Drumstick Mango Sambar | Easy Tirunelveli-Style Idi Sambar Recipe

Today we are making Drumstick Mango Sambar – a quick and delicious mini version of the traditional Tirunelveli-style Idi Sambar! Unlike regular sambar recipes that require a long list of ingredients for the sambar powder, this version uses just 3 simple ingredients to create a fresh, aromatic, and flavorful spice mix. It’s perfect for busy days when you still crave that authentic homemade taste.

I learned this recipe from Ganapathi Aachi during my visit to Tirunelveli last year. With her warm and loving tone, she said, “Edukku di niraiya ingredients? Indha aachi sollura madhiri idi sambar senju paaru… attagasama irukkum!” (Why so many ingredients? Try making it the way I say… it will turn out amazing!). And truly, it does! The simplicity of this recipe brings out such rich and comforting flavors that instantly remind you of traditional home cooking.

This easy method keeps all the authentic Tirunelveli flavors intact while saving time in the kitchen. The addition of drumstick and raw mango gives a beautiful balance of taste—earthy, tangy, and deeply satisfying.

Don’t miss any step – watch the full video and surprise your family with this delicious and comforting sambar!

Here is the video link for Drumstick Mango Sambar

Drumstick Mango Sambar | Easy Tirunelveli-Style Idi Sambar Recipe Details

Ingredients

For Sambar

1/4 cup Toor Dal
1 Drumstick (cut into pieces)
1 Brinjal (chopped)
4 pieces Raw Mango
15 Shallots
2 Green Chillies
Small lemon-sized Tamarind
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
1 tsp Mustard seeds & Urad dal
Few Curry leaves
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil

To Roast & Grind (Sambar Powder)

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp Coriander seeds
8–10 Dried Red Chillies

To Grind (Coconut Paste)

2 tbsp Grated Coconut
2 Shallots
2 Garlic cloves
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
(Optional: Skip garlic and shallots if preferred)

Step-by-Step Method

1. Prepare Sambar Powder

Heat a kadai and dry roast fenugreek seeds until lightly golden. Add coriander seeds and dried red chillies. Roast on low flame until aromatic. Cool and grind into a fine powder.

2. Make Coconut Paste

Grind coconut, shallots, garlic, and cumin seeds with a little water into a slightly coarse paste.

3. Cook Dal & Tamarind

Cook toor dal until soft and mash well. Soak tamarind in water and extract about 2 cups of tamarind juice.

4. Cook Vegetables

In a vessel, add tamarind extract, drumstick, brinjal, salt, and turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a pan, add a little fenugreek seeds, shallots, and green chillies. Sauté and add this to the tamarind mixture.

5. Make the Sambar

Cook until vegetables are tender. Add cooked dal and mix well.

Add raw mango pieces, ground sambar powder, and coconut paste. Mix well, adjust water if needed.

Add asafoetida powder and bring to a boil. Add chopped coriander leaves and simmer for 7 minutes.

6. Tempering

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves. Let it splutter and pour over the sambar. Cover and rest for a few minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot with:

Steamed Rice

Vazhaikkai Puttu

Aviyal

Potato Fry

Tips for Best Taste

Use fresh raw mango for a natural tangy flavor

Do not over-roast fenugreek seeds (it may turn bitter)

Coconut paste adds body and traditional taste—don’t skip it

Let the sambar rest for a few minutes after tempering for best flavor

Comments

Quick Paneer Masala - 15 minute Paneer Gravy - Easy Paneer Masala

Quick Paneer Masala - this homemade restaurant style paneer masala is one of my most frequently made gravy recipes. It's perfect with chapathi, poori, nann and also for pulao varieties. Fresh tomatoes help to make the best gravy, especially when you use red ripe tomatoes. What makes this quick paneer masala easy to make and why it calls for 15 minute gravy is because instead of pureeing the tomatoes, it's made with ground tomato paste. For paneer butter masala, we blanch the tomatoes and then made into puree. But I want to prepare a quick gravy with simple process. During the summer season, I like to prepare gravy and sambar with a shortcut.This quick paneer masala is one of the best 15 minute gravy recipes for beginners and also for busy mothers. I am actually really excited about this gravy because this paneer masala is made without any artificial colours, fresh cream. It has a delicious flavour with a smooth, creamy gravy. Tips for the best Paneer masala Use fresh ...

Seppankizhangu Poriyal - Taro Root (Arbi) Fry

Seppankizhangu Poriyal - this poriyal is prepared with taro root, chilly powder, small onions cumin garlic paste and perfectly roasted in an iron kadai. The best cooking method for this taro root poriyal is to cook the taro roots in an open vessel for 10 minutes on medium heat with a good amount of water. No one likes a mushy taro root, so just keep an eye on it and check them for doneness by inserting a knife. If you cook taro roots in a pressure cooker, it will be too soft and turns mushy. For these types of roast dishes, low heat and long cooking times are important for its texture. The small onions cumin garlic paste, adds flavour to the taro roots. Roasting the taro roots in an iron kadai creates an excellent flavour and texture. Similar recipes Vazhaikkai Thuvattal - Raw Banana (Plantain) Stir Fry Mithi Paavakai Poriyal - Baby Bitter Gourd Stir Fry Vazhaikkai Poriyal - Raw Banana (Plantain) Poriyal Brinjal (Egg Plant) Stir Fry -...

Street Style Sundal Masala Recipe - Perfect Evening Snack - Vandikadai Sundal Masala

Cozy up with a warm and comforting bowl of street style sundal masala, perfect for the winter season. This flavorful evening snack is made with a combination of green and yellow peas, cooked in an aromatic gravy. To prepare this dish, soak the peas for 7-9 hours, then pressure cook until soft. The magic lies in the ground masala, featuring onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, and mint leaves. Add a blend of chilly powder, kuzhambu chilly powder, and garam masala powder to elevate the flavor. Finish with a sprinkle of chat masala and a garnish of chopped onions, grated carrot, and coriander leaves. Now let's see the detailed recipe to prepare this mouthwatering Sundal Masala gravy. Check out my other Evening Snacks Recipes Vazhaikkai (Plantain) Bajji Cauliflower Fry Nullikai urundai - Urid dal balls Kara Vadai - Pattani Paruppu (Yellow Split Peas) Bonda Sabudana Vada - Javarisi Vadai Ulundha Vada Tapioca Bonda Urad dal Bonda...

Wheat Rava Kichadi With Vegetables - Samba Godhuma Rava Kichadi - Healthy Breakfast

A healthy diabetic friendly kichadi recipe made with wheat rava. You can start your breakfast with a cup of this healthy kichadi as it includes carrot, green peas and beans which blend together beautifully with wheat rava. A handful of fresh green peas gives a slightly sweet taste for the kichadi. There are two main varieties of wheat rava - medium coarse and fine coarse. Fine coarse wheat rava is my favourite for kichadi and upma dishes. Medium coarse wheat rava is perfect for sweet pongal and payasam. Both types require more time to cook when compared to regular white rava. Fine coarse wheat rava doesn't need to be roasted for this kichadi. To cook 1 cup fine coarse wheat rava you will need 3 cups of water. After preparing the kichadi you should let it stand for 15 minutes, covered and undisturbed for a perfect fluffy texture. And once you find how to cook wheat rava perfectly, you will be making it regularly for your breakfast. Check out my other tiffin recipes here Idli ...

Tirunelveli Kootanchoru - Mixed vegetables rice with dals and spices

Kootanchoru is a popular lunch dish from Tirunelveli. This is our family favourite rice and it is rich in nutrients as it contains lots of vegetables and dals. We prepare this rice frequently for special events and family get togethers. In most of Tirunelveli dishes we use small onions, garlic, coconut and generous amount of jeera. In this dish also we have used coconut small onion paste and good amount of fresh vegetables. We add commonly used vegetables such as raw banana, brinjals, drumsticks, carrots, beans and potatoes. I have learned this recipe from my grandma. She taught me with her some useful tips and techniques about how to cook, when to add the ingredients and how to choose the correct vegetables. My son named as Tirunelveli biriyani for this rice. Now let's see how to prepare this kootanchoru with step by step photos. Here is a short video for Tirunelveli Kootanchoru

Street Style Vegetable Fried Rice - Quick Recipe of Veg Fried Rice Street Food Style

Today we are going to see an interesting street style vegetable fried rice with simple cooking techniques. For the past twenty years, vegetable fried rice and pani puri have been a favourite food for many of us. Everywhere we can see, these two dishes are the stars of the street food. One day during our trip to Tirumala, I learnt this street style vegetable fried rice from a street food vendor. He prepared varieties of fried rice within a few minutes, very casually. As he was preparing, I saw exactly how it was done. There's something magical about eating hot fried rice on the streets.The sound of the street vendors tossing the tang tang with their wok is always enjoyable to me. How to make street style vegetable fried rice in your home kitchen You can use basmati rice or long grain rice. Always prefer the open pot method to cook the rice for fried rice. The texture will be perfect with less stickiness. Brands such as Unity and India Gate are perfect for fried rice. You can ...

Broccoli Capsicum Sabji - Side dish for roti, nann & rice

Broccoli and capsicum Sabji - a super tasy side dish with broccoli made with our spices. After eating stir fried broccoli at Chinese restaurants, I tried making dishes with broccoli using our masalas and spices. Broccoli is not a favourite vegetable for many of us, but you have to include it because of its health benefits. But if you cook the broccoli perfectly, it tastes really good.

Carrot Capsicum Stir Fry - Low Calorie Side Dish Recipes

Carrot Capsicum Stir Fry - another low calorie side dish for chapathi and rice. You can prepare this healthy side dish within 10 minutes. Last year during lockdown I prepared many sabji recipes for the Aval Vikatan magazine. This carrot capsicum stir fry is also one among those dishes and l often prepare this stir fry for our dinner. In addition to carrot and capsicum, you can also add boiled cauliflower, potato and broccoli. The crushed cumin pepper powder gives a nice flavour to this dish. There is no need for any other extra masala powders for this recipe. Made with a few simple ingredients and this will be your favourite 10 minute side dish. If you cook the capsicums correctly, it brings out their unique flavour and you can absolutely enjoy this dish as a salad. If you don't crush the cumin pepper you can also add chat masala powder. Check out my other low calorie recipes here Low calorie Black Chana Masala Sprouts and Mushroom Dal Green Moong Dal Sabji Easy Dal Dal Fry ...

Samba Aval Sarkkarai Pongal - Red Rice Flakes (Poha) Sweet Pongal

Samba aval sweet pongal - easy to make sweet pongal with red thick samba aval, jaggery and ghee. We usually make sweet pongal with raw rice and millets. A few months ago, my Grandma prepared this samba aval pongal for kadaisi velli pooja (every Tamil month last Friday is called kadaisi velli). It turned out very well and easy too. We can also make this pongal with white thick aval too. This is the best neivedyam for festivals. This pongal tastes good with thick aval rather than the thin aval. So make sure to use either samba thick aval or white thick aval. The colour of the sweet pongal depends upon the type of aval and jaggery you use. Roasting the aval in ghee will give a unique flavour for the pongal. Since we are using thick samba aval, make sure to cook the aval nicely and then add the jaggery syrup to it. The making process of this aval sweet pongal is quite similar to aval with jaggery, but they tastes different. Although the process looks quite simple, there are some simple mis...

Healthy Broccoli Mushroom Salad Recipe - Easy Steamed Vegetable Salad with Garlic and Coconut Oil

If you're searching for a healthy, quick, and delicious salad recipe, this Broccoli Mushroom Salad is just what you need. Made with steamed broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and sweet corn, this vibrant salad is not only visually appealing but also loaded with nutrients. The sautéed garlic and spring onions in coconut oil add a subtle depth of flavor, making every bite refreshing and satisfying. Whether you're trying to eat clean, looking for a light lunch, or adding more vegetables to your daily meals, this salad is a great choice. It’s easy to prepare, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free — perfect for anyone looking to enjoy healthy eating without compromising on taste. Watch the Broccoli Mushroom Salad Video Recipe More Healthy Salad Recipes You’ll Love Sweet Corn Pomegranate Salad Sprouted Green Moong Salad Black Eyed Cow Peas and Sweet Potato Salad Healthy Black Chickpeas Salad Rajma Sweet Corn Salad with Curd Dressing Broccoli Mushroom Salad Recipe Details Ingredients...

VIRUNDHOMBAL

Search This Blog