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Ingredients (Home-Style)

For Pressure Cooking

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Toor dal – ½ cup
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Water – 4 to 5 cups
• Few drops of oil

Vegetables (Chopped)

(Use mix of your choice)

Sambar Sadham is a classic Tamil Nadu comfort meal where rice and lentils are simmered together with vegetables and aromatic sambar spices. It’s wholesome, mildly tangy, nutritious, and perfect for daily home-style cooking. This one-pot dish is a favourite in Tamil homes for its rich flavour and simplicity.

• Drumstick – 1
• Carrot – 1
• Beans – 6–8
• Brinjal – 1
• Potato – 1 small
• Tomato – 1
• Small onions (shallots) – 8–10

For Tamarind Mix

• Tamarind – small lemon-sized ball (soaked & extracted)
• Sambar powder – 2 to 2½ tbsp
• Salt – as needed

For Tempering

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Urad dal – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Red chillies – 2
• Hing – ¼ tsp

Optional (Enhances Taste)

• A small piece of jaggery
• A spoon of ghee
• Fresh coriander leaves

Home-Style Recipe 

Step 1: Cook the Rice & Dal

• Wash rice and toor dal together.
• Add turmeric, a few drops of oil, and water.
• Pressure cook for 4–5 whistles until soft and mushy.
• Mash lightly and keep aside.

Step 2: Cook the Vegetables

• In a kadai, add cut vegetables except tomatoes.
• Add some water and boil until half cooked.
• Add tomatoes and boil until all vegetables are soft.

Step 3: Prepare the Tamarind-Sambar Mix

• Add tamarind extract to the vegetables.
• Add sambar powder and salt.
• Let it boil for 8–10 minutes until raw smell goes.

Step 4: Add Dal–Rice Mix

• Add the cooked rice-dal mixture into the boiling sambar.
• Mix well so all ingredients combine smoothly.
• Add water if needed to adjust consistency.
• Boil for 5–7 minutes on low flame.
• Add jaggery (optional) for balanced flavour.

Step 5: Tempering

• Heat oil in a small pan.
• Add mustard seeds → let it splutter.
• Add urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves, and hing.
• Pour this seasoning over the Sambar Sadham.

Step 6: Finish

• Add fresh coriander leaves.
• Add a spoon of ghee on top for ultimate homely taste (optional but recommended).

🍛 Serving Suggestions

• Papad / Appalam
• Curd
• Potato fry
• Cabbage poriyal
• Pickle