Tiffin sambar recipe, learn how to make south Indian style sambar had along idli, dosa and other tiffin items. Prepared with fresh ground sambar masala and toor dal.
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Already I have a Tiffin sambar recipe with moong dal in my blog, posted almost 2 years back. That’s one version.
This is another version of the tiffin sambar perfect for idli. Also makes a great side dish for dosa, arisi upma and pongal.
This is my mom’s trademark recipe she makes for idli or other tiffin items when guests come. Few readers requested for this recipe.
🥕 Vegetables
Amma makes this sambar is always made with potato and shallots (chinna vengayam). It gives the maximum flavor, every ingredient complimenting each other.
But you can adapt this and make it with other veggies also. Other vegetables which works best are –
- Plain sambar without vegetables but with lots of shallots (vengaya sambar),
- Yellow pumpkin (parangikkai), is the next perfect vegetable which also gives a sweet touch to balance the tastes.
- Drumstick and brinjal are best flavor lenders to a tiffin sambar (idli sambar)
- You can also add carrots, capsicum, radish along to complement.
🧖♀️ Why this is best
There are few special things in this sambar.
Firstly, the freshly ground sambar powder (sambar masala), secondly a tsp of ghee and lastly a tsp of jaggery.
These things make this sambar smell heavenly and taste divine. The whole house will be filled with a pleasant smell when you make it.
That too along with hot steaming idli or dosa this smells really out of this world! Though it’s a basic recipe, I wanted to blog this one with tips and tricks.
🍛 Serving suggestions
Do it the south Indian way – Pour generous amount of sambar over idli, dunk it and enjoy.
In fact, there is a restaurant famous for it, serving buckets of sambar (unlimited) with idli – Ratna cafe.
I used to like this sambar very much before marriage when mom makes. If it’s this sambar, then I eat extra few idlis.
And I always love to pour the sambar over the idlis like they do in hotels those days. Because we rarely go to restaurants and always fascinated by things they do there.
Memories related
When I was kid, me and my brother are just contrast to each other in eating habits. What I like he hate to eat and what I hate he would love to eat.
Sometimes it becomes like a cold war, if he says I don’t want to eat that vegetable, even though I too don’t prefer, to please my mom and to ‘verupethify’ my brother, I will eat it😁. And he too does that some times.
Eating style
Likewise, the way he eats is always very clean and neat. His plate will be looking very pleasing even while eating and after he finishes.
He even makes sure his hands look neat while eating, doesn’t let the food go beyond his fingers and reach his palm (he hates if it is so and will not mind washing his hands even if it happens in between by chance).
Too much right?! Obviously I am not like that. He even gives me a weird look if I ask my mom to pour the sambar over the idli.
Then what I do is mash the idlis along with sambar and make it look more like rice and eat (kozhachu adikradhu).
That’s his break point. He will leave the place or just will turn his back and eat. Fun memories!
Ok enough. Let’s see how to make tiffin sambar idli sambar.
Recipe card
Tiffin sambar recipe | Idli sambar
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Toor dal heaped
- 1 Potato
- 12 Shallots (small onion)
- 2 Green chilli
- 1 Tomato
- 1 tsp Tamarind – small marble size
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Jaggery powdered
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida
- 4 Curry leaves
- 2 tbsp Coriander leaves
- 1 tsp Ghee
- Salt – As needed
To roast
- 1 tsp ghee/ oil
- 1 tbsp Chana dal heaped
- ¾ tbsp Coriander seeds
- 4 Red chillies
- ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida
To Temper
- 2 tsp Oil Or ghee
- ½ tsp Mustard
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 Pinch Asafoetida
Instructions
Tamarind extract & Cook dal
- Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 – 20 mins for easy extract. Total tamarind extract measure 3 cups. So adjust water accordingly. Check my video for an easy alternate method.
- Wash the potato well and cut into 4.
- Pressure cook toor dal along with potato for 3-4 whistles. Add 1 cup water, 2 pinches of turmeric, 2 pinches of asafoetida and few drops of sesame oil.
- Once done, take out the potato, peel off the skin and break/ cut into bite size pieces.
- Mash the dal smoothly. Set aside.
Fresh ground sambar masala
- Meanwhile, roast the ingredients under ‘To roast’ table. You can roast everything together. But except jeera/ cumin seeds, which has to be added towards the end when the other ingredients gets the golden color.
- Take care not to burn anything. So roast in medium flame with constant roasting. If anything gets burnt, the total dish will not turn out that good as this is the star ingredient!
- Cool down and powder into a coarse powder. In between powdering, you might need to wipe the sides, lid of the mixer for even powdering. Set aside.
Prepare Idli sambar
- In a kadai, heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper table’ in order.
- Add asafoetida and give a quick stir.
- Tip in onions and fry till transparent. Add tomatoes, green chillies and fry for a minute.
- Start heating tamarind extract in a large vessel / pot in which we are making sambar.
- Add the sauteed onion, tomato mix to it. Now add few torn curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt, turmeric, rest of the asafoetida and bring to boil.
- Then add the potatoes. Boil for 2 minutes and add the sambar powder.
- Add it in a sprinkled way little by little with constant stirring to avoid any lump formation.
- Let it come to a boil. Then add the mashed dal. If the dal is too tight, add more water to loosen it before adding it to sambar.
- Now after adding the ground sambar powder and dal, the sambar tends to thicken.
- So you might be needed to add some ¾ cup to 1 cup water to bring it to the right consistency.
- Once it starts boiling, as a final touch add the powdered jaggery and mix well.
- Top with few more torn coriander leaves or curry leaves and mix in the ghee. Switch off the flame.
Video
Notes
- This sambar should be with less tamarind, unlike our regular sambar. So using vellai puli works best.
- The tomato will give mild tanginess that is not sharp, perfect for the tiffin items.
- We usually top with sesame oil for extra flavor.
- Using ghee for tempering and roasting gives more flavorful sambar.
- Smells great even the next day, exactly like a hotel sambar.
- I have added asafoetida at various stages, but you can use it only while tempering or adding in the dal/ roasting in sambar masala.
Step by step
Tamarind extract & Cook dal
1. To begin with, soak tamarind in warm water for 10 – 20 mins for easy extract.
Total tamarind extract measure 3 cups. So adjust water accordingly. Check my video for an easy alternate method. Or as in this recipe.
2. Wash the potato well and cut into 4.
3. Pressure cook toor dal along with potato for 3-4 whistles. Add 1 cup water, 2 pinches of turmeric, 2 pinches of asafoetida and few drops of sesame oil.
4. Once done, take out the potato, peel off the skin and break/ cut into bite size pieces.
5. Mash the dal smoothly. Set aside.
Fresh ground sambar masala
6. Meanwhile, roast the ingredients under ‘To roast’ table. You can roast everything together. But except jeera/ cumin seeds, which has to be added towards the end when the other ingredients gets the golden color.
Take care not to burn anything. So roast in medium flame with constant roasting. If anything gets burnt, the total dish will not turn out that good as this is the star ingredient!
7. Cool down and powder into a coarse powder. In between powdering, you might need to wipe the sides, lid of the mixer for even powdering. Set aside.
Prepare Idli sambar
8. In a kadai, heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper table’ in order. Add asafoetida and give a quick stir.
9. Tip in onions and fry till transparent. Add tomatoes, green chillies and fry for a minute.
10. Start heating tamarind extract in a large vessel / pot in which we are making sambar.
11. Add the sauteed onion, tomato mix to it. Now add few torn curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt, turmeric, rest of the asafoetida and bring to boil. Then add the potatoes.
12. Boil for 2 minutes and add the sambar powder. Add it in a sprinkled way little by little with constant stirring to avoid any lump formation.
14. Let it come to a boil. Then add the mashed dal. If the dal is too tight, add more water to loosen it before adding it to sambar.
15. Now after adding the ground sambar powder and dal, the sambar tends to thicken.
So you might be needed to add some ¾ cup to 1 cup water to bring it to the right consistency.
16. Once it starts boiling, as a final touch add the powdered jaggery and mix well.
Finally, top with few more torn coriander leaves or curry leaves and mix in the ghee. Switch off the flame.
Serve with idli/ dosa or any tiffin items which goes well with sambar. I always love to have it along with plain coconut chutney and idli podi.
Memories are always spl 🙂 wont fade even everything goes wrong ! i too have a this habit of Kozhaichu adikarthu 🙂 with different one 🙂 def i wll update mine
Do i need to say photo's are fabulous ?
Nice aromatic sambar,love ur utensils
🙂 Will wait for your post 😉
yummy sambar.. I love to eat the same way .. So I always need more side dish than main dish :-)..
http://great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com
wow.. looks so yummy..loved your clicks :)..god! the hings we do just to spite someone.. truly memorable
hehe , even nowadays he is the same ;)nice write up 🙂 Lovely clicks as always !!
I too pour sambar over the idlis and eat it just like u do raji..love it that way.
That sambar looks awesome..totally yum..
In fact I have tried the other one with moongdal last week which turned out to be a winner at my home..This too I will try..Always wanted to get a perfect Tamil recipe for sambar..Thank you so much Raks.
OMG ! Really inviting Raji… Love to grab…
http://recipe-excavator.blogspot.com
i have always loved your sambar! 🙂
what fun with siblings! I love the fresh powdered podi in the sambhar…it fills the heart and soul while cooking only!
Flavor packed sambar…Love the clicks..
Sambar with fresly ground powder.Hmmmm i can feel the flavor here.
Hi, just want to know if u have made arsi upma. If so can u pls post the recipe. Me and the kids luv upma except hubby boy.
I also would like to let u know that our family enjoyed the eggless vanilla cake and today I made the tomato kulambu for dinner(yet tobe tasted but the aroma is just delis).
Thank u for ur recipes.
Eswari
The sambar looks awesome!! A must try recipe 🙂
Love the idli sambar combo very much….I can associate my childhood memories with urs..me n my bro used to behave the same way…the things what he likes much I do not like and vice versa..
yummy sambar…bucket is cute….naanum eppadithan seiven….
yummy sambar.. n adding potatoes prob i shd give it a try..
Lovely photo,yummy sambar recipe 🙂
Looks so tempting… Awesome combo for idlis
the spread looks so yum …feeling hungry now
Very tempting and yummy sambar, we too make in the similar way but we add little coconut, never tried with any veggies though. Will try out this some time. Love the addition of jaggery
My sis always says if her eldest son like a certain dish then the youngest one don't like because the brother likes and vise versa too and you and your brother sounds like them, when i saw this in flickr i had faved it as i wanted to make them too. Looks so good.
nice sambar but we usually don't add potato, we add other veggies and add coconut in the masala. Your version looks good
I'm with you on the mixing and eating… that always tastes special when compared to dipping – yes it may not be neatest way but it's definitely the tastier way to do it 😀
Sambhar looks fabulous.
looks so tempting…loved your clicks..
http://foody-buddy.blogspot.com/
Comfort dish,drool worthy
Every dish has wonderful memory to go with…Lovely sambar recipe raks. I simply drink it…:-)
Yummy and irresistible..love it
Nice sambar…
Love ur clicks !! I tried ur sambhar once cos i was bored by mine.. It was awesome.. Lovely recipe. will try with moong dal too 🙂
Adding potato to sambar sounds different to me…sure will try out and let you know,neat clicks,always admired.
Tempting and delicious sambar.
today's recipe:
http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/02/green-peas-kachori-with-spicy-dam-aloo.html
Wow, that's a tempting and yummy sambar. We make the similar way with the addition of jaggery. Love it. Nice clicks!
Even i do the same, kozhachi adikurathu,loveeeeeeeee this sambar.
Awesome recipe….tried it out todayand was winner…..have been looking a sambar recipe for idly, dosa, up a and other tiffin items….thanks a lot for posting the recipe….waiting to see more lovely recipes from u.
Thank you for the prompt feedback 🙂
should we dry roast the ing?
Mom makes the tiffen sambar the same way. Its true we need to use less tamarind. Beautiful click raks love it.
I tried this recipe. it came out really very good. Thanks raji.
i tried this sambar, my husband liked it very much
It's look awesome, wats the utensil u used for sambar it looks like glass bowl?
Yes its glass, a kind of corning ware, called VISIONS
Thanks 🙂
Thanks 🙂
i made this sambar also my five year old son loved it very much, whenever i make idly he wants only with sambar.
hi raks
i love almost al ur recipies.am 3 months pregnant now and i dont feel like eating some items but ur vengaya sambar was jus 2 yummmmyyyyyyyy…..and this sambhar was awesome.keep posting us ..luv u………!
Raji
I had gone your total fan. Actually I consider myself to be a good cook of tranditional items. I have a practice of keeping only "Samaithu Par" by meenakshi ammal as bible. I do not refer anyother receipe. Yours is the second reference I have now.
Love your methodoical explanation.
I just tried this sambar and its really delicious.
Thanks a ton.
I just tried this sambar. Loved it!
Thanks.
Loved the recipe. I have made it twice now. I did not make the sambhar powder u explained in the recipe but instead used everest readymade sambhar powder. 🙂
I have made the sambhar twice now and each time it was great. I did not make the sambhar powder as u explained but instead use everest readymade sambhar powder. 🙂
Hey Raji,
Ur recipes are awesome. I really feel like zopping it from ur perfect pics. Following your recipes from long time but never had commented. Thanks a lot for giving us a wonderful set of recipes.
Is the channa dal etc to be roasted in oil?
Yes.with few drops of oil. Sorry for the late response. will update in the post too
thanks all for your feedback
Hi,
I prepared the Sambar today.I had a question though. In Step6,you have mentioned that "Boil for 2 minutes and add the sambar powder"..Hope this is the same Sambar powder that we have prepared in Step3 ie grounded mixture prepared in the Mixie..Please confirm.
Thanks!
I will recommend to add green pepper (one or two green pepper chopped squarely and washed) in step 4 or step 5 and little more water.
Hi raks ! thanks for this recipe . very very tasty. hotel sambar 'thothudu' 🙂
Thanks for this recipe raks 🙂 today i tried this. very very tasty 🙂 hotel sambar 'thothudu' 🙂
I love this site. The cooking technique are so practical, along with the pic stepwise that one can never go wrong. I have tried noodles, chili paneer, lemon rice, coconut chutney, and now tiffin samber. Thank you so much Raks :).
Hi Raks,
If anybody tells you that they're the biggest fan of your sambar, they're clearly lying because I am THE BIGGEST fan! I make this all the time and I usually have to double the recipe for two of us cuz our idlis are usually swimming in the sambar! Thank you so much for such a winner of a recipe!
Tried this recipe. Came out wonderful.
Thanks for posting. Tried it. Came out very well.:)
Hi there,
this looks so so yummy. just wanted to know about the amount you use for one cup. is it rice cooker cup or how many ml ?
240 ml, refer FAQ
I tried this Dal makhani Recipe And it comes out delicious 🙂
I tried this tiffin sambar. It came out very good. You are rocking. Thanks for the recipe
Just tried the tiffin sambar.And it has come out awesome.. Thank you rakskitchen 🙂
I agree, very nice recipe! The Sambhar came out very well! So delicious!
Came out very well. like hotel sambhar. Liked by everyone. Thanks raks. simply followd your recipe
I tried this sambar and it was indeed delicious!!! Felt like having it in a hotel 🙂 My hubby, MIL and FIL loved this one! Thank you Raks! Your recipes are always simple and awesome 🙂
Love this recipe. The way you've presented it makes me want to try.
Book marking. 🙂
Hi Akka, can I replace the "To Roast" ingredients with Readymade Sambhar powder ? If so, how many teaspoons/tablespoons would that be ?
Delicious smambhar………….loved it.
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https://youtu.be/LWFClapII9o
I tried this today… satisfied very happy….. Ate all left out sambar without dosage in the last….
THanks a lot 🙂
I tried sambar today from your recipe. And very satisfied with the taste. I cant thanks enough to you for this sambar. Thank you so much for such a detailed and tasty sambar.
Two listings of ingredients given . In the 1st one under to roast , 11 tb.sp. channa dal given, in the 2nd one under roast
1 tb.sp. chinna dal is given. In the video also given 1 tb. sp. channa dal given. Obviously, 1 tb.sp. channa dal is ought to be correct. This is to be noted. Mistake is , definitely not intentional .
Really sorry for the confusion and thanks a lot for noticing and taking time to write. Will correct the mistake.
Made this today and it came out so well. It was perfect for sambhar-idlis.
Thank you
Excellent recipe! Made this sambar for a South Indian breakfast treat I hosted for my uncle and his wife yesterday. It took us back to our days in India. Also made the medhu vada and fruit kesari from your blog.
I love your passion for food. Cooking is an art and you are an artist indeed!
Thanks a lot 🙂 Made my day!