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vendkai sambar

Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar

Revathi Palani
Vendakai (Ladies finger / Okra) Sambar - A South Indian lentil based curry made along with veggies of choice and served along with white rice
4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

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

  • 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.

    sambar sambar
  • Heat a pan with ½ tsp of oil and saute the okra till they are no more sticky and keep aside.

    sambar sambar
  • 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.

    sambar sambar

    sambar sambar
  • 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.

    sambar sambar
  • 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.

    sambar sambar
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

    vendakai sambar

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.