Sambar — South Indian Toor Dal and Tamarind Stew

Other Fast With Oil Published June 11, 2026

Sambar is the everyday backbone of South Indian cooking — a tamarind-soured lentil stew thick with toor dal and studded with vegetables, brought to life by a final sizzle of mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil. It is sour, savory, and faintly sweet all at once, and a bowl of it over rice will carry you through a long fasting day without a thought of meat. The lentils give it real heft; the tamarind gives it backbone; the sambar powder gives it depth you can taste in the back of your throat.

This is written for an oil day with a proper tempering. For strict no-oil days, simmer the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida directly into the dal in the last five minutes instead of frying them — you lose a little drama but none of the nourishment.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (adaptable for strict days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup (200g) toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed
- 4 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or a walnut-sized ball of tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup warm water)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, cut into half-moons
- 1 small eggplant, cubed
- 10 green beans, cut into 3cm pieces
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sambar powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (omit for strict days)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chili, broken
- 15 fresh curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- Steamed rice, to serve
- Fresh cilantro, to garnish

METHOD

1. Combine the toor dal, water, and turmeric in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dal is completely soft and falling apart. Whisk it smooth and add water if it is too thick.

2. Add the onion, carrot, eggplant, and green beans. Simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are nearly tender.

3. Stir in the tomato, sambar powder, tamarind paste, and salt. Simmer another 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are fully soft and the stew tastes deeply sour-savory. Loosen with water to a pourable-but-hearty consistency.

4. Make the tempering: heat the oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, then add the dried chili, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Fry for 15-20 seconds until fragrant and the curry leaves crackle. (For strict days: stir these spices directly into the dal in step 3 and skip the oil.)

5. Pour the sizzling tempering over the sambar and stir it through. Serve hot over rice, scattered with cilantro.

NOTES

- Toor dal cooks faster if soaked 30 minutes first, but it is not essential.
- Sambar powder varies by brand; MTR and Aachi are reliable. If unavailable, use 1 tablespoon ground coriander plus 1 teaspoon each cumin, paprika, and a pinch of fenugreek.
- Any vegetables work — drumsticks, okra, pumpkin, radish, shallots. Use what you have.
- For strict no-oil days, the dish loses nothing essential: temper the spices into the simmering dal directly.
- Leftovers thicken overnight; loosen with water when reheating.