Paleo Sambar (Indian Onion Stew)

03/01/2014

I’m all about the easy soups and stews this winter. Preferably the kind that involves minimal chopping of ingredients, and while this recipe does require peeling and cubing sweet potatoes, the namesake ingredient (onions) are the type that comes out of a bag. This Sambar gets its flavor from a healthy dose of Indian spices and tamarind. So glad I’m finally using up my tamarind paste! It has such a distinctive flavor that when a recipe calls for it then nothing else will do, but it’s not the kind f thing I experiment with regularly.

Sambar is a traditional Indian dish, although typically made with some kind of dal. I tweaked it so that it gets its body from sweet potatoes, instead. One benefit of the sweet potato substitution is that the stew keeps its gorgeous golden color. By the way, this can easily be made vegetarian… just swap out the chicken broth for water or vegetables broth. I served this Sambar over cauliflower rice and it’s a delicious combination. Happy eating!

Paleo Sambar (Indian Onion Stew)

Author: Fresh Planet Flavor

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 6

This simple Indian onion stew is an exotic weeknight dinner, with savory Indian spices, the tang of tamarind and the sweetness of onions and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

Stew
2 tbsp <a href=”http://villagegreennetwork.com/marketplace/fats-oils-coconut-products/?affid=141536/”>coconut oil</a>
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2 quarts chicken broth
2 12 oz bags pearl onions
3 tsp <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EA0DF8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000EA0DF8&linkCode=as2&tag=grokgrcom-20″>tamarind paste</a><img src=”http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=grokgrcom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000EA0DF8″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
Garnish
Red pepper flakes
Mustard seeds
Cilantro

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a large stew pot over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, then partially cover the pot when they pop.
Once the mustard seeds have popped, add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper. Stir the spices in the oil and then add the sweet potatoes, broth, onions and tamarind.
Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove the lid and let the stew reduce for a further half hour (or until thickened to your preference).
Serve hot.