tiffin sambar

When we were in India last December, our hotel in Tirupati had one of the best south Indian breakfasts ever.  We made a beeline for the tiffin counter every morning, piling idlis, dosa and vadas onto our plate. However, what we really were after was the sambar that went with it.  Spicy and tangy, with a slight hint of sweet, it was so delicious!  And so on the last day, I did something quite out of character and asked if I could talk to the chef.  The poor man came out of the kitchen looking quite nervous, probably thinking there was a complaint.  Feeling equally nervous, I asked if I could have the recipe for the sambar.  He was kind enough to give a list of ingredients and brief description before rushing back to his kitchen.  And after promptly noting it down on my phone, it was experiment time in my kitchen.

The name tiffin sambar refers to its association with a south Indian tiffin, which is a meal that can be anything from a breakfast to a late-night snack, to a meal between meals!  In many ways, tiffin is the ultimate street food in the south and you will find small eateries and roadside carts packed with customers at any time of the day eating idlies, vadas and dosas off a banana leaf or a disposable leaf plate.  And if you are doing take-out, sambar in a small bag is always included.

The backbone of this sambar is of course, the masala.  It had some non-traditional (to me) ingredients like sesame seeds and roasted gram (dalia).  In my excitement of getting the recipe, I forgot to ask if he made it fresh every morning as a wet paste or powder.  Not having that information, I decided to go the powder route for the sheer convenience.  One of these days, I might try making a wet masala too and see if it alters the taste.

The powder stays fresh for many months in the refrigerator or freezer and so you can make a big batch.  You want to make sure that you roast the spices on a medium flame because any hint of scorching will give the sambar an unpleasent taste.  I used my trusted Byadgi chillies for this since they are not too spicy and give a wonderful color.  You can substitute with Kashmiri chillies if you can’t get your hold of the Byadgi.

I usually add a bunch of vegetables in sambar and this one has only onions and tomatoes.  Took a little getting used to, but makes complete sense since you want it to be a complement to the actual tiffin item and not have to worry about chunks of different vegetables interfering with it.  I do prefer the one with vegetables for eating with rice and have a couple of recipes on the blog like the instant pot sambar and the beetroot sambar.

This sambar has become our favorite to have with any tiffin item and I hope you try making it sometime too!

Print Recipe

Tiffin Sambar

Spicy and tangy with a hint of sweet, it's a perfect accompaniment to your idlis, vadas and dosas.

Ingredients

• Sambar Masala:
• 1/4 cup tuvar dal
• 1/3 cup roasted gram (dalia)
• 1/2 cup dried coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup coriander (dhania) seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 10-15 byadgi chillies*
• 1/2 tbsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
• 6-8 small cloves garlic
• 1 tsp oil like canola, peanut, sunflower
• Sambar:
• 1 cup tuvar dal
• 3/4 cup shallots or onions, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 3-4 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
• 2-3 tbsp jaggery
• 1 tbsp any light oil
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• Tempering( tadka):
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp asafetida
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 dried red chilli
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

1

For the sambar powder:

2

Heat a pan on medium heat, add the oil and then add the fenugreek seeds. After a few seconds, add the tuvar dal and start to roast it, stirring constantly until the fenugreek seeds start to change color. Do not raise the heat above medium.

3

Add the coriander seeds and red chillies and continue to roast until the coriander seeds start to crisp up.

4

By this time, the tuvar dal should have started to change color too. Now add the cumin seeds, garlic and sesame seeds. Stir for a couple of mins.

5

Add the roasted gram (dalia) and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring often. Then add the dried coconut and stir until the mixture gives a nice aroma. Don't let it change color.

6

Transfer this to a plate to cool. Let it cool completely and then powder in the blender.

7

Sambar:

8

Rinse the tuvar dal 2-3 times and cook in a pressure cooker for three whistles or instant pot for 8-10 mins on high pressure.

9

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a stockpot or a similar pan and add the onions. Saute on medium heat until it starts to soften. Then add the tomatoes and cook until it starts to soften.

10

Add 4-5 tbsp of the sambar masala, two cups of water, the tamarind and jaggery along with some salt. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the cooked dal, another 3-4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped cilantro.

11

Lower the heat and let it continue to cook for about ten mins and make the tempering.

12

Tempering:

13

Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the cumin seeds, asafetida, dried red chillies and finally the curry leaves. Pour this over the sambar and stir. Add some salt if needed.

14

Garnish with some more fresh cilantro (dhania) and serve with tiffin of choice!

Notes

* The heat content and color of the powder will depend on what chillies you use so please pay attention to that. You can also adjust the amount of the byadgi chillies based on how spicy you like your food.