Tiffin Sambar recipe with step by step pictures. This recipe is a vegetable stew made with lentils and assorted vegetables. It can be served with South Indian tiffin like idli, dosa, pongal.
Tiffin Sambar Recipe
This is the sambar which you will get in all hotels along with your idli, dosa or pongal..That will be thick, creamy and full of flavors..In restaurants they won't add any vegetables except potatoes.
About Tiffin Sambar Recipe
Tiffin Sambar is one of the easiest recipe you could make for breakfast. The Sambar is made with onion, tomato, potatoes, Sambar powder. In this particular recipe I am sharing two version of making Tiffin Sambar. One recipe is a fast instant version and the next one is a version of Sambar made with freshly roasted spices.
On weekdays I prefer to make the instant version. And on weekends when I have a bit of time to myself I like to roast my spices and make my sambar. The main flavouring of the Sambar comes from Sambar powder and the fresh coriander leaves.
You can serve Sambar with Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Upma and Vadas.
Check out my Millet pongal too.
Instant Version Tiffin Sambar Ingredients
Tiffin sambar is made with basic onions, tomatoes, potatoes. Vegetables like carrots, drumstick can be added too. Sambar powder is added which is made fresh or store bought. Check out my Homemade Sambar powder recipe.
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 3 Green chillies
- 3 Tomatoes
- 2 Potato halved
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ cup Toor Dal
- ¼ cup Yellow Moong Dal
- 2 tbsp Sambar Powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
- 1 tbsp Jaggery
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves
- Seasoning ingredients
How to Make Tiffin Sambar Recipe
Cooking Dal
Pressure cook washed Toor Dal, moong dal, potatoes for 3 whistle. Set aside.
Making Sambar
Heat oil in a pot. Add in onions, green chillies and saute for 2 mins. Add in tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 mins. Add in the cooked dal along with potatoes. Break the potatoes into small pieces and mix well.
Mixing Spices
Mean while mix spice powders with some water to form a slurry. Pour this into the dal and mix well. Add in tamarind pulp, salt, jaggery and mix well.Pour more water to adjust the consistency. Mix everything well and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 mins.
Seasoning
Make seasoning. Heat oil or ghee. Add whole spices and chillies, curry leaves. Cook for a min. Pour this over the sambar and mix well. Add in coriander leaves and mix well. Serve.
📖 Recipe Card
Tiffin Sambar Recipe | Hotel Style Idli Sambar Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 3 Green chillies
- 3 Tomatoes
- 2 Potato halved
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ cup Toor Dal
- ¼ cup Yellow Moong Dal
- 1½ tbsp Sambar Powder
- 1½ tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
- 1 tbsp Jaggery
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves
For Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 Dry Red Chillies
- ½ tsp Asafoetida
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
- Pressure cook washed Toor Dal, moong dal, potatoes for 3 whistle. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pot. Add in onions, green chillies and saute for 2 mins.
- Add in tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add in the cooked dal along with potatoes. Break the potatoes into small pieces and mix well.
- Mean while mix spice powders with some water to form a slurry. Pour this into the dal and mix well.
- Add in tamarind pulp, salt, jaggery and mix well.Pour more water to adjust the consistency. Mix everything well and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 mins.
- Make seasoning. Heat oil or ghee. Add whole spices, asafoetida, dry chillies, curry leaves. Cook for a min. Pour this over the sambar and mix well.
- Add in coriander leaves and mix well.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- I like to use a mix of toor Dal and yellow moong dal. But you could use just toor Dal for making sambar.
- You could make the Sambar in bulk and store it in fridge for up to a week.
- Make sure you adjust the consistency of the Sambar by adding water because Sambar tends to thicken as it cools down.
- Addition of little ghee enhances the taste.
- Homemade sambar powder adds fresh tasting aroma than store bought. Check my homemade sambar powder recipe
- Be generous with the coriander leaves. it adds fresh aroma to the sambar.
- Don't over cook the dal.
Nutrition
Tiffin Sambar Recipe Step by Step Pictures (Instant Version)
1)Heat oil in a pot.
Heat oil in a pot. Add in onions, green chillies and saute for 2 mins.
Saute for 2 mins.
Add in tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 mins.
Pressure cook washed Toor Dal, moong dal, potatoes for 3 whistle. Add cooked dal in.
Mix well.
Mean while mix spice powders with some water to form a slurry. Pour this into the dal and mix well.
Add salt to taste
Add jaggery
Pour in tamarind water
bring it to a boil
Pour more water to adjust the consistency. Mix everything well and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 mins.
Make seasoning. Heat oil or ghee. Add whole spices and chillies, curry leaves. Cook for a min.
Pour this over the sambar and mix well.
Add in coriander leaves and mix well. Serve.
Tiffin Sambar Recipe (with Freshly Roasted Spices)
Tiffin Sambar Recipe
This is the sambar which you will get in all hotels along with your idli, dosa or pongal..That will be thick, creamy and full of flavors..In restaurants they won't add any vegetables except potatoes.
I actually like potatoes in my sambar, they give a unique flavour and taste to the dish.This is a special sambar recipe in which you need to ground your own spices and add to it..A great side dish for any of your morning tiffin..I hope you like it and let me know what you think.
Ingredients for Tiffin Sambar
- Split Yellow Moong Dal / Pasi paruppu – 1 cup
- Onion – 1 chopped
- Tomato – 2 chopped
- Potato – 1 large peeled and cubed
- Green Chilli – 1
- Tamarind – 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Jaggery – 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
For Roasting & Grinding:
- Channa dal / Kadala Paruppu– 1 tbsp
- Coriander powder / Malli podi – 2 tbsp
- Dry red Chilli – 3
- Fenugreek Seeds / Methi / Vendayam – 1 tsp
For Tempering:
- Oil- 2 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds / Kaduku – 1 tsp
- Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam -1 tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 spring
How to Make Tiffin Sambar
- Wash dal in water and soak it for 15 mins. Add it to the pressure cooker along with onion, tomato, potato and green chilli.
- Pressure cook it for 3 whistles and simmer for 5 mins. Let the pressure go all by itself and open the pressure cooker.
- In the mean time roast some spices. Take all the ingredients given for roasting in a pan and roast it till they turn golden.
- Remove this in a blender and make into a puree by adding some water. Set this aside.
- Now add this masala to the cooked dal. Adjust the amount of water at this stage.
- Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer for 10 mins.
- Add jaggery, salt and tamarind to taste and mix well.Simmer this for 5 mins.
- Now make seasoning by heating some oil and crackling mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
- Pour this seasoning over the sambar and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve with dosa, idli or pongal.
Tiffin Sambar Recipe Step by Step
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| Take all your ingredients |
Tips & Tricks
- I like to use a mix of toor Dal and yellow moong dal. But you could use just toor Dal for making sambar.
- You could make the Sambar in bulk and store it in fridge for up to a week.
- Make sure you adjust the consistency of the Sambar by adding water because Sambar tends to thicken as it cools down.
- Addition of little ghee enhances the taste.
- Homemade sambar powder adds fresh tasting aroma than store bought. Check my homemade sambar powder recipe
- Be generous with the coriander leaves. it adds fresh aroma to the sambar.
- Don't over cook the dal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tiffin sambar made of?
Tiffin sambar is made with basic onions, tomatoes, potatoes. Vegetables like carrots, drumstick can be added too. Sambar powder is added which is made fresh or store bought.
What is difference between Tiffin sambar and lunch sambar?
Tiffin sambar is pretty mild in taste which goes well with idli, dosa, pongal. Lunch sambar has extra bit of sambar powder or tamarind is added to make it more spicy and tangy which goes well with rice.
Why is Udupi sambar sweet?
Udupi sambar has a addition of coconut and jaggery which makes it little sweet.
How can I make my sambar thicker?
Adding potatoes while cooked the dal will make your sambar thicker.
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.
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Anu
Sambhar looks yum that too without coconut for grinding ...
VineelaSiva
Sambar looks very nice.Last week we had a party one of my friend prepare same likr this.We really enjoy the sambar.I will try.So howz ur shopping going on.
Hema
Nice flavorful sambar with the fresh masala..
Anne
yummy yummy
Sushma Madhuchandra
sambar & idli are divine foods for me. Will try your version of hotel sambar sometime soon.
Saravanan
If am use sambar powder mam ,I am working Saudi Arabia Tamil restaurant thats y asking
Gayathri Anand
My Mom makes similar sambhar ...love to have it with hot hot idli ..
rajkumar
I tried this recipe. it comes well. Every one in my family like this idli sambhar and appreciate me. Thanks to aarthi.
rajkumar
I tried this recipe.
It comes well.
Hands-off to aarthi.
rajkumar
Really nice sambhar
Suba Shiva
Sambar looks really gud.. my suggestion is.. you can take a picture of sambar in a nice and gud looking bowl .. this one doesnt look impressive.. nice blog.. will keep visiting often..
cheers
suba
Prami Pramitha
really i was searching for this restuarant style sambar...thanks arathi...i will try this.
Nitya Caroline
One of the best recipies.. loved how the sambar turned out.. really good find... thanks again.
Anonymous
Aarthi you have roasted the spices and grinded them as sambar powder. But i have sambar powder . Can i use them instead of roasting and grinding again.
Aarthi
@Anonymousyes u can use normal sambar powder as well
Anonymous
Aarthi can you please make mambazha pulisseri recepie plz.. love your recepies
Aarthi
@Anonymoushere is the link
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2011/10/nadan-mambala-kulambu-ripe-mangoes.html
Anonymous
Hi Aarthy,
I tried this recipe with ven pongal today and my husband really love it. Thank you so much. Please give me a curry recipe with broccoli for chappati.
Anonymous
The sambar turned out to be amazing! Thanks for posting the recipe.
susi
veryyyy tastyyy sambar...i have tried it many times..never fail for me..tanQ 🙂
Anonymous
HiAarthi!
Can we make this sambar with toor dal?
Thanks in advance.
Aarthi
@Anonymousyes u can
Pallavi Vivek
Hi aarthi ,
Sumptuous Sambar. Looks itself very inviting. Just one doubt , have u dry roasted the masalas or roasted them with oil ?? Kindly Help.
Thank you
Anonymous
tried this sambar...tste very yummmyyyyyyyyyyy.........
Anonymous
Tried this today. Tasted good. Looked a bit dark for sambar though. because of the lack of turmeric powder I guess...nonetheless super yummy
Saranya
I tried this sambar it's really super,Thanks for giving such a wonderful Rreceipes
Ami
Superb recipe. I made this today and my 5year old couldnt have enough. I have tried many revipes from your blog and all were a hit. Thank you.
Lakshmi Madan
Dear Arthi... you are my saviour. I refer your blog for most of the recipes especially biryani and other non veg dishes... excellent recipes...
trying this sambhar recipe today... in ingredients list you have mentioned as malli powder instead of seeds. Please correct it. Without referring your pictorial images I roasted the corriander powder😬
Chinnu
Hi Aarthi, I often make this sambar and my husband loves it. I only have one concern, I felt the sambar lacks colour, I add a little of turmeric powder to it. What do u suggest?
Aarthi
You can add kashmiri chilli powder.