A quick wikipedia search yields:
“Sambar is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
South Indian food, people and culture are inextricably linked to a ubiquitous dish as in idli and sambhar, sambhar and rice and so on. Each state in the South prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment.”
Can’t really argue with much of that. Sambar is indeed a vegetable stew or chowder based broth made with tamarind and dal and is very popular within the cuisine of southern India. There are several “strains” of sambar, and south Indians tend to link sambar to several other main components of their meal – dosais, idlis, rice, etc.
Before I begin, let me be honest. Frankly, I am no sambar expert. I cannot cook sambar whatsoever. However, my speciality lies in eating sambar. I can distinguish one sambar from the next effortlessly, and understand the consistency, texture, aromatic smells well made sambars should possess.
To me, sambar is best eaten piping hot, in its most classic form – sambar satham. Sambar over some well cooked basmati rice and a little bit of ghee (purified butter, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee) cannot be beat. Adding a curry and perhaps some banana chips to the plate adds to the taste of course, but is also quick to induce a coma.
Although sambar can be eaten over rice, and that is generally the case – sambar satham remains a staple south Indian dish throughout – south Indians love to throw sambar on all sorts of stuff. A Dosai (a thin rice crepe filled with a potato curry) , for example is often accompanied by a chutney of some sort, and a nice small bowl of sambar. Idlis (soft rice cakes – seeing a pattern here?) are served especially with sambar, making the two foods almost one, hyphenated word – “idli-sambar” or “sambar-idli”.
To me however, there remains only one sambar that mesmerizes me each time I indulge myself in its smell. And that sambar onion sambar. Onion sambar – also known to those familiar with the language as “vengaya sambar” is the king of all sambars – in my books, at least. There is simply something about the mixture of flavors found within the sambar and onions that causes the tip of my tongue to salivate. The strong, spicy, smell along with a crisp, distinct taste have caused me to return to this classic time and time again. Only on one condition however – that coconuts are ground up and tossed in, and tiny onions are used. See: http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/arachuvitta-vengaya-sambar-onion.html – notice Saffron’s post:
“shammi, ahh arachu vitta chinna vengaya sambar. It was a treat reserved only for special occasions and special guests!! Here in the US, I get red pearl onions that are a reasonable substitute. I have even used frozen pearl onions in cases of culinary emergencies.
You have brought back memories of sunday afternoon siestas after a meal of sambar and roasted potatoes and paal payasam 
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Perhaps I should have chosen blogspot instead. I have yet to stumble upon a sambar related wordpress 
Just kidding, of course. So there you have it I suppose – the method to my madness – why my wordpress is prefixed with words most cannot pronounce. It’s simply my favorite south Indian dish. Memories of cool afternoons spent in Chennai eating my grandmothers sambar enliven my senses. Ahh.
Does it get much better than this?
Really enjoyed reading it. Good one!