Go Back
–+ servings
Upahara Darshini Style Sambhar

Upahara Darshini Style Sambhar

Kalyani
An unique and delicious Sambhar to serve with Idli / Vada / Dosa
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker
  • Kadai
  • Knife
  • Wet Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup split pigeon pea
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 Onion chopped medium
  • 2 Ripe Tomato diced
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Tamarind paste adjust if the tomatoes aren't tangy
  • 3 TBSP Oil
  • 8 Kashmiri Chilli split use, don't skip this
  • 2 Dry Red Chillies Spicy variety
  • 1/3 cup Coconut Fresh Grated
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1/2 TBSP Split black gram Urad Dal
  • 1/2 TBSP Bengal Gram Channa Dal
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 2 Sprig Curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp Asafoetida skip for GF
  • 1 TBSP Green coriander leaves chopped fine

Instructions
 

Prep Work

  • Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and extract the juice and keep aside (if not using paste)Soak Toor dal with turmeric for 10 mins while you chop the tomatoes and onions. In a pressure cooker, Pressure cook Toor dal with 1 cup water till mushy and soft (3-4 whistles will do). In another pan, sauté the onions in 1 tsp oil till crispy and reserve. 

For the masala paste

  • In a pan, heat 1/2 tsp oil. dry roast the dals and coriander one by one till they are golden brown, add the rest of the ingredients including the coconut , switch off heat and sauté for 1-2 mins. Cool and grind to a thick paste additional very little water. reserve.

To make the sambhar: 

  • In a pan, add the cooked dal, tomatoes and 1-2 cups of water and cover and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now add the tamarind extract, ground masala paste, salt. Cook for 2-3 mins more on medium flame. Now add the sautéed onions and let it simmer for 2-4 mins. adjust thickness by adding any additional water (the masala paste makes the sambhar quite thick so add adequate water to make a sambhar consistency).

How to serve:

  • Make the tempering with the ingredients and pour to sambar. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves  and serve hot with  Idli / Dosa Or Uttapams / Pongal / Vadai / Millets Pongal. If you are like me, make a huge batch of this and slurp it as is !

Notes

  • Pearl Onions work really well in this recipe, But if you don't have them, use the normal red onions instead. 
  • Ripe Tomatoes  are absolutely necessary
  • The tadka / tempering at the end is one of the highlights of this sambhar. Make sure you dont skip that. 
  • Kashmiri Chillies add a mild sweetness as well as the deep rich-red hue characteristic colour to this sambhar. 
Keyword Gluten Free, Karnataka cuisine, Sambhar, Tiffin Sambar, Toor Dal, Vegan
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Tried this recipe?Follow @sizzlingtastebuds or tag #sizzlingtastebuds!