Tiffin Sambar Recipe (2024)

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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.

Table of Contents

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.

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Tiffin Sambar Recipe | Hotel Style Idli Sambar Recipe

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.

4 from 4 votes

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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

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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

Take all your ingredients

Sambar powder ingredients

roast them

till golden

add it to a blender

and make into a puree

add all stuffs to the pressure cooker

cover with water

and cook it till mushy

add some more water

and the ground masala

add jaggery

salt

and tamarind

mix well

make tempering

and pour that in

add lots of coriander leaves

mix well

Serve

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.

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If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[emailprotected]and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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