Sambar Rice Recipe – It is also called Sambar Sadam Recipe. As the name says, here sambar and rice both cooked together and served as a meal. This recipe is from Tamil cuisine.

2 bowls of sambar rice with name label on the image.

There is another similar dish called bisi bele bath which is from Karnataka cuisine.

Here few vegetables are added. I have used onion, tomato, carrot and green beans. You can use other veggies like drumstick, eggplant, capsicum, radish etc.

Here I have made freshly ground spice powder and later made into paste with coconut. If short on time, you can use ready sambar powder instead. But of course freshly made masala will give fresh and unique flavors.

This sambar sadam tastes too good with healthy goodness of vegetables, dal and rice in every spoon. When you are not in mood of cooking few different dishes (like dal, rice, sabzi), make this one. Quickly roast papad to go on side and you will have healthy, wholesome meal ready.

Check out other rice dishes
Tomato rice (Thakkali sadam) // Curd rice (Thayir sadam) // Coconut milk rice (Thengai paal sadam) // Lemon rice // Tamarind rice

Step By Step Photo Instructions:

1) Take tamarind and soak into hot water for 15-20 minutes. After that mash with fingers to get the pulp. Strain the tamarind water and discard the seeds or strings if any. Keep it aside.

2) Combine the rice and dal into pressure cooker

Collage of 2 images showing tamarind water and dal, rice in a cooker.

3) Wash or rinse them 2-3 times using water or till water is no more cloudy.

4) Now add fresh 2 cups of water and little salt.

Collage of 2 images showing rinsed dal-rice and water added.

5) Cover it with lid, put the weight on and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium heat. Then turn off the stove, let the pressure go down by itself and open the lid.

6) Mix and mash slightly with spatula.

Collage of 2 images showing cooked dal-rice and mixed using spoon.

7) While dal-rice is pressure cooking, take wholes spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, dried red chilies and fenugreek seeds) into a small pan.

8) Dry roast them with stirring constantly on medium-low heat till they are roasted and you get nice aroma of the spices. Turn off the stove, remove it to a plate and let it cool down.

Collage of 2 images showing whole spices in a plate and roasting.

9) Once cooled, grind into a powder.

10) In that add coconut and ½ cup of water.

Collage of 2 images showing powder from the roasted spices and adding coconut, tamarind water.

11) Again grind it into smooth paste. Keep it aside.

12) Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.

Collage of 2 images showing paste made in the grinder and tempering of mustard seeds.

13) Then add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

14) Now add dried red chilies and curry leaves. Saute for 30-40 seconds.

Collage of 2 images showing adding cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried chili in the tempering.

15) Add onions and mix.

16) Cook till onions get soft and translucent or light pink in color.

Collage of 2 images showing adding and cooking onion.

17) Now add tomato, carrot and beans.

18) Mix well.

Collage of 2 images showing adding and mixing veggies.

19) Also add salt and turmeric powder.

20) Mix and cook for a minute.

Collage of 2 images showing adding salt and turmeric and cooked veggies.

21) Now add ½ cup of water.

22) Cover and cook till veggies are cooked and tender. If the water dries out then you can add more water if needed.

Collage of 2 images showing adding water and cooked veggies.

23) Now add prepared paste.

24) Mix and cook for 2 minutes.

Collage of 2 images showing adding paste and mixing.

25) Add tamarind water and another ½ cup of water.

26) Mix and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes or till the rawness of tamarind goes away.

Collage of 2 images showing adding tamarind water and simmering.

27) Now add mashed dal-rice.

28) Mix well and cook for 2 minutes and turn off the stove. If the mixture is too thick then adjust the consistency by adding more water.
Serve hot/warm.

Collage of 2 images showing adding dal-rice mixture and mixed well.

Serving suggestion: Enjoy sambar rice as a meal with side of papadum and pickle. This tastes good even if it gets cool, so it can be packed into lunch box.

Sambar sadam served in a bowl and another bowl in the back.

Did you try this sambar rice recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.