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Arachuvitta Sambar | Cooker Araithu Vitta Sambhar | Traditional South Indian Sambar with Fresh Ground Masala

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Sambar, sambhar, Sambhar recipe, Sambar without coconut, mixed vegetable sambar, south Indian sambar recipe, vegetable sambar recipe, is a traditional South Indian style rice accompaniment. The detailed recipe, with tips and tricks, makes it a great beginner-friendly recipe for South Indian meals.

What is Arachuvitta Sambar?

Arachuvitta Sambar is a traditional South Indian sambar made with freshly roasted spices and coconut, ground into a paste and added for rich flavor. sambar powder,

Why is this sambar cooked in the pressure cooker?

Pressure cooking helps the dal, onions, and radish cook evenly and quickly, giving the sambar a smooth, well‑blended texture.

Can I use other vegetables?

Yes — brinjal, drumstick, carrot, pumpkin, or ash gourd work beautifully in this recipe.

Why roast the spices before grinding?

Dry roasting enhances aroma, removes raw flavors, and gives the sambar its signature depth.

Can I skip coconut?

Coconut is essential for authentic taste, but you can reduce the quantity if you prefer a lighter version.

How do I get the perfect sambar consistency?

Adjust the water after adding the ground paste and let it boil well until the flavors blend and the sambar thickens naturally.

What does this sambar pair well with?

Serve with hot rice, ghee, potato fry, idli, dosa, pongal, or even millet varieties.

What tastes best with sambhar?

Sambhar plays a key role in South Indian cuisine. Sambhar goes well with tiffin varieties like idli, dosa, uthappam, etc. It also tastes great with rice, without sambhar their no special thali/ festive/ wedding lunch / Indian lunch combo

Should I always soak toor dal?

No, it is optional, but I feel soaking helps for mushy dal

How much water should I add while cooking dal?

It depends on the dal you use. I generally use a 1:3 dal: water ratio. The number of whistles also depends on the dal you use.

What variety of dal should I use for sambhar?

For rice accompaniment sambar, I generally use toor dal. For the tiffin variety, I sometimes use moong dal. Restaurants/hotels use a combination of toor dal and masoor dal

How much Sambar powder should I use?

I prefer using homemade sambhar powder for my sambhar. The amount of sambhar powder might slightly vary based on your spice level. If you want to make it spicy add extra Sambar powder/ Chilli powder. If you are increasing sambhar powder, you might have to increase tamarind accordingly. I used Karnataka chilli for my sambar powder, so my powder is not spicy

How to make an Instant Pot Sambar

Cook the dal for 9 minutes first and let the pressure release naturally. Follow the rest of the steps and cook again for 2 minutes the second time for the Instant Pot Sambhar recipe

Should I add the ghee tempering?

I generally use coconut oil for tempering and use a little ghee while serving. You can use ghee according to your choice

What should be the consistency of the sambhar?

Some like thin sambar while others prefer it thick. Boil the sambar according to the preferred consistency. If the sambar is watery, boil till it comes to your desired consistency thickness of the sambar also depends on the dal in your sambar powder.

Kuzhambu recipes in TMF

Tamarind based recipes in TMF

Other Sambar varieties in TMF

Ingredients

To temper

1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp

mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

fenugreek seeds

Curry leaves

To pressure cook

1/2 cup toor dal

1 1/2 cup water

Turmeric powder

12 small onions

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 radish

Turmeric powder

1 tsp sambar powder

Asafoetida

Salt

To grind

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chana dal

Red chillies

1 tsp urad dal

Tamarind

1/4 cup coconut

To finish

Water

Coriander leaves

Salt

How to make Arachuvitta Sambar with step-by-step pictures

️ Heat the coconut oil

️ Temper mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves

️ Sauté small onions and regular onions until translucent

️ Add radish, turmeric powder, salt, and sambar powder; mix quickly

️ Furthermore, add washed toor dal, water; bring to a boil and pressure cook for 5 whistles

️ Mix well after opening

️ Dry roast coriander seeds, pepper, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal, and red chillies

️ Add coconut and tamarind; grind into a smooth paste with water

️ Add ground mixture, water, salt, and coriander leaves; bring to a rolling boil