# Sambar, thin enough to pour

Source: https://howtomakedosa.com/sambar/
Updated: 2026-09-25

The sambar served with dosa is thinner and a little sweeter than the one served with rice, because it has to soak into a crisp dosa rather than coat rice. Small onions, tamarind, toor dal and a store-bought sambar powder, measured.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Makes | 1.4 L |
| Servings | 6 |
| Hands on | 20 min |
| Keeps | 3 days |

## What goes in

| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Toor dal | 100 g | Split pigeon peas. Rinse three times. |
| Ground turmeric | 1 g | Cooked with the dal. |
| Water for the dal | 400 ml |  |
| Tamarind | 15 g | Seedless block. Or 10 g of tamarind concentrate, skipping the soak. |
| Shallots | 150 g | The small Indian or Thai kind, peeled and left whole. Or 150 g of onion in 3 cm chunks. |
| Tomato | 150 g | One large, chopped. |
| Drumstick | 1 | Moringa pod in 6 cm pieces. Optional; the frozen kind from Indian grocers works. |
| Sambar powder | 15 g | About 2 tablespoons of a store-bought brand. |
| Salt | 10 g | Fine. |
| Jaggery | 5 g | Or brown sugar. Balances the tamarind. |
| Water for simmering | 600 ml | Some of it only goes in at the end, to thin the sambar. |
| Sesame oil or ghee | 15 ml | For the tempering. |
| Mustard seeds | 3 g |  |
| Fenugreek seeds | 1 g | About 12 seeds. More turns it bitter. |
| Dried red chillies | 2 |  |
| Curry leaves | 12 |  |
| Asafoetida | 0.5 g |  |
| Coriander leaves | 10 g | Chopped. |

## Making it

### 1. Cook the dal soft

Put the rinsed dal, turmeric and 400 ml of water in a pressure cooker. While it cooks, soak the tamarind in the 200 ml of hot water.

- Pressure cooker: **4 whistles** on medium heat, about **12 min**, then let the pressure drop on its own
- Instant Pot: **High pressure, 10 min**, natural release
- Stovetop: covered, **40–45 min** at a low simmer. Top up with water if it catches

**Ready when:** A grain crushes to nothing between your fingers. Whisk it smooth, with no whole grains left.

### 2. Make the tamarind water

After **15 minutes** of soaking, squeeze the tamarind hard in the water with your fingers, then strain it and throw away the fibre. You should have about **200 ml** of brown liquid.

### 3. Simmer the vegetables

In a saucepan, combine the shallots, tomato, drumstick, tamarind water, sambar powder, salt, jaggery and **300 ml** of the water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it uncovered.

- Simmer: **12–15 min**
- Done when: a shallot is soft to the knife, and the raw smell of tamarind is gone

### 4. Add the dal and thin it

Stir in the mashed dal. Add water from the remaining **300 ml** until it reaches pouring consistency, then simmer **5 minutes** more so the dal and tamarind come together.

**Pouring consistency:** Tiffin sambar coats a spoon thinly and pours like single cream. Rice sambar is thicker. The sambar thickens as it cools, so stop when it looks slightly too thin.

### 5. Temper and finish

Heat the oil or ghee to about **170 °C** (340 °F). Add the mustard seeds, and when they pop add the fenugreek, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. After **10 seconds**, pour it all into the sambar. Stir in the coriander and take it off the heat.

- Keeps refrigerated: **3 days**. It tastes better on day two
- Reheat: bring back to a simmer with **50 ml** of water per 500 ml

### What is the difference between tiffin sambar and regular sambar?

Tiffin sambar, served with dosa, idli and vada, is thinner and slightly sweeter, and usually uses only shallots and tomato. Sambar for rice is thicker and carries more vegetables.

### Which sambar powder should I use?

Any mainstream store-bought sambar powder works at 15 g. Brands vary in heat, so taste after the simmer and add up to 5 g more if needed.

### Why is my sambar sour?

Too much tamarind, or not enough time after adding it. Simmer the tamarind with the vegetables for at least 12 minutes, and balance it with jaggery 2 g at a time.

## Keep going

- [Coconut chutney](https://howtomakedosa.com/coconut-chutney/): Fresh, frozen or desiccated coconut, in grams, with a tempering that takes 60 seconds.
- [Masala dosa](https://howtomakedosa.com/masala-dosa/): The potato masala in grams, and when to fill and fold so the shell stays crisp.
- [Idli](https://howtomakedosa.com/idli/): The same batter, not thinned, steamed for 10–12 minutes. What makes idli soft instead of dense.