Idli Sambar Recipe (Tiffin Sambar)
Make delicious and easy Idli sambar at home. This is a delicious stew made with lentils, spice powder, quick cook veggies & herbs. Serve it with idli, dosa or vada. This Idli sambar tastes delicious & is super aromatic!
© Swasthi's Recipes
Servings: 5 to 6 people
Ingredients
- 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
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional, for heat)
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves with stalks (chopped finely)
- 4½ cups water (adjust depending on quality of dal)
To Temper
- 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
- 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.
Make 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 1697mg | Fiber: 32g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 3635IU | Vitamin C: 190mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 10.5mg
