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Main course · South Indian

Arachuvitta Sambar (Tamil Ground Coconut and Lentil Sambar)

40 min Serves 4 ~361 kcal/serving ~£4.20 (£1.05/serving) Dairy-freeGluten-freeVeganVegetarian

Dietary and allergen labels, nutrition and cost are worked out automatically from each recipe’s ingredients and are a guide only. Check the labels on what you buy yourself — especially for allergies or coeliac disease. More about recipe labels.

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Ingredients

  • 200 g toor dhal (split pigeon peas)
  • 150 g drumsticks (moringa pods)
  • 200 g aubergine, diced
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 40 g desiccated coconut
  • 4 dried red chillies
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 12 curry leaves
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories
361 kcal
Protein
14.2 g
Carbohydrate
39.1 g
of which sugars
8.4 g
Fat
14.6 g
of which saturates
6.2 g
Fibre
13.5 g
Salt
0.10 g

Estimated from typical values for each ingredient — a guide, not a substitute for the label on what you actually buy.

Method

  1. 1

    Rinse the toor dhal and put it in a pan with 600ml water; bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until soft, skimming off any froth.

  2. 2

    Meanwhile, dry-roast the desiccated coconut, dried red chillies and ground coriander in a small frying pan for 2 minutes until fragrant, then blitz to a coarse paste with a splash of water.

  3. 3

    Add the drumsticks, diced aubergine, tomatoes and ground turmeric to the dhal and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

  4. 4

    Stir in the tamarind paste and the coconut-chilli paste, then simmer for 5 minutes more.

  5. 5

    Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves, and fry for 30 seconds until the seeds pop.

  6. 6

    Pour the tempering over the sambar and serve hot, with rice if you like.

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