Easy Arachuvitta Drumstick Sambar | Quick Coconut Masala Sambar

5 from 2 votes

Easy Arachuvitta Drumstick Sambar | Quick Coconut Masala Sambar

Easy murungakkai sambar with a quick coconut-tomato masala. Get all the flavor of traditional arachuvitta sambar in under 45 minutes. No roasting needed.

Prep Time35

Cook Time20

Total Time55

Course: Entree, rice accompaniment

Cuisine: South Indian, TamilNadu

Keyword: arachuvitta sambar, sambar

Servings:

Calories: 83kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

For the Dal

½ cup toor dal
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp oil
3 shallots fresh or frozen, (optional)
1.5 cups water

For the Coconut Masala

½ cup frozen coconut
1 small tomato (approx. 50g)
1 dried Kashmiri red chili or byadgi red chili
1 tbsp sambar powder

For the Sambar

½ tsp tamarind paste
1.5 cups water
10 drumsticks frozen, 10 to 12
1½ tsp salt (or to taste)
10 curry leaves
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
1 tsp rice flour for a thicker consistency
¼ tsp jaggery a small i-inch piece

For the Tempering

2 tsp peanut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp asafoetida hing
2 dried red chilies
10 curry leaves

Instructions

Rinse the toor dal. Put it in a vessel with 1½ cups of water, turmeric powder, and oil. Rinse the sona masoori rice and place it in a separate vessel with 1½ cups of water. Stack both vessels pot-in-pot in your pressure cooker with frozen shallots. Pressure-cook for 3 whistles. After the pressure releases, mash the dal and stir in 1 tsp rice flour. Set aside.
Grind frozen coconut, tomato, dried red chili, and sambar powder into a smooth paste. No need to thaw the coconut. Set aside.
Combine 1½ cups of water and ½ tsp tamarind paste in a deep pan or kadai. Add frozen drumsticks and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10–12 minutes.
Once the drumsticks are cooked, add the ground coconut masala, followed by curry leaves and cilantro. Stir well to mix everything. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then let it simmer for 3–4 minutes.
Add mashed dal and jaggery. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Adjust salt as needed.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek, dried red chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter and the fenugreek turns light golden, pour the tempering over the sambar. Serve hot.

Video

Notes

Rice flour trick — Stir 1 tsp of rice flour into the mashed dal for a thicker, restaurant-style sambar. Skip it if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Jaggery — Don't skip it! Just a small piece balances the tamarind and rounds out all the flavors beautifully.
Frozen vs fresh drumstick — Both work. Fresh drumsticks need a slightly longer cook time. With frozen, there's no prep — straight into the pan.
Frozen coconut — You don't need to thaw before grinding. It blends well and delivers a fresh coconut flavor.
Veggie swaps — This masala works well with brinjal (eggplant), okra, pumpkin, radish, or pearl onions, too. Radish and brinjal cook faster if you're in a hurry.
Make it thinner or thicker — Add more water for a thinner consistency, or reduce the heat for a thicker sambar.
Tamarind — I use ½ tsp of tamarind paste for convenience. If using a tamarind block, soak a small gooseberry-sized piece in 1 cup of warm water and squeeze out the juice. Because of my dietary restrictions, I have used minimal tamarind. You can add up to 1 heaped tsp for this measure.

Nutrition