My 12th recipe, “Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar”, every South Indian’s delight. My mom usually prepares sambar recipe on any auspicious day and this recipe is exactly what she uses to nail it. This recipe is pretty straightforward to make and would still taste awesome, even if you skip the Garlic and Onions. Now, time for a little secret.
Initially, before I started cooking, RK used to say that the one dish he hates is “Sambar”. Don’t know why he had built such hatred towards sambar. But once I started cooking, RK tasted my sambar, and he has become a die-hard fan, just like any other South Indian. Kudos to my mom’s recipe, for redeeming the pride of sambar 😉
Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar
Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar
Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar - A South Indian lentil based curry made along with veggies of choice and served along with white rice
Ingredients
- 10 Ladies Finger/ Okra (cut into long pieces)
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 medium Tomato
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- Coriander leaves - for garnish
- small goose berry size Tamarind (extract the juice – 3 Tbsp)
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp Sambar powder
- 1 ¼ tsp Salt (adjust as per taste)
- ¼ tsp Sugar / Jaggery (optional)
- ½ tsp Oil
To Temper
- 1 tsp Oil
- ¼ tsp Mustard
- ¼ tsp Jeera
- ½ tsp Broken Urad Dal
- 2 Red chilli
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
To Cook Dal
- ⅓ Cup Toor Dal
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
Instructions
- First pressure cook the toor dal for 3 whistle with 1 cup of water along with other ingredients under “To Cook Dal”. Once done, mash the dal fully. I didn’t have the patience to use a ladle, so I just ground the dal using mixie, after bringing the dal to room temperature.
- Heat a pan with ½ tsp of oil and saute the okra till they are no more sticky and keep aside.
- Add 1 tsp oil to the same pan; once hot, add the mustard and let it splutter; then add all the other ingredients under “To Temper” one by one in given order and stir. Follow it by curry leaves, onion, tomato, salt and saute for a minute.
- Now add the sautéed okra, sambar powder, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water, mix thoroughly. Once it starts to boil, set the flame to low. Once the okra is half cooked, add the tamarind extract to the mixture and let it simmer.
- Once the okra is ¾ done, add the mashed dal and leave it to cook till the okra is fully done. By this time the raw smell of tamarind and masala powders would have gone. Turn off the flame, add the sugar/jaggery and mix thoroughly.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.
Notes | FAQ
- Sautéing okra is a must before adding into sambar. If not, the okra will be slimy in the sambar.
- Adding sugar/jaggery is purely optional. But, it gives a rounded flavor to the sambar.
- Adjust the tamarind accordingly based on the size and ripeness of tomato. If the tomato is large, reduce the tamarind quantity and vice versa.
Madhu says
Sambar was good in taste but I strongly recommend 2 tbsp sambar powder.
Smita says
I made this sambar today for lunch. So tasty. Share more simple everyday recipe like this. Thank you
Smita says
Do you make your own sambhar powder or buy it from the stores? Any recommended brand ?
revifood says
Hi Smita. I usually make my own at home. But also occasionally use from Aachi brand.