Chicken drumsticks sambar is what happens when a yearning for curry meets a genuine love of lentils — and I do love lentils. Love, love, love. This version builds the sambar powder from scratch, dry-roasting and grinding coriander, fenugreek, chana dal, and dried chillies before anything else happens. The result is a fragrant, tamarind-soured curry with red lentils, chicken drumsticks, and a temper of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida stirred through at the end. Served alongside a saag aloo — or, in this case, collards from the neighbour, a bunch the size of Wales.
From dry roast to temper — chicken drumsticks sambar – Casa Adora
INGREDIENTS
Sambar powder:
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 5 dried red chillies
- 1 tablespoon chana dal
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Red lentils — the heart of a good sambar – Casa Adora
Sambar:
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 1 fistful red lentils, soaked and rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tomato, grated
- 2–3 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 fresh red chilli, slit
- Small knob of tamarind, soaked in warm water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons sambar powder
- Small bunch of coriander stalks, chopped
- Oil or ghee
- Water or chicken stock
Temper:
- Oil or ghee
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2–3 dried red chillies
- A few curry leaves
- Pinch of asafoetida
METHOD
Make the Sambar Powder
Dry roast each spice separately in a pan until fragrant. Leave to cool, then grind together in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for around a month — make a smaller batch if you don't plan to make sambar more than once or twice in the coming weeks.
Chicken Drumsticks Sambar
Lightly sauté the chicken drumsticks in oil or ghee over a medium heat to start the cooking process. Set aside.
Add the diced onion to the same pan and turn the heat down a little. When the onion is turning translucent, return the chicken to the pan and stir well. Add the turmeric, sambar powder, and chilli. Stir again.
Add the grated tomato and cherry tomatoes, then enough water or stock to form a gravy base. Mash the soaked tamarind into a paste and stir it through. Add the rinsed lentils — make sure they are all covered in liquid — and then the coriander stalks.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, adding a little more liquid if things start to dry out. Check the chicken is cooked through.
Temper
In a separate pan, heat oil or ghee and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the sliced onion, dried chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Cook for 2–3 minutes, then stir the temper through the sambar.
Season to taste and serve.
THE FLEXIBLE CHEF'S NOTES
Chicken drumsticks sambar works well alongside saag aloo — spinach and potato curry. On this occasion I used fresh collards instead of spinach, courtesy of a neighbour who arrived with a bunch the size of Wales. Both work. The sambar powder is worth making in a reasonable batch — it improves most things it touches and disappears faster than you'd expect.
FOOTNOTES
This recipe is part of the Chicken Hub and the Curry Hub — browse both collections for more ideas.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.
My husband grows collards in his allotment. The cholesterol lowering ability of collard greens is better than eating kale or brocolli, not that I am advocating you don't eat either of the latter but we don't eat enough greens these days, perhaps it is because it is deemed a 'cheap' and non trendy food. Thanks for this idea.