Myths sambar

Myths

One of the myth is that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler Shahuji during the 19th century from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.^[1] Shahji trying to make a dish called amti, experimented with pigeon peas instead of mung bean, and tamarind pulp for kokum and the court named it sambhar after the guest of the day, Sambhaji, second emperor of the Maratha Empire.^[2]
Other sources point to origin as Karnataka where "Sambaru padartha" in Kannada means mix of spices and condiments.There is also an alternate explanation that origin of the name is from the old Tamil word, "Chaampu" meaning ground or paste, in the context of grinding coconut and spices to be dissolved in tamarind pulp. This word is also the root for the unrelated South East Asian dish,

Preparation

Typical ingredients in a sambar dish

Sambar is made either exclusively with one of these vegetables or a combination of them - okra, moringa, carrot, radish, pumpkin, daikon, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal(eggplant) and whole or halved shallots or onions. Sambar powder is a coarse powder made of roasted lentils, dried whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves with regional variations including cumin, black pepper, grated coconut, cinnamon, or other spices.^[4] The vegetables, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, turmeric, salt, and asafoetida are boiled together, until the vegetables are half-cooked. After the vegetables are half cooked, the lentils are added and allowed to cook until the vegetables are done. Sambar is garnished with fresh curry leaves or coriander leaves. Mustard seeds, black gram, and dried red chillies, and curry leaves tempered in vegetable oil is added to the cooked sambar.
Sambol.^[3]
SOURCE