Vegetable sambar rice bowl

Name: Vegetable sambar rice bowl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 portions

A one-bowl South Indian lunch of steamed rice topped with a lentil and mixed vegetable sambar. Provides plant protein, fibre and vegetables and can form part of a balanced diet while trying to conceive.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Portions: 4

Easy
Trying to conceive
Preparing for pregnancy
Vegetarian
Vegan
Fibre-rich
Iron-containing

Make this recipe

Portions

Ingredient quantities update automatically. Cooking times may need a little adjustment when you change the batch size.

Ingredients

For 4 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.

150 g toor dal (split pigeon peas), about 1 katori
300 g mixed vegetables, carrot, drumstick, lauki (bottle gourd / doodhi) and pumpkin, chopped
2 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
2 tbsp sambar powder
0.5 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
10 leaves curry leaves
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 cups cooked rice (chawal), about 720 g, cooked

This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.

Method

Step 1. Pressure-cook the toor dal with turmeric until soft, about 15 minutes (3–4 whistles), then mash lightly.
Step 2. Simmer the mixed vegetables in a separate pan with a little water until just tender.
Step 3. Add the tamarind pulp, sambar powder and cooked dal to the vegetables, along with about 1 cup (240 ml) water, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Heat the oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves, then pour this tempering over the sambar.
Step 5. Serve the hot sambar ladled generously over steamed rice.

Allergens for your selection

No declarable allergens in the ingredients as currently selected.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Food safety

Wash vegetables and fruit thoroughly in clean running water before cooking, and use safe drinking water (boiled, filtered or otherwise treated) for cooking and drinking.
Cook eggs, chicken, mutton and fish right through — no pink meat and no runny yolks.
Refrigerate cooked food within two hours (within one hour in hot weather) and keep the fridge at 5°C or below.
Keep cooked rice out of the danger zone: cool it quickly, refrigerate promptly and reheat only once until piping hot.
No alcohol is used in this recipe.

Allergens

No common declarable allergens are listed in this recipe's ingredients.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Supplements and drinks

A daily folic acid supplement is widely recommended before conception and through early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Folate-rich foods do not replace the supplement. Ask your doctor which dose applies to you and follow your national health authority's guidance.
Vitamin D and iron requirements vary with diet, sunlight exposure and health conditions. Ask your doctor whether you need a supplement and follow your national health authority's guidance.
There is no known safe level of alcohol in pregnancy, and most guidance suggests keeping caffeine to around 200 mg a day. Recipes here contain no alcohol.

Sources

Dietary Guidelines for Indians — ICMR — National Institute of Nutrition, reviewed 10 September 2026
Eat Right India — safe and wholesome food — Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), reviewed 10 September 2026