Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Indian Sambar Vegetable Lentil Soup
印度雜菜扁豆湯
Recipe overview
Dry split yellow pigeon peas form this thick soup with pumpkin, aubergine, tamarind and sambar powder. This home version needs no soaking; peas and vegetables cook in separate pans in parallel. Allow 60 minutes in total.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 180 g Dry split yellow pigeon peas (toor dal)
- 200 g Pumpkin
- 150 g Aubergine
- 150 g Tomato
- 100 g Onion
Soup seasoning
- 1300 ml Water
- 1 tbsp Sambar powder
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened tamarind pulp
- 1/4 tsp Ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Cooking oil
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp Black mustard seeds
- 8 Curry leaves
02
Tools
- Two lidded saucepans
- Small frying pan
- Knife and board
- Measuring jug and masher
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse dal
Remove stones and debris, rinse the dal until the water is clearer and drain; no soaking is needed.
Step 2
Dice pumpkin
Peel and deseed the pumpkin and cut into 1.5 cm cubes.
Step 3
Cut the other vegetables
Cut aubergine into 2 cm pieces, dice tomato and thinly slice onion; wash and thoroughly dry curry leaves.
Step 4
Mix tamarind
Loosen tamarind in 50 ml taken from the 1300 ml water and strain out coarse fibres.
Step 5
Start cooking dal
Put dal, 900 ml water and turmeric in the first pan; bring to a boil in about 5 minutes, skim foam and cover with a gap.
Step 6
Soften the dal
Simmer on low for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally. The peas must squash easily under a spoon; continue cooking if still firm.
Step 7
Cook vegetables alongside
After the dal has simmered about 20 minutes, put the remaining 350 ml water and all vegetables in the second pan; boil, cover and simmer 12–15 minutes until soft.
Step 8
Mash cooked dal
Once fully tender, roughly mash the dal, leaving some peas intact.
Step 9
Combine and season
Add the cooked vegetables and their liquid to the dal with tamarind, sambar powder and salt; simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 10
Temper mustard
Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan on medium, add mustard seeds and reduce heat when they pop, keeping clear of splashes.
Step 11
Add curry leaves
Add the dry curry leaves for 10 seconds, turn off the heat and stir the oil, leaves and seeds into the soup.
Step 12
Serve sambar
Check the peas and pumpkin are soft and the soup pours slowly; divide into four bowls and cool slightly for older diners.
Common mistakes
- Adding tamarind before the dal softens can delay softening.
- A tight lid can cause boil-over; leave a small gap.
- Wet curry leaves make hot oil spit.
- Relying only on time can leave hard centres.
Tips
The 45-minute cooking estimate assumes fresh split toor dal and two pans working in parallel. Older pulses or weaker heat may need longer; keep cooking and add small amounts of hot water if needed until they mash easily. Do not directly substitute whole peas. Choose mild sambar powder and cook vegetables until easily crushed with a fork for older diners.
