The fiery sambar that spices up a plate of fluffy idlis and dosas or the humble thali has in recent times gone missing from restaurant menus in the lake city . This comes after the price of pulses has hit the roof.

Even though the price of tur dal is said to be stabilising from a recent all-time high of Rs 200 per kg, it is yet to make a decent comeback on the menu. Many restaurants have been substituting sambar with tomato curry , channa dal or kadhi.

But there are some eateries that continue to sell sambar but have increased the cost of it. ``We serve sambar but we are left with no option but to raise the prices of all dishes that are served with it. The price of all lentils has increased drastically , so a simple dal tadka, dal fry , dal khichadi and dal makhani will cost anywhere between Rs 150 to Rs 180. There has been a hike of almost Rs 10 to Rs 15. We have to maintain our standard and cannot comprise on the quality of food we serve as we do not want to disappoint our customers. So, we decided to hike up the rates and maintain the quality ,'' said a Naupada-based eatery owner.

“The hike is only for a temporary period till the prices comes down. Once the rates slash, we too will roll back the prices,“ he added. At some Poli-Bhaji Kendras, they have started preparing gravies with a blend of pulses. This, they feel, is the easiest way to cut down on soaring pri ces.

Jivan Mantri, a mess owner, said, “It is difficult to maintain the current prices on the menu with the rates going so high. But one cannot compromise on the customer's demand.So, we offer them a varieties of dals everyday made from various pulses. Customers, too, enjoy it.“

Mantri also added that they are also replacing dals with vegetable gravies. The rise in prices has come as a major setback for Udupi restaurants as sambar is one of their basic and most important dish on their menu.

A Naupada-based restaurant owner said that they are forced to reduce the amount of sambar being served to a customer. "Sambar is served with most of the dishes. Be it idli, dosa, vada or anything, the piping hot sambar goes well with all. Many times, customers used to ask for more sambar. But now we are left with no option but to reduce the quantity as we do not wish to hike up the rates as it will affect our customers. The prices of onions also fluctuates most of the time. We can't keep changing rates every time.“