Sambar recipe serves 5, 234 grams per serving. 

Click here to view. Sambar recipe. Like idlis and dosas, Sambhar is also an all-time favourite that is almost synonymous with South Indianfood! From the smallest roadside hotel to the classiest Indian restaurants around the globe, ‘idli, Vada, Sambhar’ is a very popular breakfast combo! 

So, here is how to make the perfect Sambhar to match the perfect Idlis / Dosas / Appe . Loaded with vegetables and dal, this flavourful side-dish is very sumptuous and tasty, leaving no doubt about why it is so popular.

You can relish it not just with the innumerable South Indian snacks and Breakfast dishes, but also with a plain bowl of hot rice topped with a dollop of ghee or laced with til oil. 

The best part about Sambhar is that, while it tastes best when hot, it is quite enjoyable even after a few hours, so it can be carried to work, or prepared in advance on a busy day.

Is Sambar healthy?

Yes, sambar is super healthy. Sambar is made up the following main ingredients like toovar dal, drumsticks, doodhi, tomatoes, madras onions, sambar powder and Indian spices.  

Let's understand the ingredients.

What's good in sambar.

1. Toor Dal (tuvar dal, toovar dal) : Toor dal is rich in proteins, the building block of good health. High in fiber, diabetic and heart friendly. Being an excellent source of folic acid, pregnant women must include toor dal in their daily diet. Being an excellent source of fibre it helps in preventing and relieving gastric problems like constipation. See detailed benefits of toor dal. 

2. Drumsticks : Being low in calories and low in carbs, you can enjoy it in the quantity you want.  Like most vegetables, drumstick is high on fiber. drumstick is super rich in Vitamin C is and antioxidant. 

3. Onions (madras onions) : Yes, its a great antioxidant. The phytochemical present in onions along with their Vitamin C help boost your immunity. The chromium in onions help regulate your blood pressure. The sulphur in the onion which brings you tears is actually good for your eyes. Raw onions keep your heart healthy and see here for total benefits of onions.

4. Tomatoes : Tomatoes are extremely rich source of Lycopene. Tomatoes are a powerful antioxidant, super rich in Vitamin C, good for heart. Tomatoes are a Pregnant women's friend. Read about 13 amazing benefits of tomatoes.  

5. Red Pumpkin ( kaddu, bhopla) :  A cup of pumpkin cubes fulfils your day’s requirement of Vitamin A (5526 mcg), thus making it a super food for your eyes. Kaddu  can be included in safe amounts or restricted amounts by diabetics. The magical combo of antioxidants and Vitamins A and Vitamin C  create a shield against cancer cells. The antioxidants help reducing LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from oxidizing and clogging the blood vessels, which if persists would increase the risk of heart disease. Read is pumpkin healthy? 

6. Coriander (kothmir, dhania) : Coriander is a fresh herb often used as a flavour enhancer in Indian cooking. It is mainly used as a garnish. This is the best way to use it - no cooking. This preserves its vitamin C content which helps to build our immunity and bring that sparkle to the skin. The antioxidants vitamin A, vitamin C and the quercetin present in coriander works towards strengthening our immune system. Coriander is a fairly good source of iron and folate – the 2 nutrient which help in the production and maintenance of red blood cells in our blood. Good for reducing cholesterol and good for diabetics. Read 9 benefits of coriander to understand details. 

What's the problem?

1. Potatoes (Aloo) : Potatoes being high in simple carbohydrates will lead to weight gain and are not good for people with diabetes, heart problem and obesity. Potatoes are recommended for malnourished children and people with low weight. See full details on why potatoes are bad for you.  

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Sambar?

Yes, this recipe is very healthy BUT make it without the potatoes. Diabetics and heart patients can enjoy this. Homemade Sambar is high in Vitamin C and a very soothing accompaniment to idlis and dosas. It has the goodness of toor dal and lots of healthy vegetables in it. 

Can healthy individuals have Sambar?

Yes, all ingredients in this recipe are healthy but remove the potatoes.  It's hard not to stop at one bowl of sambar when having your idlis and dosas. So go ahead and have 2 to 3 helpings of Sambar.  We love giving and making healthy recipes at tarla dalal.

What to have with Sambar?

Yes, we are giving you only super healthy options here. Instead of regular idli opt for oats idli recipe or healthy oats dosa recipe. They have more fibre and are diabetic friendly. 

oats idli recipe | instant oats idli | healthy oats idli for diabetics | how to make oats idli |

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym.

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover.

Sambar  is high in

1. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

  Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet

How to burn 122 calories that come from Sambar?

Walking (6 kmph) = 37 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 12 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 16 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 21 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.