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Top view of a bowl with slow cooker sambar

Slow Cooker Sambar

An easy and delicious slow cooker sambar recipe. With just a few minutes of hands on time, this is a keeper recipe. Great with rice or idli!!
Author: Pavani
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time:: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Course: soups stews
Cuisine: south indian
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Red Lentils/ Masoor dal
  • 1 Medium Onion, thinly sliced
  • 1~2 Green Chilies
  • 1 cup Bottle gourd or zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 1 Medium Potato, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 Medium Carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup Tomato puree*
  • 1~2 tablespoons Sambar powder
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric
  • To taste Salt
  • 4~5 cups Water
  • 1~2 tablespoons Tamarind paste

For Tempering:

  • 2 tablespoons Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 2~3 Dry red chilies
  • 6~8 Curry leaves

Instructions

  • Combine lentils, onion, green chilies, veggies, tomato puree, sambar powder, turmeric, salt and water in the slow cooker. Cook on Low for about 6 hours or on High for 4 hours.
  • By the end of the cooking time, dal & veggies should be cooked through. Stir in the tamarind extract. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cook for another 30 minutes on High.
  • Heat oil in a small saucepan, add the mustard, cumin seeds, dry red chilies and cook till the seeds start to splutter. Add the curry leaves and cook for another minute. Pour the tempering in sambar and mix well. Serve hot with rice or idli.

Notes

  • You can use moong dal instead of red lentils to make sambar.
  • If you don't have canned tomato puree on hand, blend 2~3 fresh tomatoes and use.
  • You can add any combination of veggies. Some of my favorites are onion, bottle gourd or zucchini, potato, carrot and bell peppers. Choose veggies that cook easily.
  • Store leftover sambar in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. It might thicken as it sits, so add some water to loosen and adjust seasoning.
  • You can also freeze sambar for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat either in the microwave or on the stove.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1542IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg
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