Keerai Sambar

A sambar made with spinach (keerai), thoor dhal and tamarind. This dish is served with steamed rice.

Keerai Sambar

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by S Kamala Course: KuzhambuCuisine: Indian, TamilDifficulty: Easy
Servings

5

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes

A sambar made with spinach (keerai), thoor dhal and tamarind. This dish is served with steamed rice.

Ingredients

  • Keerai (Any green) – chopped finely one cup

  • Thuvar dhal – Half cup

  • Tamarind – small lemon size

  • Sambar powder – 1 tablespoon

  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

  • Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

  • For seasoning:
  • 2 teaspoon 2 oil

  • Half teaspoon mustard

  • half teaspoon fenugreek seeds

  • A pinch of asafetida

  • Sambar onion – 4 or 5 cut length wise

  • Tomato -1 (Chopped finely)

Directions

  • Wash thuvar dhal and add two cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric powder and pressure cook till soft.
  • Soak tamarind in water and squeeze out the juice adding required water to make two cups of tamarind water.
  • In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot, add mustard. When it pops up, add fenugreek seeds and asafetida and fry for just a second and add chopped onion and fry for a while.
  • Then add chopped tomato till it mashed well.
  • Add cooked dhal along with salt and stir well.
  • When it starts boiling, add tamarind water along with sambar powder and turmeric powder and stir well.
  • Allow to boil for 3 to 5 seconds.
  • Then add chopped greens and mix well.
  • Cover with lid and let it boil for few more minutes in a medium flame.

25 Comments

  1. Slurp! Love greens sambhar! 🙂

  2. Divya Vikram

    I am glad i found your blog Kamala. You have so many authentic tamil recipes!

  3. Asha and Divya Vikram

    Thank you for visiting my site and your views.

  4. I had extra greens in the fridge, and wanted a welcome change from palak paneer and aloo palak. Thanks!

  5. Hi Jennifer,

    Welcome once again. This sambar will be nice to have with hot rice. If you want to use this as a side dish for rotis, then you can reduce tamarind and add more tomatos.

  6. Hi Kamala,
    Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe. I made this tonight for dinner and we absolutely loved it. And yes…you have a wonderful collection of recipes here. Great job!!

  7. Hi Sangeeta

    Thank you for visiting my site. Nice to hear that you liked this sambar.

  8. thanks a ton!!!!

  9. Hi HaRy,

    Welcome to my site and thank you for your comments.

  10. Aishwarya Rao

    Just tried out your recipe. You made it so easy for me to make some awesome keerai sambhar in a matter of minutes. Thanks for the share. I will come back for more.

  11. Hi Aishwarya Rao,

    Thank you for visiting my site and your comments. Nice to hear that you tried this sambar.

  12. I have tried most of your receipes and its really awesome. Your website is my "Cooking Bible". Keep doing this great work and would be great if you can add some more receipes like veg.briyani etc. Your receipes are rocking here in Wellington, NZ 🙂

  13. Hi Saranya,

    Thank you for your encouraging comments. I will post more recipes soon.

  14. This is the first time i am tried your recipe and trust me it came so awesome, Just same as what my mom use to make. Toooo Goodd. And pretty simple too. Finished in less than 30 min for the first time.

    Thank you so much have book marked the site to my Best recipe.

    Vinod.

  15. Thank you Vinod. Nice to hear that you tried this sambar and liked it.

  16. Dhakshayani

    Hai Kamala,
    Tried this recipe and came out well. I am so surprised that my kids loved it. Thank you so much and appreciate your great work

  17. Mdm Kamala..juz one word…BRILLIANT! I have saved your site in my favourites..and I am going to try out the receipes. So many varieties… I use to crack my head thinking what to cook…..your kuzhambu receipes are so good…thank you madam…thank you very much

  18. Hi Kamala
    Tried this receipe and found it very sour. The tamarind quantity was too much. I think the lemon size tamarind you have mentioned is a bit too much for 1/2 cup tuvar dhal. Marble size tamarind should suffice. I followed exact measurements.

    • Hi Carol,

      The sour taste may be due to the quality of tamarind. The lemon size (what we get in India is little bigger than gooseberry size) is a small lemon size and not tightly rolled. If you find it sour, then reduce the quantity of tamarind.

  19. Hiii,
    I tried out keerai sambar and it came well…. My hubby likes it……..very tasty……….thank you …

  20. Mrs Sai Santha

    i have tried your vegetarian recipe, its really turns good .
    I am from Malaysia.

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