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Tamilnadu · Lunch

Araichuvitta Sambar (அரைச்சுவிட்ட சாம்பார்)

Traditional 8. Araichuvitta Sambar recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh coconut, grated
• 2 tbsp chana dal, dry roasted until golden
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, dry roasted
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 4 dried red chilies (Guntur)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 5 tbsp water (for grinding)
• ½ cup toor dal, pressure cooked and whisked
• Tamarind — marble-sized (15 g), soaked in 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup pearl onions (shallots), peeled — whole
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 cup drumstick pieces (muringakkai, cut 4 cm) OR eggplant/brinjal
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 dried red chilies
• ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

👩‍🍳 How to make Araichuvitta Sambar

1. Dry roast chana dal, coriander seeds, and dried red chilies separately until each is lightly toasted.
2. Cool.
3. Grind together with grated coconut, cumin, black pepper, and turmeric.
4. Add water for grinding — blend to a very smooth, thick paste.
5. This is the araichuvitta masala.
6. Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a pot over high heat.
7. Add mustard seeds — crackle.
8. Add urad dal — fry golden.
9. Add broken red chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida.
10. Add whole pearl onions — fry on medium-high heat for 3 minutes until lightly golden.
11. Add chopped tomato.
12. Cook 2 minutes.
13. Add tamarind water and 1.5 cups fresh water.
14. Add turmeric and salt.
15. Add drumstick pieces (or eggplant).
16. Bring to boil, then simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
17. Add the freshly ground coconut-spice paste.
18. Stir well.
19. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until raw coconut smell cooks out and the sambar turns a deep, creamy reddish-orange color.
20. Add the whisked toor dal.
21. Stir until combined.
22. Simmer for 5 more minutes until sambar reaches a medium thickness.
23. Taste — this sambar should be richer, creamier, and more complex than regular sambar.
24. Add a pinch of jaggery if needed for balance.
25. Pour over rice or serve with idli/dosa.
26. Araichuvitta sambar is noticeably different from regular sambar — the fresh coconut paste gives it a rounded, sweet depth that is unmistakable.

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