Most hotels serve sambar with idli, dosas, pongal, and the ever popular uddina vada. Hotel style sambar also called tiffin sambar is an absolute must in tiffin centres and darshinis. Served with rice and a papad on the side is the saviour lunch for many people. It provides warmth and comfort to a hungry stomach. Daily office goers and factory goers depend on this tiffin sambar and rice.
So it is not only breakfast items but it is a staple in ‘tiffin’ boxes and carriers as they are called. Imagine dunking a piece of uddina vada in hot tiffin sambar, absolutely to die for! Plain tiffin sambar has pearl or sambar onions and tomatoes. A fresh masala is roasted and ground everyday and then simmered in a dal gravy. The more it boils the better it tastes.
You can also choose to add a few vegetables like potatoes, beans, carrot etc into your favourite tiffin sambar. However plain also tastes really good and that is how it is generally made. You can also make it without onions and keep it simpler by making just tomato sambar. Try more sambar and kootu recipes from FOI sorekayi sambar, carrot saaru, beetroot huLi etc.
- ⅓ Cup toor dal
- ½ Tsp ghee
- 1 pinch of hing
- ¼ Tsp turmeric
- ¼ Cup grated coconut
- 1 small green chilli
- 2 Tbsp dhania
- 1 Tbsp chana dal
- 1 red chilli
- ⅛ Tsp methi seeds
- 1 pinch hing
- 1 Tsp coconut oil
- Sea salt or table salt to taste
- 1 Tsp tamarind paste or ¼ Cup tamarind pulp
- 2 Tsp sambar powder
- 1 piece jaggery
- 2 sliced shallots or 1 sliced onion
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- Few curry leaves
- 1 Tsp coconut oil
- ½ Tsp mustard
- Pressure cook washed dal for 5-6 whistles with hing, turmeric and little ghee
- When cooker cools down, mash the dal and keep aside
- In a pan, add coconut oil and roast all ingredients given under 'For masala' except coconut and green chilli, till aromatic and slightly golden
- When masala ingredients cool down take the mixture in a mixer jar
- Add grated coconut and green chilli
- Grind into a paste
- Take the paste in a vessel or pan
- Add 1 Tsp tamarind, jaggery, 2 Tsp sambar powder and sea salt
- Add about a cup of water to adjust consistency and bring to a boil
- Pour mashed dal and boil for further 2-3 minutes
- In a pan heat coconut oil and add mustard and hing
- Once mustard splutters, saute sliced onions till, 2 chopped tomatoes, curry leaves
- After the tomatoes soften add this to boiling sambar, mix well
- Boil for 5 more minutes
- Serve hot with idli!
You can also use ghee for making tadka but coconut oil has a distinct aroma and flavour as well
You can also make sambar with leftover plain dal
Tiffin Sambar Stepwise:
Pressure cook washed dal for 5-6 whistles with hing, turmeric and little ghee
When cooker cools down, mash the dal and keep aside
In a pan, add coconut oil and roast all ingredients given under 'For masala' except coconut and green chilli, till aromatic and slightly golden
When masala ingredients cool down take the mixture in a mixer jar
Add grated coconut and green chilli
Grind into a paste
Take the paste in a vessel or pan
Add 1 Tsp tamarind, jaggery, 2 Tsp sambar powder and sea salt
Add about a cup of water to adjust consistency and bring to a boil
Pour mashed dal and boil for further 2-3 minutes
In a pan heat coconut oil and add mustard and hing
Once mustard splutters, saute sliced onions till, 2 chopped tomatoes, curry leaves
After the tomatoes soften add this to boiling sambar, mix well
Boil for 5 more minutes
Serve hot with idli!
