Ladies finger sambar recipe ( Vendakkai sambar recipe)

Ladies finger, also known as Bhindi in Hindi is one of the most commonly eaten vegetables. It is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 

With Ladies finger, we prepare sambar, puli kuzhambu, fry, and masala.  

Here I prepare sambar, one of the best recipes for plain rice. It is easy to prepare for the beginners.

Ingredients :

Ladies finger - 10 nos

(you see in the pic is from my vegetable garden)

Toor dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - one big gooseberry size

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder - 1.5 or 2 tsp

Salt to taste (use rock salt)

Asafoetida - 2 generous pinches

Coconut oil - 2.5 tsps

Curry leaves

Preparation :

Wash and cut ladies finger into medium size pcs.  Before cutting it is better if the water is dried. You can just pat dry using a clean towel.

Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract the juice. Use 3 cups of water.

Pressure cook toor dal with 2½ cups of water.

In a kadai, add 1 tsp of coconut oil, then add ladies finger. Stir well. Then add tamarind extract, followed by turmeric powder, 1 pinch of asafoetida, sambar powder, and salt.

Let it boil for some time until ladies finger is cooked and the raw smell of tamarind goes off. You can also notice the reduction in the volume.

Mash and stir cooked toor dal and add this now. Stir well and allow it to boil.

Add curry leaves.

In a tadka pan, add 1.5 tsps coconut oil, mustard seeds and 1 generous pinch of asafoetida and add this to the sambar.

Very tasty ladies finger sambar is ready to serve with rice.

• Adding asafoetida at 2 stages enhances the taste and aroma.
• Coconut oil can be replaced with gingelly oil. I prefer coconut oil.
• As ladies finger is sticky due to its moisture content, there is no need to cook it in water before adding tamarind extract.