Extremely comforting Arachuvitta Sambar recipe with step by step pictures. Araithu Vitta Sambar recipe - best with hot rice and ghee!
Some days are just about comfort food and today is one such day. I don’t know if there is a better comfort food than a good Sambar for us South Indians. What’s better, the same when it is made from fresh ground sambar masala. Arachuvitta Sambar is made from fresh ground spices, adding a lot of flavor and aroma to this Sambar.
My Amma has quite a reputation among our family for her Sambar, especially Arachuvita Sambar. For someone who was not native to Tamilnadu, it is like the highest compliment – to be able to make these dishes to perfection. For as long as I can remember, Saturday was a Pongal & Sambar day and it was this Arachuvitta Sambar every single time. I think the secret ingredient in my mom’s best Sambar was the pumpkin which added such a flavor to the sambar. So for posterity purposes, here I am with my mom’s Poosanikai Murungakkai Arachuvitta Sambar.
How to make Arachuvitta Sambar
📖 Recipe
To make Arachuvitta Sambar
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
For the Sambar Masala -
- 1 tablespoon Chana Dal
- 1.5 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 4-5 Dry Red Chillies
For the Sambar –
- ¼ cup Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas
- 1 Moringa Pod/Drumstick
- A small chunk Yellow Pumpkin
- 1 large Onion
- ½ teaspoon Tamarind Paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Water as needed
- Salt as needed
- A Few Fresh Coriander Leaves
For the Tempering –
- 1 teaspoon Oil/Ghee
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Dried Red Chilli
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- A few Fresh Curry Leaves
Instructions
- Pressure cook Toor Dal with enough water for 3-4 whistles, let the pressure drop before opening the lid.
- Chop onion length wise, drumstick into finger sized pieces and pumpkin into small cubes.
- Mix tamarind paste with some water and set it aside.
- In a pan, dry roast all the ingredients under “For the Sambar Masala” until golden and roasted. Let it cool down completely and then grind into a smooth powder.
- In a pot, add chopped onion, drumsticks and pumpkin cubes along with water (to cover the vegetables) and turmeric powder. Boil this until the veggies are cooked ¾th.
- Add cooked toor dal and boil for a couple of mins. Add freshly made sambar powder and salt required. Boil on medium flame for 4-5 mins. Add tamarin water and cook for another 4-5 mins. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat oil/ghee. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and torn red chilli. As mustard & cumin seeds splutter, add fresh curry leaves and asafoetida. Add this to the boiling sambar. Add roughly torn coriander leaves. Remove from heat.
- Serve hot with rice or any South Indian breakfast.
Notes
- Instead of cooking the toor dal in pressure cooker, soak the dal for 30 mins in warm water and cook it directly on stove top. The taste is much better but takes a lot of time.
- Instead of using onions, shallots or madras onions can be used in this recipe. Otherwise onions can be completely skipped too.
- I used ready to use tamarind paste but of using fresh tamarind, soak one small marble sized ball in warm water and extract the juice. Use it in the place of tamarind extract.
- It is important not to cut the coriander leaves but tear them with hand before adding to the sambar. Makes Sambar so much more flavorful this way.
- Adjust spices as per preference.
Arachuvitta Sambar Recipe with Step by Step Pictures
Prep Work
1. Pressure cook Toor Dal with enough water for 3-4 whistles, let the pressure drop before opening the lid.
2. Chop onion length wise, drumstick into finger sized pieces and pumpkin into small cubes.
3. Mix tamarind paste with some water and set it aside.
Procedure
1. In a pan, dry roast all the ingredients under “For the Sambar Masala” until golden and roasted. Let it cool down completely and then grind into a smooth powder.
2. In a pot, add chopped onion, drumsticks and pumpkin cubes along with water (to cover the vegetables) and turmeric powder. Boil this until the veggies are cooked ¾th.
3. Add cooked toor dal and boil for a couple of mins. Add freshly made sambar powder and salt required. Boil on medium flame for 4-5 mins. Add tamarin water and cook for another 4-5 mins. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat oil/ghee. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and torn red chilli. As mustard & cumin seeds splutter, add fresh curry leaves and asafoetida. Add this to the boiling sambar. Add roughly torn coriander leaves. Remove from heat.
4. Serve hot with rice or any South Indian breakfast.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of cooking the toor dal in pressure cooker, soak the dal for 30 mins in warm water and cook it directly on stove top. The taste is much better but takes a lot of time.
- Instead of using onions, shallots or madras onions can be used in this recipe. Otherwise onions can be completely skipped too.
- I used ready to use tamarind paste but of using fresh tamarind, soak one small marble sized ball in warm water and extract the juice. Use it in the place of tamarind extract.
- It is important not to cut the coriander leaves but tear them with hand before adding to the sambar. Makes Sambar so much more flavorful this way.
- Adjust spices as per preference.
goatsandgreens
That looks good and warming for the upcoming cold season!
Freda @ Aromatic essence
Delicious looking sambhar! I can have it as it is 🙂
Nish Kitchen
Mouth watering sambar! Beautiful pictures, too!
The Girl Next Door
I love arachuvitta sambar to bits! I don't make it very often, though.
Your pics are so lovely! Did you paint the board? Could you please guide me on how to take these kinds of food pictures?
chcooks
Yes I painted that board TGND - a simple chopping board applied with white acrylic color. I am no expert yet in taking pictures and learning every day. What I try to do is use props that compliment the food and try to fill the frame. Making sure there is not too much empty space helps however depending on the food, a bit of empty space adds to the mood of the picture.