Bambo Shoot and Carrot Sambar 🥣 Sour Soup For A Sour Economy 📉
Yesterday we found ourselves with very few vegetables, and local markets had even less, so I decided to whip up this sambar with what vegetables we had on-hand.
Improvise To Survive
The economic situation in Suriname is horrendous, and the last few months have provided some extreme weather that often limits our vegetable choices to wilted overpriced leafy greens and equally overpriced rock-hard tomatoes full of insect damage.
On this day I had a sambar in mind, so I went in search of tomatoes, only to discover the local market(s) not only didn't have tomatoes, but no vegetables at all were for sale in our neighborhood. Luckily I managed to score some pickled bamboo shoots, allowing me to return home not empty-handed, and whip up this sambar with improvised ingredients.
🥣 Bamboo Shoot & Carrot Sambar Ingredients 🥕
Main Ingredients
- lentils | 1 cup
- salt | 1 tsp
- turmeric powder | ½ tsp
Seasoning & Veggies
- cooking oil | 3 tbsp
- cumin seeds | 1 tsp
- fenugreek seeds | ¼ tsp
- mustard seeds | ½ tsp
- hing | ⅛ tsp
- dry red chilies | 6x
- curry leaves | 20+ leaves
- carrots | 3x
- pickled bamboo shoots | double handful
- potato | 1x small
- tamarind pulp | golf-ball sized chunk
- salt | 1 tsp
- sambar powder | 2 tbsp
🔥 Let's Make This Sambar 🔥
STEP 1
Soak the lentils for at least 10 minutes to make for faster cooking, and if possible, soak overnight for an even faster cooking time. Drain the soaking water and pressure cook lentils in 5 cups of water for at 3-4 whistles, then allow steam to vent.
Slice the carrots, dice the bamboo shoots, and chop the potatoes, then set aside. Soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes, squeeze pulp with your hands several times to extract the flavor, then strain the pulp and reserve the tamarind water.
STEP 2
Heat the cooking oil, then briefly fry the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried chilies, curry leaves, and hing until the mustard seeds begin to splatter.
STEP 3
Add the vegetables, reduce the flame a bit, and sauté until the vegetables are partially cooked.
STEP 4
Add the sambar powder, salt, and sauté a few more minutes while stirring occasionally. Now add the tamarind water, and reduce the flame to a low simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer about 10 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Remember to stir every few minutes and any extra needed water to prevent burning.
STEP 5
When the vegetables are tender, add the pot of cooked lentils to the sambar pot along with any extra needed water and salt to your liking. Bring back to a simmer, cook a few minutes, and it's ready to serve.
Sambar is delicious with dosas, idlis, rice, and just about any starch you can pair it with. I even like to eat a bowl of sambar all by itself, but on the particular day I made this batch, we enjoyed it with some bulgur, a common food in Suriname.
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My favourite 😂😂😂😂😂
Give thanks, my favorite too, although the brown lentils don't produce a beautiful color like the orange ones do.
Delicious. Necessity is mother of invention, they say. My beat dishes are often made when I have very little to cook with. Give thanks for spices, right!?
I usually like sambar because of the tomatoes and variety of vegetables, and this recipe has neither, but I still wanted to taste sambar because we haven't eaten it in a long time. A good spice kit can keep you making food from the æther like magic until a store trip is possible. Pov is always surprised I am able to cook something delicious when the only fresh thing we have is an onion.
I love to eat it a lot, it’s my favorite soup. Thank you for make it.
I know you like it, sorry this wasn't quite like the sambar I normally make for the family.
it looks very tasty but I can't get half of the ingredients here at all 😉
That sucks, but yeah, things like tamarind, curry leaves, and sambar powder aren't readily available in many places.
Yes exactly 😌
I swear I can smell it. It makes me drool and want to make this. I wish I could find curry leaves.
I don't know if I have ever heard of Sambal. It's funny that you make Indian food better than some Indians.
Nice to see a recipe from you Chef @justinparke!
Curry leaves may not be easy to find up there. Luckily I have a source for when we're in the USA. There is a Chinese store in a town with 200,000 people, about 30 minutes drive from my farmtown. I can afford to go there once a week for grocery shopping, and the place is a hub serving the whole non-Mexican immigrant community. Because of this, there's Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and many other supplies.
For the big trips to get the real ingredients, a two-hour drive to Louisville, Kentucky lands us at a Vietnamese liquor store that is more well-equipped and cheaper than hipster health food store. Thanks for the compliments chef, I wish I had more time to document things when I cook.
Me encantan las lentejas, tiene muchas proteínas., es una sopa muy nutritiva.
I love lentils, and this is a very filling soup, delicious by itself or any starch you pair it with.
Sounds mouth watering and that for something that's improvised due to scarcity. Thanks for reminding me of bulgur and teaching me a new word: sambar where I had only ever heard of sambal ;<)
I would've never imagined bulgur would be a common food in any Caribbean country, but it is here in Suriname. Funny, because of the Javanese, there is a lot of sambal here, so the locals are always confused when I say I've made sambar. Thanks for the kind words my friend.
Well, I'm sure it wasn't fun to find limited choice at the neighborhood, but somehow you make it through and still produce a huge bowl of sambar! More importantly, your kid is enjoying it. I really like that smile 😁
Give thanks my man, food is an important part of our lives, so it's crucial not to let the family down for dinner.