Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Sambar
295 kcal a serving, against 332 for the traditional version. That is 37 kcal off, or 11%, with 16.2g of protein. Serves 6. 60 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A thick South Indian stew made from soft lentils and chopped vegetables like aubergine and courgette. It is sharply flavoured with tamarind and heavily enriched with fresh coconut and a massive amount of ghee used to fry the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of ghee and 50g of fresh coconut for just 15g of ghee
Coconut and massive pools of clarified butter add huge amounts of calories that offer you absolutely no protein. You only need a small amount of fat at the very end to bloom the mustard seeds and curry leaves for the tarka. Cooking the vegetables directly in the lentil broth does the job just as well.
What it costs you. You lose the subtle sweetness of the coconut and that lip-coating slick of rich fat on the surface of the bowl. The stew is visibly less glossy.
250g of red lentils up to 350g
When you remove the fat, you have to replace the missing volume. Ramping up the lentils gives you a huge hit of plant protein and creates a wonderfully thick texture. It turns a side dish into a proper main event that keeps you full.
What it costs you. You end up with a dense and heavy stew that demands a big bowl and a large spoon. The version that's a light broth designed for dipping anymore is still out there and still better. It takes slightly longer to cook down.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 332 | 295 |
| Protein | 12.5g | 16.2g |
| Fat | 14.8g | 4.9g |
| Saturated fat | 8.8g | 1.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 41g | 50.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.8g | 5.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, mustard.
The method is in the book
This is a sharp, heavily spiced stew that tastes brilliant and costs you very little in fat. I dropped the fresh coconut entirely and cut the ghee down to a bare minimum, relying instead on a massive portion of red lentils to give the dish its body. You get a huge bowl of sour, earthy comfort food that actually fills you up. The tarka still delivers that crucial punch of toasted spices right at the end.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback