This is my basic South Indian style sambar recipe for rice. Chinna vengaya sambar/Small Onion sambar is one of the most aromatic sambar recipes next to drumstick sambar.Last year I posted brahmin(iyer)style arachuvitta sambar recipe with onions and drumstick adding freshly roasted and ground paste. But this sambar is very simple and easy to prepare which needs no grinding and no coconut. It can be made within 10 minutes if you have cooked toor dal ready in hand. Even bachelor’s can try this sambar.
This is my MIL’s basic sambar recipe with onions. Mostly I make this sambar when I run short of vegetables. As shallots are very costly in Bangalore compared to Salem, my in-laws buy one or two kgs for me whenever they visit my place. So I keep making onion recipes like sambar,chutney or pickle at least twice in a week. This vengaya sambar is our family favourite.
Raksha loves to have this sambar for idli, dosa too. So I dilute this sambar slightly and serve it with mini idli drizzling with ghee. Ok, Lets see how to prepare this south indian onion sambar recipe.
Onion sambar recipe/Vengaya sambar
Small onion sambar recipe - South indian style sambar recipe with step by step pictures.
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: 3
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
To pressure cook
- Toor dal - 1/3 cup
- Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
- Red chilli - 1 no (pinched)
- Curry leaves - few
- Cooking oil - 2 drops
- Water - as needed
To temper & saute
- Cooking oil + Ghee - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Methi seeds - 1/3 tsp
- Red chilli - 1 no ( pinch into 2)
- Green chillies – 3 – 4 nos
- Small onions/Shallots - 20 nos OR Sliced Big onion - 2 nos
- Tomato – 1 no ( cut into small pieces)
- Curry leaves - few
- Hing/Asafetida - 2 generous pinches
For sambar
- Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
- Sugar or jaggery – 1/4 tsp
- Sambar powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp (homemade or any brand powder)
- Salt & water - as needed
Coriander leaves - few
HOW TO MAKE ONION SAMBAR - METHOD
- Pressure cook toor dal adding all the ingredients mentioned under “to pressure cook “. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle adding enough water. Open the lid and mash the dal well with a ladle. Set aside.
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water. Wash and peel the small onions, slit green chillies and set aside.
- Take the tamarind extract adding 1-1.5 cups of water. Extract should be 1.5-2 cups in total. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt, hing and pinched raw curry leaves to it.
- In a kadai, heat oil+ghee and splutter mustard seeds. When it starts to crackle, add methi seeds, pinched red chillies, green chillies, small onions, tomato pieces & curry leaves. Saute until onion turns transparent.
- Now add the tamarind extract mixture, sambar powder and boil well till onions gets cooked well yet firm without losing its shape.
- After the mixture is reduced in quantity, add cooked toor dal and sugar or jaggery. Add little water if necessary. Boil for 2 minutes. Adjust the consistency. Check for taste.
- Garnish with coriander leaves, boil for few seconds and switch off the flame ! Transfer it to a vessel. Add a tsp of ghee. Cover it with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes and then serve.
Note
- Adding ghee while tempering gives a nice smell to the sambar like in restaurants.
- Use sliced big onions in place of shallots if you don’t have in hand but small onions gives a nice flavor than big ones.
- Adjust the quantity of tamarind if you add tomato else sambar will become tangy.
- If you feel the sambar is tangy, add some plain red chilli powder & allow it to boil for sometime. It helps to balance the taste.
Enjoy vengaya sambar with vathal/vadam or appalam & poriyal. I had with simple tindora curry.
Do check out my other sambar recipes if interested
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Mullangi sambar/Radish sambar
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Nellai style mango sambar- Mom’s version
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Arachuvitta sambar – Brahmin style
FAQs
Onion Sambar or Shallot is a type of onion which is bulb-shaped, with copper, reddish, or gray skin. It is a small, elongated onion, but has a milder flavor with a hint of garlic. It is rich in antioxidants.
How to make sambhar thick? ›
02/13Tips to make perfect Sambar
- If you want a dash of sweetness, add a small piece of jaggery while preparing Sambar. - If the consistency is too runny, balance it by adding a few spoons of rice flour to thicken it.
How do you increase the taste of sambar? ›
Adding chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and asafoetida in equal proportions along with sambar powder would make the dish even more delicious. More than curry leaves, coriander leaves should be added in sambar to make it more flavoursome. In Kerala, curry leaves are more preferred than coriander leaves.
What is the name of sambar onion? ›
The southern regions of India distinguish shallots from onions in recipes more often, especially the much loved tiny varieties (about the width of a finger); these are widely used in curries and different types of sambar, a lentil-based dish.
Does sambar contain onion? ›
A typical south Indian sambar recipe calls for lot of vegetables like pumpkin, bottle gourd, drumstick, eggplant, cucumbers, lady finger, sweet potatoes, onions and tomatoes. The choice of vegetables is based on a personal liking and are optional. Each vegetable lends a different flavour and taste.
Does sambar contain onion and garlic? ›
Nb: if you want to include onion and garlic, then at the time of giving tadka into the hot oil put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves, onion (small) slices, 5-7 pounded garlic and hing. Fry till brownish then add into the dal.
What is a substitute for sambar onions? ›
Dried chives have an oniony flavor too. You could even use something like Lipton onion soup mix. If you're out of basic yellow or white onions or just want to try something a little different, there are a few fresh options: leeks, shallots, green onions (scallions), red onions, Spanish onions.
Are shallots and sambar onions the same? ›
Shallots/Small red onions/Sambar Onions have a distinctive tapered shape which makes them look different from other members of the onion family. their flavor is so delicate. Shallots are a little sweeter than regular onions and have a more subtle flavor. Small Red Onions have lots of vitamins and minerals.
Why is my sambar so thick? ›
Its the daal itself which acts as a thickener at the first place. Adjust the quantity of daal instead of pouring more water to make more in quanity. Simple logic - more water, more quanity but diluted! Less water, extra daal, thick sambar 😋 the next thing you need to take care of is the veggies that go in.
What is a good side dish for sambar? ›
Potato bonda, chilly bajji, onion pakoda, uddina vada and masala vada. And many more such as panner, rajma, dry grains fry would go well with sambar amd rice.
noun [ U ] uk/ˈsæm.bɑːr/ us/ˈsæm.bɑːr/ a dish made with lentils (= very small dried beans that are cooked and eaten) that is popular in South India and Sri Lanka: Serve the dosa with piping hot sambar and coconut chutney. Lunch and dinner typically include rice, two vegetables and a spicy lentil dish called sambar.
Do people add sugar in sambar? ›
On another note, sambar is mainly made of tomatoes and tamarind. Sugar is added to balance out the sourness of those two things by bringing out the flavor and contrasting it. This brings out an interesting flavour.
What is a substitute for Sambar Onions? ›
Dried chives have an oniony flavor too. You could even use something like Lipton onion soup mix. If you're out of basic yellow or white onions or just want to try something a little different, there are a few fresh options: leeks, shallots, green onions (scallions), red onions, Spanish onions.
Are Sambar Onions the same as shallots? ›
Shallots/Small red onions/Sambar Onions have a distinctive tapered shape which makes them look different from other members of the onion family. their flavor is so delicate. Shallots are a little sweeter than regular onions and have a more subtle flavor. Small Red Onions have lots of vitamins and minerals.
Is sambar onion shallot? ›
Tax included. The most common variety of shallots are similar in appearance to baby onions, but are more oval in shape, and often have a pair of smaller bulbs inside the brown skin. The flesh is usually pinker than that of brown skinned onions.
What is sambar made of? ›
The sambar ingredients primarily consist of lentils, oil, spices, sambar masala, tamarind, and mixed vegetables. As the vegetables are sautéed and then cooked with water until they turn soft, their vital nutrients stay intact.
Small onion sambar recipe - South indian style sambar recipe with step by step pictures.
