Idli sambar recipe made with dal, quick cook veggies, spices and herbs. This is my version of the quick tiffin sambar that goes good with most South Indian breakfasts. You can serve this flavorful & delicious tiffin sambar with Soft idli, Instant Rava idli, medu vada, khara pongal, Crispy dosa, masala dosa and most other tiffins.
On most weekdays, we eat the typical South Indian breakfast like idli, dosa and pesarattu since they are high in protein and healthy as well.
Sometimes I make mini idli for dinner when the kids ask for it. This sambar along with the mini idli and ghee is one of my kids’ favorites.
There are few different ways a sambhar is made, one of them is this South Indian sambar which I shared earlier.
But today’s recipe is made in a very simple method using quick cooking veggies like shallots, carrots and beans. Hence it doesn’t take much time to prepare and can be made even in the early morning.
I am also sharing how to make instant sambar powder just enough for this recipe. I always make this tiffin sambar with homemade powder. If you are new to making Indian food, then do check out the tips below.
Step-by-step photos
Preparation idli sambar recipe
1. Add ¾ cup dal to a pressure cooker and rinse it very well a few times. I use ½ cup toor dal and ¼ moong dal as moong dal gives a nice texture. Hotels use masoor dal instead of moong dal. Then pour 2 cups water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles until soft. You can also add a piece of red pumpkin to the dal.
2. When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid and mash it well to very smooth texture. If using red pumpkin, mash that as well to smooth. That lends a unique sweet flavor that we often find in South Indian Hotels.
Making spice powder
3. While the dal cooks, make the sambar powder if you don’t have. On a medium to low flame, dry roast the following until light golden.
- 3 to 4 dried red chilies
- 1 tablespoon chana dal
- ½ tablespoon urad dal
4. When the dal turns light golden add 1 tablespoon coriander seeds. Dry roast until they begin to smell good. Remove to a plate. Then add ¼ teaspoon methi seeds. Roast until the methi seeds turn slightly dark. Then add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. If using coconut you can add it now and saute for a minute. This time I did not have so i skipped it. Cool this and make a fine powder.
5. Soak 2 tablespoons tamarind in hot water. You can also use tamarind paste as needed.
How to make idli sambar
6. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a pot. Add ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds, ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 pinch of methi seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter, add 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 broken red chilies. Saute until the red chilies turn crisp. Add 1 pinch hing. I set aside half of this tempering to add at the end.
7. Add 12 to 15 shallots (or 1 medium diced onion), 1 medium sized carrot diced and 6 to 8 french beans (chopped to ¾ inch).
8. Saute all of them for 3 minutes.
9. Add 1 large chopped or mashed ripe tomato, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric and ¾ teaspoon salt.
10. On a slightly high heat, saute until the tomatoes turn mushy. Since they are fine chopped they get cooked fast.
11. Add sambar powder, saute for a minute without burning. this brings out the aroma of sambar powder.
12. Pour 4 to 4½ cups water and add a bit of jaggery. It is optional to use jaggery. Adjust the quantity of water as needed. Since I use moong dal I add more water. With only toor dal or masoor dal, you will need less water.
13. Cook until the veggies are soft cooked. Filter tamarind to the pot. If you do not like the flavor of tamarind, you can boil the sambar for a while before adding the dal.
14. Add mashed dal to the pot. Dal must be mashed completely. Mix and allow to bubble. Taste test and add more salt, tamarind & jaggery as needed.
15. Add chopped coriander leaves. Optionally you can make a fresh tempering the same way I showed in step 6. I added the tempering that was set aside. When the sambar begin to bubble, switch off the stove.
I usually make mini idli or the regular idli to go with this sambar. But this also goes well with other breakfasts like pongal, dosa, uthappam , vada .
You may want to check this detailed recipe of soft idli.
Place the idlis in a deep serving bowl or plate. Add ghee and then pour the sambhar. Serve hot.
Tips to make idli sambar
- The taste and aroma of a sambhar depends on the powder used. So if you like to use a ready powder, use one that has a good aroma. You can also make the powder from this sambar powder recipe.
- To make tiffin sambar avoid using veggies like brinjal, and bhindi as they lend a different flavor that doesn’t go well with idli or any breakfasts.
- Most hotels use pumpkin to make tiffin sambar as it lends a unique sweet flavor & thickens the sambar. If you have golden pumpkin just go ahead and add few cubes along with the dal to pressure cook. Mash them up very well along with dal.
- Most tiffin centers use a mix of tuvar and masoor dal to make idli sambar. I prefer to use toor dal and moong dal. You can experiment with these 3 kinds of lentils.
- I make the sambar powder the previous night as it saves some time in the morning.
- This idli sambar can be prepared just under 35 mins including cooking dal, making sambar powder and making the sambar. If you add veggies like drumsticks it will take longer.
More similar recipes
Drumstick sambar
Andhra pappu chaaru
Recipe
Idli sambar recipe | How to make idli sambar | Tiffin sambar
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup dal (lentils) (refer notes)
- 2 cups water to cook dal
- 2 tablespoon 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
- ½ cup pumpkin cubed (optional)
- 1 large tomato chopped or mashed
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves with stalks (chopped finely)
- 4½ cups water (adjust depending on quality of dal)
Tempering
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee (adjust to taste)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 1 dried red chili broken
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
for idli sambar powder (or use 1 to 1½ tbsps store bought)
- ½ tablespoon urad dal (skinned black gram)
- 1 tablespoon chana dal (bengal gram)
- 3 dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
- 2 tablespoon coconut grated fresh (optional)
Instructions
Preparation 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 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.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Evelyn L. Kendall says
How much sambar powder do you add?
swasthi says
Hi,
I have given the recipe for sambar powder as well in the recipe. Use up the entire powder. If using store bought, use 1½ tablespoons.
Vinod raji says
We had tried the above recipe with masala dosa.. super and excellent recipe I had ever in my life….thanks you….
swasthi says
Welcome! Glad to know it turned out good.
Thank you
Srilakshmi says
Such a lovely recipe! I did tweak the number of dry red chillies used in the sambhar powder since I love my food on the spicier side. But the sambhar was overall so tasty and comforting! Thank you for the detailed explanation!
Amitha Arvind says
Very tasty. It’s better than hotel Sambar. Yummy
swasthi says
Hi Amitha,
Thank you so much for trying the recipe. Happy to know you liked it.
🙂
Laura says
Yummyest sambar ever
swasthi says
Thank you Laura
Jyoti says
Tried this today for the first time. I usually make plain moong dal sambar without sambar powder for tiffin. But this tasted awesome just like restaurant sambar. Awesome recipe. I will prepare this more often. Thank you!
swasthi says
Welcome Jyoti
Thanks for the comment. Happy to know it turned out good.
🙂
Maria says
Which red chilly is used to make sambar powder . Is it Kashmiri
swasthi says
Maria,
I use kashmiri red chilies. Even byadgi or any other less spicy one is better to get a good color yet taste very mild and not very hot
Risa says
I tried the Kerala rasam without powder recipe, it turned out great. Then I tried this Sambhar recipe – my husband and I enjoyed it very much. Satisfied my pregnancy cravings 🙂
Thanks!!
Mahesh kumar says
I like it
swasthi says
Thank you
Sohana says
good combination for breakfast ..yummy button idlis
swasthi says
Thank you Sohana
Seema says
Best tiffin sambar recipe ever…family loved it.making it again today.thank you
swasthi says
Welcome seema
Glad to know you all liked it.
Thanks for writing
Bindu saravanan says
Superb taste, i have tried it and my husband likes it very much. Thank u for the recipe
swasthi says
Welcome Bindu
Glad to know you liked it
Natesan says
Use full nice idea
Nicholas says
Very delicious food
swasthi says
Thank you
MAHALAKSHMI says
Where to get mini idli mould? I need 3 for 54 idlies? Are they stackable? I saw separate without stick….shall we cook in indelium idli steamer pot?
swasthi says
Hi Mahalakshmi
You will get mini idli mould in most places in south India, especially in bangalore. I bought mine in singapore. I think if you get the plates you can stack them on any other idli stand. Indelium is not good for health, so I do not use it.
sagar says
We made this sambhar yesterday and it went wonderful.. tastes yummy.. Thanks swasthi
swasthi says
welcome
Farhana s says
Hai swasti,
how r u?I have tried u r recipes its really good n my family also loved it thanks a lot may God bless you.
swasthi says
Hi Farhana
I am really sorry. Don’t know how I missed to reply your comment. I am fine. Thank a ton for the wishes. Glad to know you all loved the food.
Far haha s says
Hai swasti,
how r u?I have tried u r recipes its really good n my family also loved it thanks a lot may God bless you.
Ranju says
Hi Swasti,
All the recipes I’ve tried from your blog have turned out too good.
Keep posting new recipes
swasthi says
Hi Ranju
Thanks for trying. Yes will surely keep posting
🙂
Ana says
Useful & well explained
swasthi says
Thank you
Arshi says
Hello swasthi ma’am how r u? Thank u soo much for ur sambar recipe …I tried it nd it was awesum my son liked a lot …….thanxx for sharing ……nd keep on posting ur wonderful recipes have a wonderful week ahead …..may god bless u
swasthi says
Hi Arshi,
I am fine. Thanks for asking. You are welcome. So happy to know your son liked it. Its my kids favorite too. Will surely keep posting more. Thanks for the wishes and you too have a great week ahead.
🙂