Sambhar is a spicy lentil and vegetable stew, which is a staple food in most South Indian homes. Variations of sambhar are made with different veggies, leaves etc but the basic preparation is the same. Spinach sambhar is made with lentils (mainly toor dal) and spinach, popularly known as palak in India.
In an earlier post I had shared recipe for kerala sambhar and cheera sambhar. This spinach sambhar makes a perfect accompaniment for idlis, dosas, rice etc. Try this easy, yummy and healthy spinach sambhar and share your thoughts and comments in the comments box below.
For the spinach sambhar, you will need…
Ingredients
- 1 cup Spinach or Palak
- 1/3 cup Toor dal
- Tamarind, gooseberry size
- 1.5 tsp. Sambar powder
- ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder
- 1 no. Big onion / 15 nos. small onions
- Curry leaves, few
To Temper:
- 2 tsp. Ghee
- ½ tsp. Mustard seeds
- 1/8 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
- 12 nos. Red chillies
- ¼ tsp. Asafoetida
- ¼ tsp. Urad dal
Method
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, take the toor dal, turmeric powder, few drops of cooking oil in a pressure cooker. Cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after steam is released. Mash the dal and set aside.
- Wash and chop the spinach roughly. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves. Add onions and sauté onion till transparent.
- Nest add the chopped spinach and sauté till the spinach shrinks in quantity. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida.
- Boil till onion & palak cooks well. Then add the cooked dal and boil for a minute. Add more water and adjust the consistency of sambar.
- Switch off the flame and transfer the sambar to a bowl. Serve hot with plain rice adding few drops of ghee.
- Enjoy!!