Name: Tiffin Sambar | Sambar for Idli and Dosai
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup yellow split lentils/moong dal (rinsed and drained); 2 green chilies slit into two; 2 tomatoes (approx 1.25 cups when chopped); 1/8 tsp turmeric powder; 1.5 cups water; 3 tbsps coriander seeds; 1.5 tbsp Bengal gram; 3 dried red chilies; 2 tsps oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds; 1/4 tsp hing; 5 curry leaves; 5 shallots; 1 cup onion thinly sliced; 1 cup mixed vegetables (I used bottle gourd + chayote squash and butternut squash); 2 cups of water divided; 2 tsps salt; 1 tsp tamarind paste; 1 tbsp chopped cilantro.

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Today I am going to share a delicious gravy made with fresh ground spices, moong dal, vegetables aka the sambar precisely the tiffin sambar that pairs well with idli and dosai. But hey, you can serve this with rice too. Check out how to make this lip-smacking tiffin sambar with a detailed video.

Sambar and Kuzhambu are the quintessential dishes in Tamil cuisine. We relish sambar with rice and also with all the tiffin items like idli, dosa, upma, rava kichadi, pongal, and the list goes on. Ok now, confession time. :-) Seriously I can’t get enough of sambar, especially araichuvitta sambar or sambar with fresh ground spices. I make sure atleast I make it once a week.

I love to eat idli and dosai for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So you can consider this idli and dosa along with the sambar as any mealtime dish. It is hard for me to classify. :-)

Tiffin Sambar

Tiffin sambar is nothing but a variety of sambar that is mainly served with idli, dosai, pongal, and upma. There are zillion varieties of sambar and tiffin sambar recipes on the internet. In fact, I have already shared a tiffin sambar recipe with masoor dal in the sambar vadai post. But this one is my mom’s specialty. How can I not post it huh?
Are you wondering how this tiffin sambar is different from my previous one? This sambar is similar to araichuvitta sambar, but we use moong dal instead of toor dal. And, onions and tomatoes are must in this sambhar, unlike the regular one. Also, you don’t need coconut for this sambar. The coriander seeds provide all the flavor to this sambar recipe.

Fresh Sambar Powder

Nothing can beat fresh ground spices, but I know it is quite hard to make everything from scratch during weekdays. You can make the sambar powder ahead. As we are dry roasting without oil and also grinding it without water, it stays good. Make sure you store it in an air-tight container.

Now without any further ado, here is the tiffin sambar recipe and the video. I have 35 different sambar varieties on this blog, and I am so happy to add one more that list. As always, please subscribe to the channel and share the video and help me spread the word. Also, I would love to hear your feedback.

Ingredients:

To Pressure Cook:
1/2 cup yellow split lentils/moong dal (rinsed and drained)
2 green chilies slit into two
2 tomatoes approx 1.25 cups when chopped
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1.5 cups water
To Roast and Grind:
3 tbsps coriander seeds
1.5 tbsp Bengal gram
3 dried red chilies
Other Ingredients:
2 tsps oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp hing
5 curry leaves
5 shallots
1 cup onion thinly sliced
1 cup mixed vegetables (I used bottle gourd + chayote squash and butternut squash)
2 cups of water divided
2 tsps salt
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp chopped cilantro.

Steps:

Pressure cook the lentils and tomatoes:
Add the moong dal, tomatoes, green chilies, turmeric powder, and 1.5 cups of water.
Pressure cook for four whistles or hisses.
Let the pressure release naturally. When the pressure is all release, discard the green chilies and mash the lentils and the tomatoes using a potato masher.
Prepare the spice powder:
While the lentils are cooking, you can prepare the spice powder.
In a pan, roast the coriander seeds, red chilies, and Bengal gram for about 5 minutes or until the aroma comes over medium heat.
Allow the spices to cool down and grind it into a coarse paste without adding any water.
Prepare the Sambar:
In a pan or kadai, heat the oil.
When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, hing, curry leaves, and shallots.
Fry for two minutes. And then add the sliced onions and cook until the onions turn translucent.
Now add the mixed vegetables, 1 cup of water and mix. Mix thoroughly.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft and tender.
Meanwhile, mix 1 tsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water.
Remove the lid and add the tamarind water and allow it to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Then add the spice powder and mix. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.
Then add the mashed moong dal and mix. Bring this to a boil.
After one boil, garnish it with cilantro and serve it with idli or dosai.

Recipe Notes-

Adjust water according to consistency preference.
As always adjust the spice and salt according to your preference.

PS: If you try this tiffin sambar, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. Also, please check out my videos and do subscribe to my YouTube channel.