Restaurant Style Tiffin Sambar or Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar, Sambar is one kind of Indian dal or curry. Sambar is a south Indian specialty and very easy super delicious perfectly goes with Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada as a side dish. This south Indian delicacy made with lentil, veggies and home grounded aromatic spices. It is a staple part of most South Indian meals, every family has their own personal recipe with different combination of veggies and spices.
Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines, adapted in each to its taste and environment. Sambar is usually served with steamed rice as one of the main courses of both formal and everyday south Indian cuisine. A two-course meal of Sambar mixed with rice and eaten with some sort of vegetable side dish followed by yogurt mixed with rice is a prime southern Indian staple. Vada sambar and Idli sambar are popular for breakfast or evening snack in the south Indian states. Road side restaurants often offer free refills of sambar for Idli and Vada. Sambar is also served as a side dish for Dosa.
Ingredients:
• ½ cup Tuvar/Arhar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas)
• ½ cup Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentil)
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
For Sambar Masala
• 1-2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Whole Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp Chana dal
• 1 tsp Whole Black peppers
• 8-10 Curry Leaves
• 1-2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 4-5 Dry Whole Red Chilies
Other Ingredients
• 1 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Split Black Gram/Urad Dal
• Pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
• 2 Dry Red Chiles
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
• 2 Green Chilies Chopped
• ½ cup chopped Onion
• ½ cup chopped Baby Eggplants/Brinjal
• ½ cup chopped Potatoes
• 1 cup chopped Tomatoes
• 1 medium sized chopped Carrot
• 1-2 chopped Drumstick (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped Pumpkin (optional)
• 1-2 tsp Tamarind Pulp or Soaked Ripe Tamarind Juice
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt
Method:
For Sambar Masala
1. Heat oil in a small pan. Add cumin seeds, chana dal, fenugreek seeds and roast it for few seconds then add all dry masala ingredients like dry red chili, curry leaves, black pepper and roast it again for few minutes till aromatic.
2. Let it be cool for few minutes then blend it into a blender or a mixer and make smooth dry powder form and keep aside.
For Sambar Dal
1. Wash both dals 2-3 times then add turmeric powder, required water (almost 2 cups) and then pressure cook it till soft and mushy texture.
2. In a deep pan, add oil, once oil heat, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dry red chilies, urad dal, curry leaves, pinch of hing and roast it for few seconds.
3. Add dry red chilies, grated ginger, green chiles, chopped onion and stir fry till soft golden brown then add chopped tomatoes and stir it again till soft.
4. Add chopped veggies, prepared sambar masala, salt, turmeric powder and mix it well.
5. Add 1 or 1 ½ cup water, bring it to boil, cover it and cook it till veggies become tender.
6. Once veggies cooked, add tamarind pulp, cooked dal and mix it well.
7. Stir it and cook it till boiling point on medium flame, turn the flame on low level and cook it the boiled dal mixture for 3-4 minutes, our restaurant style tiffin sambar is ready.
8. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve it with steamed rice, Dosa, Idli or any south Indian snack dish.
Tips:
• You can use any one dal instead of both dals.
• You can use chopped pumpkin and drumstick veggie for more traditional taste.
• Add or skip veggies as per your choice.
• You can use readymade sambar powder instead of homemade.
- ½ cup Tuvar/Arhar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas)
- ½ cup Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentil)
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Chana dal
- 1 tbsp Whole Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Whole Black peppers
- 8-10 Curry Leaves
- 1-2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 4-5 Dry Whole Red Chilies
- 1-2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Split Black Gram/Urad Dal
- Pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
- 2 Dry Red Chiles
- 4-5 Curry Leaves
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 2 Green Chilies Chopped
- ½ cup chopped Onion
- ½ cup chopped Baby Eggplants/Brinjal
- ½ cup chopped Potatoes
- 1 cup chopped Tomatoes
- 1 medium sized chopped Carrot
- 1-2 chopped Drumstick (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped Pumpkin (optional)
- 1-2 tsp Tamarind Pulp or Soaked Ripe Tamarind Juice
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt
- Heat oil in a small pan. Add cumin seeds, chana dal, fenugreek seeds and roast it for few seconds then add all dry masala ingredients like dry red chili, curry leaves, black pepper and roast it again for few minutes till aromatic.
- Let it be cool for few minutes then blend it into a blender or a mixer and make smooth dry powder form and keep aside.
- Wash both dals 2-3 times then add turmeric powder, required water (almost 2 cups) and then pressure cook it till soft and mushy texture.
- In a deep pan, add oil, once oil heat, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dry red chilies, urad dal, curry leaves, pinch of hing and roast it for few seconds.
- Add dry red chilies, grated ginger, green chiles, chopped onion and stir fry till soft golden brown then add chopped tomatoes and stir it again till soft.
- Add chopped veggies, prepared sambar masala, salt, turmeric powder and mix it well.
- Add 1 or 1 ½ cup water, bring it to boil, cover it and cook it till veggies become tender.
- Once veggies cooked, add tamarind pulp, cooked dal and mix it well.
- Stir it and cook it till boiling point on medium flame, turn the flame on low level and cook it the boiled dal mixture for 3-4 minutes, our restaurant style tiffin sambar is ready.
- Add chopped coriander leaves and serve it with steamed rice, Dosa, Idli or any south Indian snack dish.
• You can use chopped pumpkin and drumstick veggie for more traditional taste.
• Add or skip veggies as per your choice.
• You can use readymade sambar powder instead of homemade.
6 Responses to “Restaurant Style Tiffin Sambar”
This looks so good. I plan to make this dish but would like some clarification on the sambar powder. How much do you add once they have been made into a powder? If I use ready made sambar powder how much is best for the substitute? Thank you!
I used all bcz i like spicy! you can use half of it or as per your taste! for ready made powder check package instruction if it doesn’t have use 1-2 tbsp. thank you 🙂
WOW so beautiful!
thank you Adriana!
That sambar tempts me so much ..yum yum
thanks Sathya!