Mixed Vegetable Sambar with Millet
A hearty, nutritious South Indian lentil and vegetable stew with millet.
⏱️ 60 min🍽️ Serves 1
🔥 380 kcal💪 18g protein🍚 55g carbs🥑 9g fat🌾 12g fibreper serving
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Ingredients
- 🥣¾ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 🌾½ cup foxtail millet
- 🧅1 onion, chopped
- 🍅1 tomato, chopped
- 🥕½ cup carrots, diced
- 🫛½ cup green beans, chopped
- 🥒¼ cup bottle gourd (lauki), diced
- 🌰2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 🌶️2 tbsp sambar powder
- ⚫1 tsp mustard seeds
- 🌱½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 🌿8 curry leaves
- 🧈2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 🧂 salt, to taste
- 🌿¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped
Pro tips
- For a richer flavor, toast the sambar powder lightly in a dry pan before adding it to the dish.
- Feel free to customize vegetables based on seasonal availability; traditional sambar uses drumsticks, eggplant, and pumpkin.
- Adjust the amount of tamarind paste and sambar powder to suit your preferred tanginess and spice level.
- A pinch of jaggery (or sugar) can be added at the end to balance the flavors, especially the tamarind.
Method
- 1Wash toor dal and millet thoroughly. In a pressure cooker, add dal, millet, and 3 cups of water. Cook for 3-4 whistles or until soft.
- 2While dal and millet are cooking, heat ghee or oil in a large pot. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Once they splutter, add curry leaves, chopped onion, and sauté until translucent.
- 3Add chopped tomato and all the diced vegetables (carrots, green beans, bottle gourd). Cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly tender.
- 4Stir in sambar powder, tamarind paste, and salt. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- 5Once the dal and millet are cooked, mash them lightly with a spoon or whisk. Add the mashed dal and millet mixture to the vegetable pot.
- 6Mix everything well, adjusting water consistency to your preference (it should be stew-like). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes for flavors to meld.
- 7Garnish with fresh chopped coriander before serving.