Hotel Style tiffin sambar recipe

 

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Cuisine: south indian

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

for cooking the lentils:

• ½ cup tuvar dal
• ½ cup masoor dal
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2.5 to 3 cups for water for pressure cooking

for sambar and tempering:

• 9 to 10 small brinjals, 100 gms
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium potato
• 1 large onion or 4 to 5 shallots, 90 to 100 gms
• 3 medium to large tomatoes, 220 to 230 gms
• 1 tbsp tamarind soaked in ¼ to ½ cup warm water
• 1.5 cups water added later or add as required
• salt as required
• tempering:
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 to 5 curry leaves
• ½ tsp asafoetida powder/hing - if you have a strong asafoetida, then add ¼ tsp
• ½ tsp mustard seeds/rai or sarson
• 1 tsp urad dal/husked and split black lentil

for the sambar masala:

• 5 byadagi/bedgi chilies or 4 to 5 dry red chilies (reduce depending upon the heat in the chilies)
• 11- 12 large curry leaves or 16-18 small curry leaves
• 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp chana dal/split & husked bengal gram
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp whole black pepper
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 tsp oil

1. i took half-half of tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils and masoor dal/pink lentils. you can also just take 1 cup of tuvar dal.

2. rinse the lentils well and then add them to the pressure cooker with 2.5 cups water and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

3. pressure cook the lentils till they are soft and well cooked. they should have softened well, so that they can be easily mashed. mash the lentils and keep aside.

4. in a small frying pan, heat oil and fry the whole spices for the sambar masala. first fry the mustard till it crackles. then add the coriander, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, chana dal (bengal gram), curry leaves and dry red chilies. stir and saute till the spices become aromatic. keep aside to cool. your kitchen will smell fragrant when frying these spices.

5. once the spices cool, grind them to a powder in a dry grinder or coffee grinder. keep aside.

6. take 1 tbsp tamarind.

7. soak the tamarind in warm water for 25 to 30 mins.

8. later squeeze the tamarind pulp. strain and keep aside.

9. chop the veggies. for brinjals, you chop them and add them to water, so that no discoloration occurs.

10. in a pot, heat oil first. add the mustard seeds and urad dal(husked and split black lentil). let the mustard crackle and the urad dal turn into a maroonish color.

11. add quartered onions or shallots, curry leaves and asafoetida. stir and and saute for 2 minutes.

12. then add the veggies and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.

13. add the tomatoes, salt and continue to saute for 6 to 7 minutes more.

14. pour water.

15. add the strained tamarind pulp and stir well.

16. simmer until the raw aroma of the tamarind goes away. if the vegetables are not cooked, then continue to simmer they soften.

17. now add the ground sambar masala which we have already prepared. stir.

18. add the mashed lentils.

19. stir and simmer sambar for about 6 to 7 minutes. add hot water if required, depending on the consistency you want. the sambar served in the hotels is usually thinner.

20. garnish with coriander leaves and serve the tiffin sambar hot with idli, medu vada ordosa.