This South Indian Sambar Is Spicy, Tangy, and Veggie-Packed
Huli is a spicy lentil and vegetable stew served daily in Karnataka homes, usually with rice. This is a quick, one-pot version, made with quick-cooking baby spinach and red lentils.
Serves4
Prep10 minutes
Cook45 minutes to 55 minutes
Huli is a spicy lentil and vegetable stew served daily in Karnataka homes, usually with rice. Similar stews are prepared throughout South India and referred to as sambar. The dish is flavored with tamarind, coconut, curry leaves, and a spice blend called huli pudi, which you can make at home or buy at an Indian grocer, where it will be labeled as sambar powder.
This recipe is for my quicker, one-pot version of huli, which is more suitable for weeknights. On days when I’m really rushed I’ll just throw in baby spinach from a clamshell, but if you have more time, you can chop up a bunch of mature spinach, or add more veggies — carrots, potatoes, string beans, daikon, kohlrabi, cabbage, chayote squash, or thin, long eggplants all work well. And though traditionally the stew is made with toor dal (split pigeon peas), I use quicker-cooking red lentils (masoor dal) when I’m short on time.
I’ve included my recipe for huli powder here, which is adapted from my mother’s maternal Aunt Sundru by way of my Auntie Asha. I use it almost every day in my house, whether to flavor huli or some of my vegetable stir-fry dishes. What’s interesting is this “spice blend” is actually made from a good portion of roasted lentils, which makes it rich in protein just by itself.
Spinach Huli "Sambar"
Huli is a spicy lentil and vegetable stew served daily in Karnataka homes, usually with rice. This is a quick, one-pot version, made with quick-cooking baby spinach and red lentils.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes to 55 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons
fresh, frozen, or dried unsweetened grated or shredded coconut
- 1 cup
masoor dal (dried red lentils)
- 1/2
medium red onion
- 1
dried red chile (such as Guntur Sannam, cayenne, or arbol)
- 2 tablespoons
ghee, unsalted butter, or canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon
black mustard seeds
- Pinch
asafetida (hing) powder
- 4 to 5
fresh curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground turmeric
- 5 cups
water
- 2 tablespoons
huli powder (recipe below), or store-bought sambar powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon
tamarind paste (preferably Tamicon) or concentrate, plus more as needed
- 2 cups
packed baby spinach leaves, chopped if desired
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
For serving: rice, plain yogurt, dosa, or achaar (like Brooklyn Delhi)
Instructions
Thaw 2 tablespoons grated frozen coconut, or add a little hot water to 2 tablespoons dried coconut to plump up and rehydrate.
Place 1 cup masoor dal in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under running water; set aside to drain well. Dice 1/2 medium red onion. Break the stem off 1 dried red chile, then break it into a few pieces with your hands.
Heat 2 tablespoons ghee, unsalted butter, or canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering or melted. Add in 1 black mustard seed. When it sizzles and pops, add 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds and a pinch of asafetida powder. Immediately cover the pan when the mustard seeds start popping. When the popping starts to subside, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Rub 4 to 5 fresh curry leaves between your fingers a little to release their natural oils and drop them and the dried chile into the pan. Immediately cover the pan, as moisture from curry leaves will cause the oil to spurt. Once the sputtering stops, stir to evenly coat everything with oil and continue to fry for 10 to 15 seconds.
Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lentils and stir to coat in the onion and spices.
Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil, spooning off any foam that comes to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover with a lid and cook until the lentils are falling apart, 25 to 30 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons huli powder and mix well. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon tamarind paste. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 2 cups baby spinach and cook until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and season with more kosher salt and tamarind as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add a little bit of water as needed. I like the consistency of my huli to be right in the middle, not too thick and not too thin. Stir in the coconut and simmer for 1 minute more.
Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot over rice with a dollop of plain yogurt and Brooklyn Delhi achaar, or with dosa.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days. Mix in a little water to loosen it up when reheating.
Huli "Sambar" Powder
A South Indian spice blend used to flavor huli (or sambar). It's made from a good portion of roasted lentils, which makes it rich in protein just by itself.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Makes about 3 cups
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 60
dried red chiles (such as Guntur Sannam, cayenne, or arbol), or 90 dried Byadgi chiles
- 3/4 cup
chana dal (dried split chickpeas)
- 1/4 cup
skinned urad dal (dried split matpe beans)
- 1 1/8 teaspoons
canola or vegetable oil, divided
- 2 cups
dried coriander seeds
- 4
(3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon
fenugreek seeds
- 1 cup
loosely packed fresh curry leaves
- 1/2 cup
dried unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
ground turmeric
Instructions
Break off the stems from 60 dried red chiles or 90 dried Byadgi chiles.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan or heavy frying pan over medium-low heat. Add in 3/4 cup chana dal and toast, stirring constantly, until it turns reddish, golden-brown, and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup urad dal to the pan and repeat toasting. Transfer to the bowl of chana dal.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of the canola oil and 2 cups coriander seeds to the pan. Toast, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of the oil and the chiles to the pan. Toast until fragrant and your nose starts to tickle, less than a minute. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of the oil to the pan and 4 cinnamon sticks to the pan. Toast until fragrant, less than a minute. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of oil to the pan and 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds to the pan. Toast until golden brown they give off nutty aroma, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon oil to the pan and 1 cup fresh curry leaves to the pan. Toast, stirring constantly, until they become dried and start to curl up, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Add 1/2 cup dried coconut to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly until it just warms up and becomes fragrant, less than a minute. Transfer to the bowl with the dals.
Let all the spices cool until room temperature. Grind them to a powder in a spice grinder or Vitamix into a coarse powder. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric.
Recipe Notes
Chiles: I prefer using Byadgi chiles, which are available at Indian grocery stores and online, because they have a subtle spiciness to them and their deep red color provides a nice hue to the powder. You can also use a combination of dried red chiles and Byadgi variety. It’s always best to err on the side of less chile because you can always roast and grind more chili peppers to add to your powder if you want more heat.
Storage: Store in an airtight container or glass jar at room temperature for a few months, or longer in the refrigerator.
Chitra Agrawal’s Weeknight South Indian Cooking Guide
This recipe is part of our weeknight South Indian cooking guide, designed to bring the vibrant and colorful cuisine of South India into your kitchen. Head to the intro piece to read more from Chitra, and check out all of the recipes below.
