Sambar is a lentil and vegetable based stew cooked along with tamarind pulp and is extremely popular in the South of India. The four primary South Indian states have various variants of Sambar based on region availability of resources and environment. The taste varies from being sweety to extra hot. Sambar is primarily lentils tamarind pulp spices (sambar masala) cooked with vegetables like carrot potatoes okra pumpkin bottle gourd radish eggplant/ brinjal and small onions/ shallots (popularly known as sambar onion in India). There is a variant of sambar made with dry fish but this does not contain lentils.