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Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish
Spicy and tangy lentil stew loaded with tender carrot rounds

Carrot sambar

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Soups
Sambar is the soul of South Indian cuisine: a thick, spicy lentil soup soured with tamarind and flavoured with a special spice blend (sambar powder). The sweetness of the carrot forms a perfect contrast with the spicy-sour base. It is not merely a soup, but often the central element of the main meal, eaten with rice or idli (steamed rice cakes). The 'tadka' (tempered oil) crowns the dish at the end.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 45 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 220 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Saucepan: For cooking lentils and vegetables.
  • Small frying pan: For making the tempered oil (tadka) at the end.
  • Ladle: For serving.

Allergen Information

⚠️ Mustard

Instructions

1 ✓

Wash the lentils thoroughly, place in a pan with 1 litre of water. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until completely mushy and creamy.

Tip: Red lentils are skinless, so they purée quickly, forming a natural thickener for the soup (Starch gelatinisation).
2 ✓

Meanwhile, slice the carrots into rounds, dice the onion and tomato.

Tip: The sweetness of the carrot leaches out during cooking, counterbalancing the strength of the spices.
3 ✓

Add the carrots, sambar powder, desiccated coconut, and salt to the lentils. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the carrots soften.

Tip: Spices are added at this stage to permeate the vegetables.
4 ✓

Prepare the 'tadka' (tempered oil): heat the oil in a small pan. Toss in the mustard seeds. When they start to pop (careful, they splatter!), immediately add the chopped onion and tomato. Fry for 5 minutes.

Tip: Hot oil 'pops' the flavours of the mustard seeds. This step gives the dish its characteristic aroma.
5 ✓

Pour the onion-tomato mixture into the soup. Boil together for another 2-3 minutes.

Tip: The flavours fully meld at this point.
6 ✓

Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh coriander. Serve hot.

Tip: Coriander loses its flavour quickly from heat, so only add it at the very end.

Recipe FAQ

What is Sambar powder?
This is a special South Indian spice blend (coriander, lentils, chilli, fenugreek). If you don't have it, you can substitute with curry powder and a little extra chilli, but the taste won't be authentic.
It became too thick, what should I do?
Lentils thicken a lot while cooling. Dilute with hot water to the desired consistency.

Ingredients

  • 300 g Carrots
  • 200 g Red lentils or Toor dal
  • 1 whole Red onion
  • 2 whole Tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp Sambar spice powder
  • 2 tbsp Desiccated coconut (optional)
  • 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
  • 1 bunch Fresh coriander
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil or Ghee
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1.2 l Water