If there is one thing I love about going to India, it’s the vegetables. You can get Indian vegetables at any Indian grocery worth its salt, but I’ve found it isn’t quite the same as buying it fresh-picked at the local market or co-op. Yet at the same time, I am decidedly Indian-American and proud of my hyphenated identity, and if there’s one dish that exemplifies home to me, it’s my mom’s sambar with a rather American blend of ingredients.
Now, I know that some South Indians are looking at this article and are already rolling their eyes, but LET ME EXPLAIN.
What is Sambar?
Sambar is a thick lentil and vegetable stew in a spicy tamarind broth.
DISCLAIMER: For anyone who is about to argue with me that it is spelled sambhar: in Tamil it is pronounced with a soft b sound, so in keeping with the way my family pronounces it at home, I will refer to the dish as sambar. Yes, I know the original etymology of this word, and I know that people from other parts of South India may spell and pronounce it as sambhar. Please roll with me on this. The entirety of Tamil Nadu will thank you.
You might be wondering, “what the heck is tamarind?” This fruit is tamarind:
The pulp of this fruit is de-seeded and the juice is extracted to form the an incredibly umami-rich broth that is the basis of sambar. Vegetables are simmered in this broth until parboiled, and split lentils are added and the mix is simmered until the vegetables are tender; the result is a thick stew with layers of incredible flavor. This is served as an accompaniment to idlis, vadas and dosas, or my favorite way with rice and other assorted dry-roasted and sautéed vegetable dishes.
The beauty and versatility of sambar is that you can use whatever vegetables you want. According to Wikipedia, sambar is made with okra, moringa or drumstick pods, carrots, radishes, pumpkin (normally white ash pumpkins), potatoes, tomatoes, shallots or onions, eggplant, or a combination of one or more of these ingredients. For a time after they came to the US, though, my parents never had the luxury of purchasing some of these vegetables. As relatively new arrivals to this country without a 401K or a substantial salary, my parents had to work very hard to save up money and make their dollar stretch, so sambars were made with whatever vegetables that were on sale. Florentine vegetable blend? French cut green beans? Mixed homestyle veggies from Green Giant? If it was cheap, that was what was for dinner. Drumstick and white ash pumpkin were only an occasional feature at our dinner table, though they have since become more frequent.
The Science of Sambar
Science is on our side when it comes to incorporating this dish into our weeknight routine. Evidence suggests that as part of a healthy diet, the spice blends in sambar may help prevent aberrant cell growth along the GI tract, reducing one’s risk of colon cancer. Additionally, many of the active spice blends can interfere with the metabolic processes that drive cancer and thus may have promise as part of a healthy diet in conjunction with allopathic medical treatments for cancer patients.
With this in mind, how do you make sambar?
Making Sambar
As with most south Indian recipes, there are so many regional variations that it is truly hard to find a “representative” recipe. I’ll also fall back on my usual rider that secret recipes are secret for a reason. But if you want to try your hand at making this, you can start here with this video. Any good Indian store will have the spice blend and tamarind paste pre-made, and you can cut your cooking time further with bags of precut frozen vegetables. To learn how to soak tamarind paste to make the tamarind juice for this recipe, watch this video.
For another version of the same dish that’s from a different part of South India and that’s often served at restaurants, take a look at this video.
Next time you want to switch up your lunch or dinner routine, look no further than these recipes! Hopefully this gives you an idea of what to cook when you crave Indian food but are looking for comfort. Give this a whirl!
Happy cooking!