils, this soup gets an ethereally smooth and silky consistency, and the sourness and flavour from the spices and tamarind come up. Traditionally, Udupi Sambar is accompanied by steamed rice or forms a part of the meal alongside deep-fried vada or dosa. It is liked in particular for its rich flavour and the traditional taste of the dish. It can also add new flavours and accents to a meal.
3. Arachuvitta Sambar:
Arachuvittam Kattu sambar is a variety that originates in Kerala. It is prepared by grinding together roasted spices, coconut, and tamarind paste and mixing it with cooked spiced lentils and vegetables. One of the main differences of this sambar is that it's a little bit thicker, and it is well-famed for its deliciousness when combined with spicy aromatic flavours. Usually, Arachuvitta Sambar is good as a side dish and is served with steamed rice, idli, dosa or vada, which most of the time makes the South Indian meal tastier and yummier.
4. Bombay Sambar:
While there are several other kinds of sambars popularly made as an accompaniment to rice, Bombay Sambar, which some people also call Mumbai Sambar, boasts of a unique taste and texture. It has a small amount of besan or gram flour, which makes it unique as a sambar. In addition to this and the lentils, the assembly of potatoes, carrots, and peas eventually leads to one’s culinary enjoyment of a thick and hefty soup. Pigeon-pea should be boiled with various vegetables, tamarind pulps, and a special spice mixture made of mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to cook Bombay Sambar.
Also Read: Simple Sambar Recipe
5. Killi Potta Sambar:
Also known as the Milagai Killi Potta Sambar, this dish from Kerala is famous because it is prepared without any sambar masala. Instead, the recipe relies on the right use of tomatoes and dry red chillies to create a unique flavour among sambars. The sambar has a thicker texture, which, in turn, enhances and pleases the taste buds. What is usually served alongside it for a hearty and substantial meal, is steaming hot pulao, dosa, idli, or vada.
6. Kadalai Paruppu Sambar:
Chana Dal Sambar, also called Kadalai Paruppu Sambar, is a creamy-textured dish with a deep, substantial flavour. To make it, split chickpeas, or chana dal, are cooked with vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, and drumsticks, in a tasty mixture of spices, tamarind pulp, and a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chillies. Served with steaming rice, idli, dosa, or vada, this sambar enhances the flavours of the other dishes and adds a tasty and nourishing component to the meal.
7. Drumstick Sambar:
Due to the drumstick pods, the dish is rich in earthy taste with a slight sweetness. From the native lentils and the spices, the mix has come to be both rich and velvety. It's prepared by adding lentils with tamarind alongside drumstick pods and a paste of mustard, cumin, and coriander seeds into the mixture. This South Indian meal is known for its steamy hotness and is served with chapatis or papadams, which are usually eaten with rice or vegetables.
