By Aditi Saraswat
December 2, 2025
A warm, comforting bowl of sambar dal can instantly bring the taste of South Indian to your plate. This quick recipe combines soft dal, fresh veggies and a blend of aromatic spices into a flavourful curry that pairs perfectly with rice, idli or dosa.
½ cup toor dal 2 cups mixed vegetables (carrot, drumstick, pumpkin, beans) 1 medium sliced onion 1 medium chopped tomato 1 tbsp sambar powder ½ tsp turmeric 1 tbsp tamarind pulp 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 dried red chillies 8–10 curry leaves 1 tbsp oil or ghee Salt as needed Water as required
In a pressure cooker, add ½ cup toor dal with ½ tsp turmeric and 1 1⁄2 cups water. Pressure cook until it turns soft and mushy.
In a pot, add 2 cups of mixed vegetables, onion, tomato, and salt. Cook until all the vegetables turn soft but not very mushy.
Mix in 1 tablespoon of sambar powder and boil for 5 minutes so the spices mix into the vegetable stock.
Add the mashed dal and 1 tbsp tamarind pulp to this. Adjust the consistency of the water and simmer for about 7–8 minutes so that the flavours deepen.
In a tadka pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil or ghee. Add mustard, cumin, red chillies, and curry leaves. Let them splutter and turn fragrant.
Pour tadka from the top into the boiling sambar. Mix well, let it simmer for 2 minutes, then switch off the flame and let the mixture blend.