Jains can eat sambar, but it has to be made in a Jain way.

A Jain‑friendly sambar should:

1. Not contain any root vegetables

- No onion, no garlic, no potato, no carrot, no radish, beet, etc. (All root vegetables are avoided in Jain diet.)

1. Use allowed vegetables only

Common Jain options for sambar: - Lauki (bottle gourd) - Turai / ridge gourd - Dudhi, pumpkin - Tinda, padwal, etc. - Tomatoes, beans (if allowed in your family), drumstick, okra – depending on local practice Avoid cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal if you follow stricter rules about anantkāy (multi‑seed) vegetables.

1. Spices that are generally OK in Jain cooking

- Tur dal or other dals - Tamarind, curry leaves - Mustard seeds, cumin, coriander powder - Haldi (powder), red/green chilli (if your tradition allows) ( jainknowledge.com) - Hing only if it is Jain‑certified (many commercial hing powders are mixed with wheat flour etc.)

1. Other Jain rules still apply

- Freshly cooked (no overnight fermented batter or souring) - No eating after sunset - Filtered water, etc., according to your family/sect practice.

So, “Jain sambar” = normal South Indian sambar, but with:

• No onion/garlic or any roots
• Only permitted vegetables
• Usual Jain spice rules.

If you want, you can search “Jain sambar recipe” and follow any version that is clearly labelled Jain (without onion/garlic and root vegetables).