Photo: Charles Haynes · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Dinner

Keerai Sambar (Spinach Sambar)

Toor dal sambar made with generous amounts of fresh spinach (palak or arai keerai) — the greens cook down into the sambar, thickening and enriching it with iron and chlorophyll. A lighter dinner sambar than the standard version, deeply nourishing.

🧺 Ingredients

• ½ cup toor dal, washed
• 250 g fresh spinach (palak or arai keerai/amaranth greens), cleaned and roughly chopped
• 15 shallots, halved
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• Lime-sized tamarind soaked in 1.5 cups water, strained
• 1.5 tsp sambar powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp jaggery (optional — balances tamarind-greens bitterness)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

👩‍🍳 How to make Keerai Sambar

1. Pressure cook dal with greens (medium heat): Combine toor dal, chopped spinach, shallots, tomatoes, and ½ tsp turmeric in a pressure cooker with 2.5 cups water. Cook 4 whistles on medium. Release naturally. Open — dal should be completely soft, greens wilted and merged.
2. Mash lightly (no heat): Mash the contents partially — the dal and most of the greens should be mashed, but some whole shallots and tomato pieces are fine.
3. Add tamarind and cook (medium heat): Transfer to a wide pot. Add strained tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt, and jaggery. Bring to a rolling boil. Simmer uncovered 12–15 minutes until the sambar reduces, deepens in colour, and the raw tamarind is fully cooked off.
4. Prepare tempering (high heat): Heat sesame oil in a small ladle. Add mustard seeds — crackle. Add cumin (5 sec). Add garlic — fry 20 seconds until golden. Add red chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida (15 sec). Pour over the sambar with a loud sizzle.
5. Taste and serve: The keerai sambar should be slightly thicker than a plain toor dal sambar (the greens add body) and have a muted green undertone in the colour. Adjust salt and tamarind.

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