Mullangi Sambar

5 from 2 votes

This Mullangi or Radish Sambar is made with red lentils, white radish, and supporting Indian spices. Enjoy with rice, dosa, and idli.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan

Allergen: Dairy free, Soy free

Difficulty: Easy

Servings:

Calories: 48kcal

Begin by cooking the lentils in a traditional pressure cooker or the Instant Pot. Pressure cook the toor dal and the required amount of water.
½ cup masoor dal, 1 ½ cup water
Meanwhile, peel and chop the radish into small or circular pieces.
In a pan, heat oil over medium heat and add mustard seeds, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds.
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon urad dal, 2 teaspoon coconut oil, pinch of methi seeds
Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and sliced green chili.
5 Curry leaves, 3 green chilies sliced
Add the chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent.
1 onion chopped
Add the radish pieces and turmeric powder and fry for 2 minutes.
1 whole white radish or 4 cups chopped, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Add tomato paste, salt, and 1¼ cups of water and mix well. Cook for another 2 minutes.
1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1½ teaspoon salt
Add a piece of jaggery and teaspoon of tamarind paste (optional) and continue to cook.
small piece jaggery, ½ teaspoon tamarind paste
When the radishes are softer, add sambar powder and cooked lentils, and mix well.
1 tablespoon sambar powder
Add more (½ cup) water to get the right consistency, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Finally, add freshly chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) and serve hot with steamed rice.
2 teaspoon Cilantro for garnish
Radish sambar is best served with a dollop of vegan ghee or coconut oil.

Radish has a pungent smell and unique flavor. To suppress the pungency, adding onions to the sambar is important.
When you sauté radish in oil, it helps to mask the strong smell of radish and makes sambar more fragrant.
You can use curry and garam masala powder if you don't have sambar powder.
Radish sambar stays good in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat before serving.
Instead of red lentils, use yellow lentils for a change.
I used tomato paste for its color and sour taste. That was a good substitute for tamarind. Other substitutions for tamarind are tamarind paste or tamarind extract.
Instead of jaggery, you can use brown sugar.
If you prefer a spicier version, add one teaspoon of red chili powder as you fry the radish pieces.