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    You are here: Home / RandomPosts / Tiffin Sambar | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar

    Tiffin Sambar | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar

    Last Updated On: Dec 2, 2024 by Sharmilee J

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    Tiffin Sambar is a South Indian style side dish served for breakfast or dinner with tiffin items like idli, dosa, pongal, oothapam etc. With basic ingredients this tiffin sambar can be made easily. Learn to make tiffin sambar with step by step pictures for easy reference and understanding.

    tiffin sambar served with idli

    Tiffin sambar is mittus favorite either with idli, dosa or even ven pongal.  I have shared here a basic hotel style tiffin sambar recipe with tips and tricks. I am sure you will try and share your feedback here.

    Jump to:
    • About Tiffin Sambar
    • Tiffin Sambar Ingredients
    • How to make Tiffin Sambar Step by Step
    • Serving and Storage
    • FAQS
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    About Tiffin Sambar

    Tiffin sambar is generally made with moong dal as its light perfect to pair up with tiffin items. I make this sambar with toor dal and moong dal combo too which is another version. Do try this hotel style tiffin sambar and enjoy!

    Using freshly roast and grind spices makes the sambar more flavorful. Also tempering made at the last stage and adding gives it more taste and flavor so amma always insists to make tadka at the end. This tiffin sambar recipe is basic but to make more flavorful and tasty have given tips and tricks that I follow.

    tiffin sambar served with idli

    Similar Recipes

    • Drumstick Sambar
    • Idli Sambar
    • Arachuvitta Sambar
    • Raw Mango Sambar
    • Idli, dosa
    • Ven pongal

    Tiffin Sambar Ingredients

    • Moong dal – Generally we use moong dal for making tiffin sambar but you can add half and half of moong dal with toor dal too.
    • Onion, Tomato – Small onion adds taste to sambar so I always use that. Tomato is roughly chopped and sauteed well until raw smell leaves.
    • Vegetables – You can use any vegetable of your choice. You can either use brinjal or potato or carrot or a combination of these.
    • Tamarind – Extract tamarind water / pulp by soaking dry tamarind in hot water.
    • Roast and grind spices – Freshly roast and grind spices added to this tiffin sambar gives great flavor.
    • Tempering – A tempering is made with oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing.

    How to make Tiffin Sambar Step by Step

    1.Dry roast the ingredients under ‘to roast and grind’ and grind it to a slightly coarse mixture, Set aside. Dry roast moong dal till nice aroma comes and is slightly browned.

    how to make tiffin sambar step1

    2.Cool down, rinse it well and pressure cook with enough water for 4-5 whistles until its mushy. Mash it again with a ladle, set aside. In a kadai – add the onion, tomato and green chilies. Saute till tomato shrinks and raw smell leaves.

    how to make tiffin sambar step2

    3.Then add potato and carrot along with turmeric powder and salt and saute for 2mins. Then transfer this to the cooked dal. Either you can add more water at this stage and pressure cook for 1 whistle or just cook the veggies while boiling itself. Then add the roast and grind powder.

    how to make tiffin sambar step3

    4.Soak tamarind in warm water, discard the seeds and add this to sambar, then add jaggery. Allow the sambar to boil and thicken. Add required salt.

    how to make tiffin sambar step4

    5.Once it is boiled and reaches the desired consistency, add coriander leaves. In a kadai add the items under ‘ to temper’ and transfer this to the sambar. Switch off. Tiffin sambar is ready.

    how to make tiffin sambar step5

    This is perfect with idlis and dosas. Serve hot with idlis drizzled with ghee,heaven!!

    tiffin sambar served with idli

    Expert Tips

    • Tempering at the last stage retains flavor and aroma. You can drizzle ghee while switching off. While roasting you can add 2 teaspoon of coconut too.
    • Don’t add more tamarind than mentioned as it will give a more tangy taste.
    • You can also add brinjal along with potato and carrots.
    • Use small onion as it enhances the flavor of the sambar.
    • You can replace sambar powder with freshly roasted spices.
    • Replace half and half of moong dal and toor dal.
    • Sometimes I even skip spice powder and make it less spicy more like a thick dal soup with vegetables suitable for young kids and elders.

    Serving and Storage

    Tiffin Sambar can be served with idli, dosa, pongal, kichadi etc. This sambar keeps well in fridge for 2 days, reheat and serve it.

    FAQS

    Is tiffin sambar and lunch sambar same?

    1.No tiffin sambar generally uses moong dal and toor dal can be used. But for lunch sambar toor dal is a must to be added.

    tiffin sambar served with idli

    If you have any more questions about this Tiffin Sambar Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

    Tried this Tiffin Sambar Recipe? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.

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    Tiffin Sambar Recipe | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar Recipe

    Tiffin Sambar is a South Indian style side dish served for breakfast or dinner with tiffin items like idli, dosa, pongal, oothapam etc. With basic ingredients this tiffin sambar can be made easily. Learn to make tiffin sambar with step by step pictures for easy reference and understanding.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Servings3 people
    AuthorSharmilee J

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup yellow moong dal
    • 10 small onion
    • 1 tomato
    • 1 medium sized potato
    • 1 small carrot
    • 1 green chilli
    • 1 tablespoon tamarind water
    • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
    • salt to taste

    To roast and grind:

    • 1 tablespoon chana dal
    • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
    • 1 red chilli

    To temper:

    • 1 tablespoon oil / ghee
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon split urad dal
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 10 curry leaves
    • 1 generous pinch hing

    Instructions

    • Dry roast the ingredients under ‘to roast and grind’ and grind it to a slightly coarse mixture, Set aside. Dry roast moong dal till nice aroma comes and is slightly browned.
    • Cool down, rinse it well and pressure cook with enough water for 4-5 whistles until its mushy. Mash it again with a ladle, set aside. In a kadai – add the onion, tomato and green chilies. Saute till tomato shrinks and raw smell leaves.
    • Then add potato and carrot along with turmeric powder and salt and saute for 2mins. Then transfer this to the cooked dal. Either you can add more water at this stage and pressure cook for 1 whistle or just cook the veggies while boiling itself. Then add the roast and grind powder.
    • Soak tamarind in warm water, discard the seeds and add this to sambar, then add jaggery. Allow the sambar to boil and thicken. Add required salt.
    • Once it is boiled and reaches the desired consistency, add coriander leaves. In a kadai add the items under ‘ to temper’ and transfer this to the sambar. Switch off. Tiffin sambar is ready.
    • This is perfect with idlis and dosas. Serve hot with idlis drizzled with ghee,heaven!!

    Notes

    • Tempering at the last stage retains flavor and aroma. You can drizzle ghee while switching off. While roasting you can add 2 teaspoon of coconut too.
    • Don’t add more tamarind than mentioned as it will give a more tangy taste.
    • You can also add brinjal along with potato and carrots.
    • Use small onion as it enhances the flavor of the sambar.
    • You can replace sambar powder with freshly roasted spices.
    • Replace half and half of moong dal and toor dal.
    • Sometimes I even skip spice powder and make it less spicy more like a thick dal soup with vegetables suitable for young kids and elders.
    Nutrition Facts
    Tiffin Sambar Recipe | Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (100 ml)
    Calories 263 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 0.4g3%
    Trans Fat 0.02g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Sodium 55mg2%
    Potassium 398mg11%
    Carbohydrates 42g14%
    Fiber 8g33%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 12g24%
    Vitamin A 3074IU61%
    Vitamin C 123mg149%
    Calcium 81mg8%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sharmispassions or tag #sharmispassions
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    Filed Under: For Idli, Dosa, potato recipes, RandomPosts, youmaylike

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pavithra Elangovan

      September 10, 2012 at 3:12 am

      Love this combo ever… yummm and way too tempting. I do the same way , except I add fenugreek and little coconut for roasting and grinding part. :):)

      Reply
    2. RAKS KITCHEN

      September 10, 2012 at 3:30 am

      Looks so colourful and tempting, lovely pictures as usual 🙂 kalakita po!

      Reply
    3. Vimitha Anand

      September 10, 2012 at 3:59 am

      Love sambar and idli… wonderful combo

      Reply
    4. sowmya's creative saga

      September 10, 2012 at 4:04 am

      I also prepare this when I make idli..love it..

      Reply
    5. Reshmi Mahesh

      September 10, 2012 at 4:12 am

      Tempting combo…Perfect and yummy…

      Reply
    6. Prathibha

      September 10, 2012 at 4:12 am

      very colorful n yummy ,my fav ever green combo.looks delicious

      Reply
    7. Chitra

      September 10, 2012 at 5:03 am

      Lovely clicks. i too make the same way but i use toor dal.

      Reply
    8. jeyashrisuresh

      September 10, 2012 at 6:08 am

      Super tempting sambar. Inga rendu idli and one bucket sambar parcel!!. Beautiful clicks

      Reply
    9. Priti S

      September 10, 2012 at 8:28 am

      Looks so yum ..fab pics

      Reply
    10. revathi

      September 10, 2012 at 8:40 am

      Awesome Sharmi.. lovely presentation and sambhar looks super good..:))
      Reva

      Reply
    11. Gajus kitchen

      September 10, 2012 at 8:49 am

      Like your neat and simple presentation. And the pictures are tempting..
      Especially love the sambar over the idli picture.

      Reply
    12. Priya

      September 10, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Excellent side dish for both idlies and dosas,my fav.

      Reply
    13. Vijayalakshmi Dharmaraj

      September 10, 2012 at 9:54 am

      oh sharmi… u make me drool of annapoorna sambhar… i too love it very much… hope next month will visit annapoorna… n ur sambhar looks so yumm dear… love it with dosa or pongal….
      yumm…yumm…

      Reply
    14. tamilsasikitchen

      September 10, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Wow..Lokks yum..Like to have it now…

      Reply
    15. Shanavi

      September 10, 2012 at 12:46 pm

      Looks delicious and I loooove the spread..

      Reply
    16. dassana

      September 10, 2012 at 1:01 pm

      my mouth is watering seeing the idli and sambar pics….

      Reply
    17. M D

      September 10, 2012 at 2:42 pm

      Love those spongy idlis soaking beautifully in that sambar! Beauties!

      Reply
    18. divya

      September 10, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      Wow awesome!! Looks too delectable dear 🙂

      Reply
    19. Uma Ramanujam

      September 10, 2012 at 4:06 pm

      Love love your presentation. Looks tempting..

      Reply
    20. Vandana Rajesh

      September 10, 2012 at 6:22 pm

      Loved the click and also your sambar bucket. The sambar looks so perfect and delicious.

      Reply
    21. Lubna Karim

      September 10, 2012 at 7:12 pm

      That's an mouthwatering sambar recipe….

      Reply
    22. Premalatha Aravindhan

      September 11, 2012 at 2:32 am

      Delicious sambar,loved it…

      Reply
    23. Pinky

      September 11, 2012 at 3:05 pm

      Lovely Presentation… Looks so yumm… Really look Hotel style…

      Reply
    24. Sangeetha

      September 11, 2012 at 3:23 pm

      Very flavorful n tasty sambar, just finished my breakfast but ur idly-sambar pics makes me hungry 🙂 i make it same way but instead chana dal i use urad dal…will try this soon…Lovely pics as always!!

      Reply
    25. nisha

      September 13, 2012 at 10:07 am

      one small doubt.. do you have to cut the small onions ?

      Reply
    26. Sharmilee! :)

      September 13, 2012 at 10:42 am

      @Nisha : Yes just half it 🙂

      Reply
    27. Vanamala Hebbar

      September 13, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      Lovely samabar…my fav

      Reply
    28. nothing_to_do_pregy

      September 20, 2012 at 9:12 pm

      this is such a delicious recipe – everyone at my home enjoyed this sambar

      Reply
    29. Fareeda

      September 22, 2012 at 11:12 pm

      Just made the sambar for dinner. Absolutely delicious!!!

      Thanks, this is a keeper..

      Reply
    30. Sweetlime

      October 29, 2012 at 1:44 pm

      Love it a lot

      Reply
    31. kathirdr

      November 01, 2012 at 3:33 pm

      love it… its nice…

      Reply
    32. sujku

      January 19, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Thanks for providing this information, its was really good recipe..

      Reply
    33. RENU

      January 24, 2013 at 3:56 pm

      i have a doubt…we add tamarind n boil it….u mentioned to add tamarind in the end?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee! :)

        January 24, 2013 at 4:02 pm

        I have mentioned to boil until it thickens…please check

        Reply
    34. Usha Muralidharan

      February 01, 2013 at 8:20 am

      I usually use toor dal for sambhar, does moong dal make a difference?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee! :)

        February 01, 2013 at 10:50 am

        Yes thats the speciality of tiffin sambar, do give a try and see

        Reply
    35. vinod usha

      February 04, 2013 at 8:39 pm

      Today I tried this sambar for lunch n received good name from my in-law 🙂 thanks for your recipe…

      Reply
    36. Kalaiya Kannu

      July 21, 2013 at 4:51 pm

      dear sharmi, sambar romba nalla irunduchu.veetla ellarume super sonnanga.

      Reply
    37. Kalaiya Kannu

      July 21, 2013 at 4:54 pm

      dear sharmi sambar was good ,
      my kids like the sambar………..

      Reply
    38. methemom

      October 05, 2013 at 2:48 am

      This was the first item I tried from your cookery an year ago. That was the time when I was pregnant and craved for Indian food like hell. With no experience in cooking and no one to cook for me as I live in U.S. as I tried this, it came out so much well that I started to cry getting reminded of my mom. Hubby loved it tons. Thanks a lot! You made my day! !

      Reply
    39. SHARMILEE J

      October 05, 2013 at 5:04 am

      Thank you so much for all those nice words…glad to hear that the site is of help! Keep visiting!! 🙂

      Reply
    40. hema

      October 24, 2013 at 6:09 am

      is jaggery is optional r have to had compulsory

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        October 24, 2013 at 5:31 pm

        I've already mentioned it as an optional ingredient..:)

        Reply
    41. Amrutha Ananthan

      January 22, 2014 at 11:02 am

      I tried it today…………
      its superb……….
      I loved it……….
      thank u

      Reply
    42. Maitreyee P

      March 21, 2014 at 3:48 am

      Hi,

      Tried this recipe today. The sambar turned out excellent!! Thanks a lot 🙂

      Reply
    43. priyaas

      May 07, 2014 at 2:35 pm

      Sharmi reply to this i had a great doubt that 1cup measurement means in which cup

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        May 07, 2014 at 3:03 pm

        My 1 cup measures 250ml

        Reply
    44. sheem doll

      May 25, 2014 at 4:15 pm

      Sharmi… Semma dish… Tried it jus now… My hubbi loved it a lot…

      Reply
    45. ramya uma

      June 12, 2014 at 8:37 am

      nice your all recipes sharmi…………….. thank u so much………..

      Reply
    46. Priya Mahesh

      June 21, 2014 at 2:27 pm

      Tried yesterday, came out very well. Thanks, sharmi.

      Reply
    47. lavanyaaaa

      September 23, 2014 at 6:34 pm

      Hi Sharmi,
      Tiffen Sambar looks yummy.
      Please check the last point in "My Notes" section. That point is not relevant to this recipe.
      Please update.
      Thanks.

      Reply
    48. Kaajal Bhawnani

      July 09, 2015 at 6:57 pm

      Hey
      do we need to soak the chana dal and split yellow moong dal before roasting ??

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        July 10, 2015 at 12:53 am

        Please check the stepwise, I have mentioned it clearly

        Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        July 10, 2015 at 9:32 am

        Sorry I misread it, no soaking required just rinse moong dal before pressure cooking if you want.

        Reply
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