Kadamba Sambar Recipe | No Onion No Garlic Mixed Vegetable Sambar

Posted on Dec 9th, 2020

by Sowmya Venkatachalam

Categories:

4.45 from 9 votes

Kadamba Sambar is one of the common and traditional sambar variety in Tamil Nadu. We make Kadamba sambar for festivals. Mixed vegetables are cooked in tamarind gravy along with freshly ground coconut spice paste. Relish this Kadamba Sambar with hot rice along with a teaspoon of ghee or with Idli/Dosa! Learn here how to make this sambar with step by step pictures and instructions.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

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Reading Time: 7 minutes

Kadamba Sambar, one of the traditional sambar we make for many festivals and auspicious occasions. As we are adding multiple vegetables in this sambar, we are calling it as “Kadamba Sambar”. The base masala for this sambar is same as Arachuvita sambar but the vegetables that we are adding in this sambar really enhances flavor and taste. Being a simple weekend or festival, its always nice to sit with the whole family and relish homemade food. This Kadamba Sambar is one of the recipe everyone can enjoy at home. If we have guests at home, this sambar is a life saver. Not only the taste but the quantity will also be a sufficient to host 8-10 people. I recently made this sambar on a Diwali potluck at my friends and even the kids loved it so much! Relish this Kadamba sambar with hot rice along with a teaspoon of ghee or with Idli/Dosa or Pongal!

Tips for making Kadamba Sambar:

The vegetables are the secret to the flavor of this sambar. White pumpkin, Yellow pumpkin, Carrot and Capsicum adds a nice flavor and taste to the sambar.
We can add drumstick and shallots too if its not festival or New moon day. In this recipe, i have not included onion/ shallots as i made this for the festival.
While frying grinding ingredients, add fenugreek, cumin once the dal turns light brown.
Fry coconut till light brown. No need to fry till deep dark brown.
Grind the spices and coconut to a coarsely ground paste. Coarse texture gives a nice flavor than smooth paste.
Kashmiri red chili adds nice color to the sambar and also doesn’t increase the spice level.

If you like this Kadamba Sambar, then you can also try other Sambar Recipes

You may also want to try:

Ratna Cafe Sambar – Ratna Cafe is famous for the sambar they serve for the tiffin, especially the Idli Sambar. The flavor, texture and taste is very unique. People goes to Ratna Cafe especially to taste its Sambar.
Udipi Style Sambar – Udupi Style Sambar is a popular sambar variety with richness of veggies along with a tinge of sweetness. Adding jaggery and cooking in coconut oil is the secret to this yummy sambar.
Thalicha Sambar – Thalicha Sambar, a quick and easy to make sambar with tempered green chili, red chili for the spice without using sambar powder. The flavor of chillies is the uniqueness of this sambar. Mix with hot steaming rice along with ghee and enjoy this delicious sambar!
Tomato Sambar without Tamarind – Tomato Sambar, a very quick, easy to make in Pressure cooker without using tamarind. Tomato puree gives the sambar required tangy flavor. Mixed vegetables enhance the nutrition of sambar along with toor dal making this tomato sambar so scrumptious.
Tiffin Sambar – Idli Sambar | MoongDal Sambar is a mixed vegetable moong dal based sambar which is a perfect Side Dish for Idli / Dosa / Upma / Pongal. A perfect side dish for any South Indian Breakfast

Recipe Card for Kadamba Sambar Recipe :

INSTRUCTIONS WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES

SOAKING TAMARIND

Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 mins. After 10 mins, squeeze and extract the juice from soaked tamarind. Set this tamarind juice aside.

COOKING DAL

Wash and take toor dal in a vessel. Add turmeric powder and 1.5 cups of water.

Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles or till the dal gets mushy. Allow the pressure to naturally release and then mash the dal and set aside.

GRINDING PROCESS

Heat oil in a pan. Add chana dal and fry for 30 seconds. Then add coriander seeds and fry till the dal turns light brown. Then add fenugreek, cumin and red chili to the pan. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add grated coconut and fry the coconut till the coconut turns light brown.

Allow the fried ingredients to cool and then take it to mixer jar.

Grind it to slightly coarse paste. Set this coconut spice paste aside.

COOKING VEGETABLES

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add firm vegetables like carrot, brinjal, chow chow and potato to the sauce pan. Sauté the veggies for 1 min in high flame.

Add turmeric powder and 1 cup water and allow the veggis to cook till half way.

When the firm vegetables are half-cooked, add capsicum and white pumpkin. Allow the veggies to cook till they are soft but have little firm.

COOKING SAMBAR

When the veggies are almost cooked, add tamarind juice to the pan. Add salt and asafoetida and sambar powder to the tamarind juice. Boil for 2 mins.

Now, add tomato and yellow pumpkin to the tamarind juice. Allow the tamarind juice to boil and cook for atleast 5-7 mins. Both yellow pumpkin and tomato cook quickly in tamarind juice.

Next, we need to add the mashed dal to the tamarind juice. Stir well. Allow the sambar to boil for a minute.

Then, add ground coconut spice paste to the sauce pan. Stir well without mashing the vegetables. Add 1 cup of water and adjust the consistency.

Allow the sambar to boil for 2 mins. Switch off the flame.

TEMPERING PROCESS

Heat ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Also add red chili, asafoetida and curry leaves. Give a good mix. Switch off the flame.