Udupi sambar often called as hotel sambar is a slightly different version of sambar which we usually make at home. Lentils cooked with pumpkin added to the cooked shallots, tamarind juice, then mixed with homemade sambar powder which is a combination of coriander, cumin, red chilly, fenugreek, asafoetida, urad dal and coconut. Udupi is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka and Udupi cuisine is a very popular vegetarian cuisine all over India. Sambar is a creamy, spicy and sour Vegan stew, a perfect combination of lentils and vegetables together. It is probably the most popular and common vegetarian curries of south India and for a good reason, as it hits all the receptors of your tongue at the same time, plus it is healthy too.
Udupi sambar has slight sweetness because of the pumpkin and jaggery (unrefined sugar) and creaminess because of the coconut and lentils. It is a perfect accompaniment with idli or dosa or steamed rice.
It is called hotel sambar because often many restaurants especially south Indian serves this sambar with idli or dosa. The vegetables used in this sambar along with pumpkin is pearl onion, tomato and drumstick. Red onion is also fine if you do not have pearl onion.
Though this sambar may take a little more time especially if you are making your own sambar powder but the results you get will make it totally worthwhile.
Check out other sambar recipes too :-
Udupi Sambar / Hotel Sambar Recipe
Course: MainCuisine: Indian, UdupiDifficulty: Medium8
servings30
minutes30
minutesUdupi Sambhar is one of the most popular sambhar recipe in India which has sweet and sour flavor and fully flavored with sambhar masala.
Ingredients
- For cooking lentils :-
2/3 cup of tuvar dal (yellow dal)
1 big red tomato. cubed
6 oz or 170 gms of pumpkin or butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch cube
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
- To roast and grind :-
2 tsp of urad dal
1 tsp of chana dal
1/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds
4-5 whole dry red chillies
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
1/3 cup of coconut
- Other Ingredients :-
1 Tbsp of oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies
200 gms of pearl onions or 2 onions, 2-inch cubed
1/4 tsp of asafoetida powder
1 drumstick cut into 3-inch pieces
1 small lime sized tamarind or 1 tsp of tamarind paste
1-2 tsp of jaggery or to taste
Salt to taste
Directions
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the juice from tamarind and keep aside.
- Soak pearl onion in warm water for 20 minutes. Then peel the skin off and cut the bigger onion into half and keep the small onion as it is.
- Cook the dal with turmeric, pumpkin, tomatoes and salt in a pressure cooker over low-medium heat until the dal is fully done (takes about 1-2 whistles).
- Mash half of the cooked pumpkin with the lentils with the back of the spoon.
- Meanwhile heat a wide pan and add red chilies, coriander, cumin, urad dal, chana dal, fenugreek and roast until the spices are toasted or light brown.
- Turn off the heat and add curry leaves and coconut to the roasted spices and stir. Let the mixture cool down a bit.(don’t brown the coconut)
- Then add roasted spices and coconut mixture into a blender and process it with 1/2 cup of water into a smooth paste.
- Now heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds then add red chilies and stir for 40 seconds.Then add onions, asafoetida, drumstick, salt and saute for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- Then add a cup of water and let it comes to a boil and simmer until the onions are fully cooked. (it takes about 10-15 minutes)
- Now add tamarind juice, jaggery and cooked dal and simmer again for 8 minutes.
- Udupi sambar or Hotel sambar is ready to serve.
Notes
- Serve Udupi sambar with idli or dosa or steamed rice.
- If you don’t have tamarind, use 3 medium ripe tomatoes and cook it with lentils.
