Top 20 Sambhar Varieties in Tamil Nadu

Top 20 Sambhar Varieties in Tamil Nadu

Sambhar is a popular food among Tamilians. People cook Sambhar every day for their meals. There are many variations in the usual Sambhar recipes. Sambhar goes well with Rice, Idly and Dosa.

1. Buttermilk Sambhar

Buttermilk Sambhar is a recipe with a unique taste. It is different from the usual kind of sambhar that people make. It goes well with rice. Buttermilk Sambhar, cice, and potato fry make the best combination for lunch. Soak tur dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, rice, and green chillies for 5 to 15 minutes and grind it into a smooth paste. Take buttermilk; add turmeric powder, salt, and the paste. Cook it for some time. You can add vegetables like pumpkin, lady Finger and brinjal to the sambhar. The seasoning agents are mustard seeds and curry leaves. You can make use of coconut oil, which gives a rich aroma to the sambhar.

buttermilk-sambhar

2. Idli Sambhar

Idly is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu. A special type of sambhar cooked with small onions goes well with Idly, Dosa, and Vada. Onions, urad dal, chana dal, cumin seeds, red chillies, coconut and tamarind, are the ingredients of Idly Sambhar. They are grounded to form a paste. Add water to the paste and cook it for some time. You can cook it along with fried small onions. The onions add a special flavor to the sambhar. You can add a little piece of jaggery to give it a little sweet touch. The aroma of onions will make you crave for the sambhar.

idli-sambhar

3. Vathal Kuzhambu

Vathal Kuzhambu is one of the most famous and delicious food that you can find in Tamil Nadu. In a typical Tamil Nadu meal, people serve Vathal Kuzhambu with rice. The main ingredients of this dish are: tamarind, small onions, and turkey berry. Sometimes, a small amount of jaggery can be added so as to provide a mild sweet taste to it. This dish is different because it has an equal amount of sweetness, hotness and sourness. After preparing this dish, it is kept untouched and awayfor around 10 to 12 hours before serving. Though it is not mandatory compulsion, but keeping it for 10 to 12 hours extracts the real taste.

vathal-kuzhambu

4. Arachuvitta Sambhar

Arachuvitta Sambhar is a delicious and a different kind of Sambhar. It is very easy to prepare. Fry Fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, chana dal, red chillies, rice, hing and coconut and grind it to make a smooth powder. Fry small Onions, add the powder and tamarind extract and cook for some time. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves as seasoning agents. The coconut gives you a different taste. You can also add drumstick to it. The Arachuvitta Sambhar has a heavenly taste.

arachuvitta-sambhar

5. Mango Sambhar

Mangoes are easily available in this hot summer season. You can make a different variety of Sambhar using raw mango. Take a pan, heat oil; add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, hing, curry leaves, sambhar powder, raw mangoes, and water. You can add vegetables like drumstick or brinjal (optional). Cook it for some time. Make sure that the mango is not too sour.

mango-sambhar

6. Brinjal Sambhar

Brinjal Sambhar is a little bit thicker than other varieties of sambhar. Boil the tur dal. Mash it well. Add brinjals, onions, tomatoes, chilli powder, sambhar powder, hing, hamarind pulp and turmeric powder. Cook it until the mixture becomes thick. Mustard leaves, curry leaves, dry red chillies, and urad dal are the seasoning agents. Rice, brinjal sambhar and pappads make the best combination.

brinjal-sambhar

7. Mixed Vegetable Sambhar

Want all your favorite veggies in one dish? Then Mixed Vegetable Sambhar is the perfect one for you. You can add vegetables like brinjals, pumpkins, drumsticks, carrots, onions, tomatoes and bottle gourd. It is a healthy bambhar. People serve it along with rice. Since many vegetables are used, it appears like gravy, it tastes good even along with chapatti. Boil tur dal, add vegetables, sambhar powder and chilli powder to it. You can even make a paste with coconut, dry red chillies, coriander seeds and carlic and add it to tur dal which gives you a different taste.

mixed-vegetable-sambhar

8. Sesame Seeds Sambhar

Sesame seeds Sambhar is different from the other sambhar varieties. Sesame seeds are very healthy. They help to reduce cholesterol, act as a Cancer-fighting agent and reduce diabetes. Dry roast the sesame seeds and grinds it to a fine powder. Fry coconut, dry red chillies, tur dal, and urad dal in a pan and make it into a paste. Add tamarind pulp, sesame powder and water to the pulp. Boil it until the raw smell disappears. Add a little jaggery. You can use both black and white sesame seeds.

sesame-seeds-sambhar

9. Poricha Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu is one of the most famous dishes of Tamil Nadu. You can prepare it with vegetables like broad beans, snake gourd, drumstick, and brinjal. Boil tur dal and a pinch of turmeric powder to it. Mash it well. Fry urad dal, jeera, red chilli and pepper, and grated coconut. Grind it to make a smooth paste. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, hing, paste, salt, and water. Cook it on a medium flame for 5 minutes. People serve it with rice, but it also tastes goodalong with chapatti.

poricha-kuzhambu

10. Keerai Sambhar

 As we all that green leafy vegetables are very good for our health as well as is a good source of Calcium. Keerai Sambhar is a delicious and a healthy dish. Cook this sambhar carefully, as it may become extra watery because Keerai leaves a lot of water. Boil tur dal and mash it. In a pan add oil, onions, green chillies, and urad dal. Fry them for some time. Add Keerai, water, tomatoes and tur dal. Boil them until the Keerai completely cooked. You may even drink it like soup. Adding small onions will give a nice aroma to the dish. Keerai has a rich iron content. It is a very good diet food.

keerai-sambhar

11. Kadamba Pitai

Kadamba Pitalai is a Sambhar similar to mixed vegetable sambhar, but the difference here is we add only country vegetables in Kadamba Sambhar, and we do not add onion and garlic. We can mix Kadamba Sambhar with rice and serve it as sambhar rice. People offer it in temples as holy food. Saute urad dal, fenugreek, red chillies, bengal gram, coriander seeds, and black pepper. Grind them into a fine powder. Boil the tur dal and mash it. In a pan, add the vegetables and water and cook it for some time, then add tamarind pulp, sambhar powder, and tur dal. Cook it until the raw smell disappears. You can even add rice to it to make it into sambhar rice. Sambhar rice with pappads and raita tastes the best.

kadamba-pitai

12. Tomato Sambhar

 Tomato Sambhar is a delicious dish with a flavor of tomato. If your tomatoes are balanced in terms of sourness and sweetness, then this dish will be very tasty. You can avoid onions in this dish. Boil the tur dal and mash it. Blend the tomatoes to make a smooth puree. In a pan heat oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add tur dal, turmeric powder, tamarind extract, tomato puree and sambhar powder. Cook it for some time until the raw smell disappears. It tastes the best when eaten along with idly.

tomato-sambhar

13. Raddish Sambhar

Once you taste the Raddish Sambhar, it will be your favorite dish forever. Radishes are good in treating various diseases like Cancer, Jaundice, cardiovascular diseases and an excellent agent for weight loss. Radish will leave its aroma and taste in this dish. If you like radish, then you will like this recipe to the core. Boil tur dal and mash it. In a pan add Tamarind pulp, Radish pieces, tur dal, turmeric powder, sambhar powder, salt, and water. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the raw smell disappears. The seasoning agents are mustard seeds and curry leaves.

raddish-sambhar

14. Lady Finger Sambhar

Lady Finger Sambhar is made in the same way as the Brinjal Sambhar. Boil and mash tur dal. In a pan add tamarind pulp, tur dal, sambhar powder, lady finger, salt and water. Cook it for some time. Before adding lady finger to sambhar, you can fry it to give a more delicious taste. You can even grind coconut, coriander seeds, and dry red chillies and add it to sambhar to give it a different variation.

lady-finger-sambhar

15. Curry Leaves Sambhar

Curry leaves have a lot of nutritional value. It is good for the growth of hair. But it is very difficult to eat it raw. For this sambhar, people make curry leaves into a paste and cook it along with other ingredients. It has a mouth watering delicious taste. Fry mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, pepper, dry red chillies, and curry leaves and grind them into a fine powder.  In a pan add tamarind pulp, powder, water, and salt. Cook until the raw smell disappears. Use mustard seeds and curry leaves as the seasoning agents.

curry-leaves-sambhar

16. Pepper Kuzhambu

It is a spicy sambhar dish. Pepper makes digestion easier. It is a good remedy for cold. Pepper kuzhambu goes well with white rice and any raita. Fry black pepper, coriander seeds, tur dal, dry red chillies, and garlic. Grind them to a smooth paste. In a pan, add tamarind pulp, paste, turmeric powder, salt, and water. Cook it until the mixture becomes thick. Mustard seeds, dry red chillies, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves are the seasoning ingredients.

pepper-kuzhambu

17. Garlic Kuzhambu

Garlic Kuzhambu is a famous Chettinad recipe. If you like the smell of Garlic, then you will surely get addicted to this sambhar. Fry the garlic in a pan and add tamarind extract, tomatoes, sambhar powder, and salt. Cook it until the raw smell disappears. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida as the seasoning ingredients. It has a delicious taste. Garlic helps in easy digestion.

garlic-kuzhambu

 18 Carrot Sambhar

Carrot Sambhar is not spicy and has a little sweet taste because of the Carrot. Carrot is good for eyes and glowing skin. It acts as an anti-aging agent. In a pan, add tamarind extract, sambhar powder, salt, turmeric powder, tur dal, and water. Cook it until the raw smell disappears. You can add coriander leaves for garnishing. It turns out to be a good combination with white rice. It is a no onion no garlic recipe.

carrot-sambhar

19. Karamani Kara Kuzhambu

Karamani is nothing but the cowpeas. It is very good in controlling Cholesterol and sugar levels. Grind coconut and fennel seeds to make a paste. In a pan, add mustard seeds, garlic, hing, onions, gchillies and curry leaves. Fry them until the onion turns pink, now add tomatoes, sambhar powder, turmeric powder, salt, tamarind extract, and cowpeas. Cook it for 5 minutes. Serve it along with white Rice.

karamani-kara-kuzhambu

20 Pumpkin Sambhar

Pumpkin has high vitamin C content. It can control blood pressure. It is an effective agent in fighting Cancer. Like Carrot Sambhar, Pumpkin Sambhar is also little bit sweet because of the sweet pature of Pumpkin. In a pan, cook tamarind extract, sambhar powder, tur dal, turmeric powder, pumpkins, salt, and water until the raw smell disappears. It tastes well with white rice, idly and dosa.pumpkin-sambhar