Today I have shared sambar sadam recipe with step by step pictures and video. It is nothing but rice, dal, vegetables cooked with tamarind water, with freshly ground spice powders and tempered with generous amount of ghee. It can be called as a quick, one pot lunch box recipe and a simple appalam / pappad is enough, it’s drool worthy. When I was in Chennai, whenever I go to to Hotel Saravana Bhavan, I never miss to taste the Sambar Rice Recipe and I feel they make the world’s best one. But after few trials and alteration of ingredients, now I am able to prepare the best. This dish is more or less similar or expanded version to the bisebele bath from Karnataka cuisine.
If interested please checkout my other rice recipes
Vangi Bath
Tamarind Rice
Peanut Rice
Coconut Rice
Sambar Sadam Recipe
Checkout youtube video below with step wise instructions
Sambar sadam recipe / Sambar Rice Recipe is nothing but rice, dal, veggies cooked with tamarind water, with added spice powders and tempered with ghee.
- 1/2 Cup Raw Rice
- 1/4 Cup Toor Dal
- 2.5 Cups Water
- 8 Shallots / Pearl onions
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Cup Vegetables (carrot - 1, beans - 5, potato -1, Drumstick - 1)
- 1 Small Tamarind Gooseberry sized
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 tsp Sambar Powder
- Salt As Required
- 1/2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Channa Dal
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tsp Jeera
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Methi Seeds
- 5 to 6 Red chilli
- 2 tsp Copra Coconut Optional
- 1 Pinch Hing Generous
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Jeera
- 2 Sprig Curry Leaves
- 1 Pinch Hing Generous
- 1 tbsp Oil / Ghee
Measure all the ingredients and keep it ready. Peel the skin of shallots, chop tomato, carrot, beans, potato and drumstick.
Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 15 minutes, discard the pulp and extract tamarind water. Rinse rice and dal well till it runs clear. Pressure cook both with 2.5 cups of water and salt for 4 whistles in medium flame. Once the pressure subsides by itself, mash the rice and dal.
Heat little oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients listed in the table 'To roast and grind'. Once it cools down, transfer it to a mixer and grind it to a semi-coarse powder. Keep by side.
In the same pan, pour oil and then add shallots and tomato. Saute for a while and now add all the veggies.
Pour 3/4 cup of water, then add turmeric powder, sambar powder and required salt (add salt for veggies only, as we have already added for rice and dal).
Cook covered for about 7 to 8 mins in medium flame, till the veggies turn soft. Then pour tamarind extract and add mashed rice and dal.
Mix the rice, dal and veggies. Then add powdered spices, mix and cook for 5 minutes in very low flame, so everything blends well. Heat ghee in a small pan.
Then add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, hing and temper it. Pour the tempered items over the rice and mix well.
Serve this sambar sadham with potato curry or appalam.
1. Measure all the ingredients and keep it ready. Peel the skin of shallots, chop tomato, carrot, beans, potato and drumstick.
2. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 15 minutes, discard the pulp and extract tamarind water. Rinse rice and dal well till it runs clear. Pressure cook both with 2.5 cups of water and salt for 4 whistles in medium flame. Once the pressure subsides by itself, mash the rice and dal.
3. Heat little oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients listed in the table ‘To roast and grind‘. Once it cools down, transfer it to a mixer and grind it to a semi-coarse powder. Keep by side.
4. In the same pan, pour oil and then add shallots and tomato. Saute for a while and now add all the veggies.
5. Pour 3/4 cup of water, then add turmeric powder, sambar powder and required salt (add salt for veggies only, as we have already added for rice and dal). 
6. Cook covered for about 7 to 8 mins in medium flame, till the veggies turn soft. Then pour tamarind extract and add mashed rice and dal.
7. Mix the rice, dal and veggies. Then add powdered spices, mix and cook for 5 minutes in very low flame, so everything blends well. Heat ghee in a small pan.
8. Then add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, hing and temper it. Pour the tempered items over the rice and mix well.
Serve this sambar sadham with potato curry or appalam.
Sambar Rice Recipe
1. Use raw rice to get the perfect taste, but boiled rice can also be used.
2. Pressure cook rice and dal for minimum 4 whistles, as it will be easier to mash.
3. Mashing the rice is very important, as it gives a perfect texture and look to the sambar sadham recipe.
4. Use shallots / pearl onions only, as it gives an nice taste to the sambar rice recipe.
5. Veggies like brinjal, chow-chow can also be used, but don’t use cauliflower, arbi, bitter gourd etc.
6. Don’t add tamarind water before the veggies are cooked else it wont get cooked.
7. Also don’t burn the spices while roasting, otherwise the rice taste bitter.
8. For simple version ‘To roast and grind‘ part can be skipped and 1 tbsp of sambar powder can be used.
9. Dry coconut / koppra can be replaced with grated coconut. If you don’t want coconut, feel free to skip it.
10. Use ghee for tempering, as it lends an excellent aroma to the dish.
11. This rice thickens with time, so add little boiled water to adjust the consistency.
Sambar Sadam Recipe
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer cum photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog.
Yummy. Your photographs are lovely as usual.