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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 Rice Recipe | Sambar Sadam Recipe

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu | Recipe Category: Main Course / Rice Varieties
Preparation + Cooking Time : 40 Mins | Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1/2 cup
Toor Dal – 1/4 cup
Water – 2.5 cups
Shallots / Pearl onions – 8
Tomato – 1
Vegetables – 1 cup (carrot – 1, beans – 5, potato -1, Drumstick – 1)
Tamarind – 1 small gooseberry sized
Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp
Sambar Powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – As Required
Oil – 1/2 tbsp

To Roast and Grind

Channa Dal – 1 tbsp
Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Pepper – 1/2 tsp
Methi Seeds – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli – 5 to 6
Copra Coconut – 2 tsp (optional)
Hing – 1 Generous pinch

To Temper

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves – 2 sprig
Hing – 1 Generous pinch
Oil / Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method

1. Measure all the ingredients and keep it ready. Peel the skin of shallots, chop tomato, carrot, beans, potato and drumstick.
Sambar Sadam Recipe Steps1 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.
Sambar Sadam Recipe Steps2 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.
Sambar Sadam Recipe Steps3 4. In the same pan, pour oil and then add shallots and tomato. Saute for a while and now add all the veggies.
Sambar Rice Recipe Steps4 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). Sambar Rice Recipe Steps5 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.
Sambar Rice Recipe Steps6 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.
Sambar Rice Recipe Steps7 8. Then add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, hing and temper it. Pour the tempered items over the rice and mix well.
Sambar Sadam Recipe Steps8

Serve this sambar sadham with potato curry or appalam.

Sambar Rice Recipe

Tips

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.