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    Home » Dals

    Published: Sep 11, 2015 · Modified: Nov 18, 2020 by Usha Rao

    Tiffin Sambar

    Sambar is a lentil stew with lots of vegetables, cooked in tamarind juice and spiced with samabr powder. It is a common preparation in South Indian homes. I was always under the impression that the lentils used in sambar is toor dal or a mixture of toor and moong dal. I was surprised when I saw Sharmi’s tiffin sambar which is prepared with moong dal. On further Google search, most of the tiffin sambar recipes I came across called for moong dal. I make nimmakaya pappu chaaru or pappu khut with moong dal without any vegetables or tamarind in it. Since moong dal is light on the stomach and easy to digest, I wanted to give it try.

    Bowl of moong dal sambar.

    I paired it with ven pongal. Most of the tiffin recipes I came across called for potatoes and I was unsure if I would like it in sambar. I skipped the potatoes and used carrots, radish & tomatoes. This sambar is suppose to be on the milder side and not tangy at all. From what I have read, tamarind can even be omitted.

    A platter of South Indian breakfast consisting of kara pongal, coconut chutney, tiffin sambar and mango pickle.

    Total Time: 30 - 35 minutes
    Preparation: 10 minutes
    Cooking Time: 20 - 25 minutes
    Serves: 3 - 5

    Ingredients:

    • ¼ cup Moong Dal
    • 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Oil
    • ¼ tsp, Cumin Seeds
    • ¼ Mustard Seeds
    • ⅛ - ¼ tsp. Hing ~ Asafoetida
    • 4 Pearl Onion (I used frozen and cut each into half as the onions were big)
    • 2 Green Chilies
    • 6-8 Curry Leaves
    • 1 medium sized Carrot, peeled & sliced
    • 3 Red Radish, cut into 2-3 slices
    • 1 medium sized Tomato, cut into cubes
    • ⅛ - ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
    • 1 ¾ - 2 tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
    • ½ - 1 tsp. Tamarind Paste (I used homemade paste)
    • Cilantro to garnish

    Sambar Powder

    • 2 tsp. Chana Dal
    • 1 ½ tsp. Coriander Seeds
    • ¼ - ½ tsp. Fenugreek Seeds ~ Methi Seeds
    • 2 - 4 Dry Red Chilies (I used 4 and it was spicy)

    Preparation:

    • Cook Dal - Dry roast moong dal until light brown and let cool.
    • Wash and cook dal in pressure cooker with ½ - ¾ cup water until soft and mushy. In pressure cooker it takes 5 whistles on high and couple of minutes on low. I like really mushy, hence cook it little longer than actually required.
    • Sambar Powder - Dry roast spices listed under sambar powder. Cool and make a powder.
    • Sambar - In pan heat oil, add cumin, mustard seeds and let the seeds splutter.
    • Add onion, green chilies, curry leaves, vegetables, salt, turmeric, asafoetida and saute for couple of minutes until tomatoes are soft.
    • Add spice powder and stir.
    • Add dal, water, tamarind paste and bring to a boil. I forgot to note down water quantity, I think I used approximately 1 - 1 ½ cups water.
    • Boil sambar for about 5-7 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
    • Serve hot with ven pongal or idli.

    Note

    • I did not use jaggery and later, after tasting the sambar I felt something was missing. I added ¼ tsp. sugar and that balanced the flavors.

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    1. Suma Gandlur says

      September 28, 2015 at 1:17 pm

      I am not sure whether it is the Tamil Nadu thing and I too was surprised to notice the moong dal version in Tamil blogs. I don't think I have come across a similar samabhar in other states.

      Reply
    2. themadscientistskitchen says

      September 27, 2015 at 4:13 am

      I have never tried making moong dal sambhar. Must try it out.

      Reply
    3. Pavani says

      September 20, 2015 at 10:32 pm

      Moong dal makes the sambar thick and creamy. Looks delicious.

      Reply
    4. srividhya says

      September 19, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      I do tiffin sambhar with moong dhal too

      Reply
    5. Sandhiya says

      September 18, 2015 at 7:15 am

      I too make tiffin sambar with moong dal..It gives unique taste to the sambar ..Well made..

      Reply
    6. Srivalli says

      September 15, 2015 at 5:21 am

      Oh yes my mom too makes it with moong dal when she has to make it for tiffin..very nicely prepared..

      Reply
    7. sizzlingtastebuds says

      September 14, 2015 at 9:33 pm

      We make it very similarly with moong dal ! Yes it's so nutritious

      Reply
    8. cookingwithsapana says

      September 11, 2015 at 11:27 am

      I have never tried sambhar with moong dal.But it sounds so tempting. Bookamarked.

      Reply
    9. Vaishali Sabnani says

      September 11, 2015 at 1:55 am

      Sambar with moong daal sounds great, i must try this version as we all prefer moong daal to tuar daal. The carrots look like a nice contrast and make it colorful . A comfortable and doable version .

      Reply

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