Vegetable Sambhar

This lovely, spicy concoction is an ever-present on any vegetable thali served in South Indian restaurants, indeed in the region it is a staple food. The flavours of South India are brought by curry leaves and plenty of black pepper, along with plenty of chilli for heat and tamarind for sourness. It can be served as part of an Indian buffet, or equally enjoyed by itself with some paratha, roti or chapati for a light meal. A note on curry leaves – they are undoubtedly best bought fresh, but can be fiendishly difficult to find; the dried ones we stock will work fine for this soup however and the unique flavour and aroma is essential in this soup.

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Ingredients

1 Medium Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 1 inch piece fresh Ginger
2 Large Tomatoes, chopped
2 Dried Kashmiri Chillies
1 tsp Chilli Powder
3 tsp Hot Madras Curry Blend
1 tbsp Dried Curry Leaves
3 tbsp Red Lentils
2 tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper
1 Potato, diced
2 Carrots, sliced
3 Baby Aubergine, diced
50 g Green Beans
1 tsp Tamarind Concentrate

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Method

1

Heat 1tbs coconut oil or sunflower oil, and saute the onion, garlic, ginger and tomato for 10 minutes.

2

Add the rest of the veg and continue to saute for another 5 minutes before adding the spices and the lentils.

3

Add 1l water and the tamarind concentrate and bring to the boil, then turn down and let the soup simmer for an hour or so – it should be reasonably thin, and the veg should still have some texture.

4

Finally add a very generous grate of black pepper, and your sambhar is ready to serve.

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