Tiffin Sambar ~ South Indian Lentil and Tamarind Stew

A deliciously spicy and tangy South Indian Lentil and Tamarind Stew with Vegetables that is Vegan and Gluten Free – Tiffin Sambar, is an easier version of the regular sambar with an ever so slight difference in taste that pairs very well with South Indian breakfast items like Dosa, Idli and Pongal, commonly referred to as Tiffin items and hence the name Tiffin Sambar!

Breaking a piece of that light and crispy dosa, that glisten from the generous ghee on it, dipping it into that little stainless steel bowl of piping hot sambar, the fragrance of which you can smell miles away from the restaurant and then one more dip into some coconut chutney. Now that is the most perfect, divine, mouthful of goodness you can ever experience. Period.

Whenever we went to those little South Indian restaurants, the sambar always intrigued me. I know it was not the dosa or the ghee in it, but it was the sambar that made all the difference. I would always finish what they served at first in that small bowl and go for seconds or even thirds sometimes. Somehow, when Amma made sambar at home, it never was the same. I never bothered to ask, as I thought it might be offensive and I might hurt her feelings by asking why her sambar was not as good as the restaurant / hotel sambar (Yup, restaurants are very commonly referred to as hotels in India). Little did I know that the restaurants served Tiffin Sambars and not the Sambar we made at home that was mainly for lunch, to go with the rice.

And then one day, I remember, my Paatti (grand mom) making sambar a little differently. I could say it was different from the way it smelt from the kitchen. She served it for breakfast with some idlis and man, oh, man! That was it!!! The Hotel Sambar!!! What? Where has this been in our household all my life??? So, Amma and Paatti always made just one type of sambar that will go with both breakfast and lunch, of course! And since there was something already planned for lunch that day, Paatti made this for breakfast, just for breakfast, she was very clear about that. She was very particular about those things. Pairings of food, what needs to be eaten when, the color of the food she makes (it has to be the same every time and that’s how she knows its perfect), the scent, everything. I was intrigued. And I wanted to taste it with rice to see what the fuss was all about. And yes, she was right. It wasn’t quite all that good. It was not bad at all, quite ok, in fact, but this sambar went really well with the dosas and idlis and the regular sambar just seemed to gel better with the rice.

So, this once uses green chillies to impart some flavor and spice. And the only vegetables used are onions, tomatoes and sometimes potatoes, nothing else.  And is mostly made using moong dal instead of toor dal or pigeon pea lentils, which gives it a softer and slightly sweeter taste. I think the switching of dals is what my Paatti came up with and that this sambar can be made with toor dal also. Another thing she does to make cooking this easier at breakfast time is to cook it all together in the pressure cooker. Usually, we cook only the lentils in the pressure cooker and cook the vegetables in the tamarind sauce separately.

Enough of the stories, here is the recipe! Hope you enjoy this very treasured recipe of my Paatti’s

Tiffin Sambar – The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup yellow moong dal
• Key lime sized ball of tamarind
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 8 –10 pearl onions, peeled
• 3-4 Thai green chillies or 2 serrano chillies, slit in half lengthwise
• 1 1/2 tbsp sambar powder
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced

To temper:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp asafetida
• 2 dried red chillies
• 3-4 pearl onions, peeled and chopped

Method:

Rinse the moon dal under running water a few times, until the water is no longer cloudy. Soak the tamarind ball in 1/2 cup warm water and squeeze the pulp out of it. Strain it to a bowl and repeat with two or three more times with 1/2 cup water each time (water can be room temperature).

Add the moong dal, tamarind pulp, 2 cups water, potatoes, onions, pearl onions, tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder and sambar powder to a pressure cooker or a large pot. Cook till the dal becomes all mushy. If using a pressure cooker, let the pressure weight let the steam off (whistle) 3-4 times. Switch off and open once all the pressure is released. If cooking on stove top in a regular pot, it might take about 25 mins or so to be done.

Mix the sambar well and add salt. Heat the oil for tempering, add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the asafetida, curry leaves, dried red chillies and pearl onions. Once the onions have browned a little, pour this over the sambar. Garnish with minced cilantro and enjoy!

Tiffin Sambar ~ South Indian Lentil and Tamarind Stew

A deliciously spicy and tangy South Indian Lentil and Tamarind Stew with Vegetables that is Vegan and Gluten Free – Tiffin Sambar, is an easier version of the regular sambar with an ever so slight difference in taste that pairs very well with South Indian breakfast items like Dosa, Idli and Pongal, commonly referred to as Tiffin items and hence the name Tiffin Sambar!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: South Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Author: Manju

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yellow moong dal
• Key lime sized ball of tamarind
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 yellow potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 roma tomato diced
• 1/2 red onion chopped
• 8 –10 pearl onions peeled
• 3-4 Thai green chillies or 2 serrano chillies slit in half lengthwise
• 1 1/2 tbsp sambar powder
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup cilantro minced
• To temper:
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp asafetida
• 2 dried red chillies
• 3-4 pearl onions peeled and chopped

Instructions

• Rinse the moon dal under running water a few times, until the water is no longer cloudy. Soak the tamarind ball in 1/2 cup warm water and squeeze the pulp out of it. Strain it to a bowl and repeat with two or three more times with 1/2 cup water each time (water can be room temperature).
• Add the moong dal, tamarind pulp, 2 cups water, potatoes, onions, pearl onions, tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder and sambar powder to a pressure cooker or a large pot. Cook till the dal becomes all mushy. If using a pressure cooker, let the pressure weight let the steam off (whistle) 3-4 times. Switch off and open once all the pressure is released. If cooking on stove top in a regular pot, it might take about 25 mins or so to be done.
• Mix the sambar well and add salt. Heat the oil for tempering, add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the asafetida, curry leaves, dried red chillies and pearl onions. Once the onions have browned a little, pour this over the sambar. Garnish with minced cilantro and enjoy!

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