Published: by Absolutely Recipes, in the recipes category.

Tiffin Sambar Recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup dal (lentils) (refer notes)
2 cups water to cook dal
2 tbsp tamarind (use as needed)
salt as needed
12 to 15 shallots or 1 medium onion diced
6 to 8 french beans (green beans)
1 medium carrot diced
1/2 cup pumpkin cubed (optional)
1 large tomato chopped or mashed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional, for heat)
2 tbsps coriander leaves with stalks (chopped finely)
41/2 cups water (adjust depending on quality of dal)
tempering
1 tbsp oil or ghee (adjust to taste)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 dried red chili broken
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
for idli sambar powder (or use 1 to 1 1/2 tbsps store bought)
1/2 tbsp urad dal (skinned black gram)
1 tbsp chana dal (bengal gram)
3 dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
2 tbsp coconut grated fresh (optional)

Recipe Instructions:

For idli sambar
rinse and pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water for 2 whistles or until soft.
Or alternately cook in a pot until soft.
If using a instant pot, pressure cook on high pressure for 10 mins & wait for natural pressure release.
Mash it and set aside.
If you like the hotel style tiffin sambar, you can also add pumpkin to the dal for cooking.
Mash everything together and set aside.
Soak tamarind in little hot water, squeeze and extract the pulp.
Keep this aside.
Making tiffin sambar powder
in a pan, dry roast red chilies, chana dal and urad dal on a medium flame until lightly golden.
Next add coriander seeds and roast all of them until a nice smell comes.
When the dals turn deep golden remove to a plate.
Next in the same pan saute methi seeds until slightly dark then add cumin.
When the cumin turns aromatic remove to a plate.
Cool these completely and make a fine powder.
How to make idli sambar
add oil to a pot and heat up.
Throw in the cumin, mustard and methi.
When they pop, add red chilies, curry leaves and hing.
When the leaves turn crisp, set aside half the tempering if you wish to add at the end.
Add veggies and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and saute until soft.
Sprinkle sambhar powder and red chilli powder if using.
Saute for a minute without burning.
Pour water and cook until the vegetables are soft cooked.
Next pour filtered tamarind and then the mashed dal.
Stir and bring the idli sambar to a boil.
Taste test and add more tamarind or salt as needed.
Add the rest of the tempering and coriander leaves.
When it begins to bubble.
Switch off.
You can also make a fresh tempering but i don??t do.
Serve idli sambar hot with soft idli, dosa, uthappam, pongal & vada.

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