Capsicum Sambar | Bell Pepper Sambar | Bell Pepper Tamarind Dal from Tamil Nadu | Gluten Free and Vegan

Hi Supermoms,

There are thousands of sambar varieties for one to try. 

Every village, town, city and house have their own recipe to make sambar. For those who are wondering what 'Sambar' means, it is a beautiful medley of vegetables cooked in tamarind broth and lentils . Freshly roasted spices called the 'sambar podi' is used to spice up this historic dish. 

During my evening walk with friends yesterday, an interesting discussion on sambar came up. My North Indian friend was so excited to learn that sambar can be made with one single vegetable also. Till this time, she always thought that sambar must have different vegetables. 

The vegetable that we use for sambar gives the unique taste of the sambar. Similarly different cooking techniques can be adopted to make this tasty dish. Today, I am going to share the recipe to make a tasty sambar in my mother's style of cooking . You guessed it right - using the pressure cooker. 

However, if you do not have the pressure cooker, you can cook the lentil in an open pot and follow all other steps of my recipe.

This sambar is a little thicker as I served it along with hot rice and ghee. 

Capsicum Sambar :

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves : 4-6

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Ingredients :

2 green bell peppers /capsicum ( cut into uniform large pieces)

1 tomato (finely chopped)

 gooseberry size tamarind ( soak in 1/2 cup warm water and extract the juice)OR 1 teaspoon thick tamarind paste

3/4 cup toor dal / pigeon peas (wash and soak in 3 cups water for 30 minutes) 

2 and 1/2  teaspoons sambar powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

salt to taste

To temper :

2 teaspoons sesame oil ( or oil of your choice)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

To garnish : 

1 teaspoon hot ghee or oil ( optional)

Method :

1. Heat a pressure pan with oil over low flame.

2. Temper with ingredients given under ' tempering'.

3. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper , salt, turmeric powder and mix well. .

4. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes or till the time the tomatoes become mushy.

5. Now add the juice of tamarind , sambar powder , salt and the soaked dal along with water . 

Chef tip : If you are using tamarind paste, mix it in 1/2 cup warm water and then add. 

6. Pressure cook this mixture for upto 4 whistles and switch off.

7. Once the pressure releases, you can gently whisk the sambar with a hand whisk. 

8. Garnish with hot ghee ( if you are not vegan) or oil . 

Your delicious everyday Capsicum sambar is ready so quickly. 

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom