Chettinad Tiffin Sambar

Tiffin Sambar (Chettinad)
Sambar or sambhar or sambaaru in Tamil is a South Indian Dish which originated from South India and spread throughout the World. The South Indian Dishes namely Idli and Sambar are a World famous combination, which is available throughout the World and South India is famous for this duo.

Sambar is a dish of South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisine. The popular Sambar is known as Pappucharu in Telugu and is made in Andhra Pradesh with little variation. Sambar is a vegetarian side dish suitable for Rice, Idli or Dosa. 

The Sambar suitable for Idli and Dosa is called the Tiffin Sambar and the one suitable for Rice is the Meals Sambar. There is some small variation between the two.

Sambar is a stew made up of vegetables and a broth made of dhal and tamarind. 

Here goes the Tiffin Sambar.

Tiffin Sambar Ingredients:
Tuvar dal                                  – 1 cup

Turmeric powder                      – ¼ tsp
Drumstick                                -1/2
Brinjal                                      – 2
Potato                                       – 1
Green chilli                              – 6
Tomato                                    – 1
Small onion                              – 10
Curry leaves                             – few
Coriander                                 – few
Tamarind                                  – small lime size
Salt                                          – to taste
Sambar podi                             – 2 tsp

For seasoning:

Oil                                           – 3 tsp
Mustard                                    – ¼ tsp
Urad dal                                   – ¼ tsp
Fenugreek                                – ¼ tsp

Asafoetida                                – 2 pinch

Tiffin Sambar Method:


Cut drumstick and brinjal into one inch pieces. Peel the small onion and potato. Chop potato and tomato into cubes. Break the green chilli. Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp. Cook tuvar dal with turmeric powder.

Add drumstick, brinjal, potato, green chilli, tomato to the tuvar dal and cook for a whistle.

 Open the cooker and add tamarind pulp and salt and boil for some time.

 Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard, urad dal, fenugreek, asafoetida and curry leaves and add to the sambar.

Add sambar powder and boil for a few minutes and add coriander leaves and serve with dosa, idli, ven pongal, vada, upma etc.

For sambar podi: Sambar Powder:

Always add tamarind pulp at the end while making sambar.
 If you add at the beginning the dal will not get cooked properly.
Add the sambar powder at the end, then only the aroma will be nice.