How long does Tiffin Sambar take?

40 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.

How many people does Tiffin Sambar serve?

2. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.

Is Tiffin Sambar vegetarian?

Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.

Is Tiffin Sambar spicy?

It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.

What do I need to make Tiffin Sambar?

½ cup Toor Dal, 1 tbsp Tamarind, ¼ cup Yellow Pumpkin, 5 Dry Red Chilli, 15 Small Onion (Shallots), 1 Tomato, and a few more listed on this page.

Do I need a pressure cooker for Tiffin Sambar?

Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.

How many calories are in Tiffin Sambar?

About 513 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Tiffin SambarCook

Tiffin Sambar

Name: Tiffin Sambar
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Tamarind; ½ cup Water; ½ cup Toor Dal; ¼ cup Yellow Pumpkin, Diced; ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder; 2 cup Water; 5 Dry Red Chilli; 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds; 2 tbsp Chana Dal; ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds; ½ tsp Cumin; 1 tbsp Oil; ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds; ¼ tsp Urad Dal (split); 2 Dry Red Chilli; ¼ tsp Asafoetida; 15 Small Onion (Shallots), Chopped; 1 Tomato, Chopped; As Needed Salt; 1 tbsp Ghee; 1 cup Water; 2 tsp Jaggery; 10 Curry leaves; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped

40 min
mild
Serves 2
92% liked
36 people cooked this

Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min

Start cooking

8 steps, each one filmed. A short video for every step, so your hands never have to leave the pan.

Shop

Also known as Toor Dhal Sambar, Breakfast Sambar, Hotel Tiffin Sambar, Idli Sambar · Veg · Curries & Gravies, Kuzhambu, Sambar & Rasam

Curries & Gravies Kuzhambu, Sambar & Rasam Dal

Tiffin sambar of toor dal and yellow pumpkin with shallots, tamarind and freshly ground sambar powder. Mild, serves 2, about 40 minutes, step-by-step video.

You’ll need: Pressure Cooker

Good for: Pongal, Rainy Day

Ingredients

21 items

2 people

Tamarind1 tbsp
Water3½ cup
Toor Dal½ cup
Yellow Pumpkin, Diced¼ cup
Turmeric Powder¼ tsp
Dry Red Chilli7
Coriander Seeds2 tbsp
Chana Dal2 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds½ tsp
Cumin½ tsp
Oil1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds¼ tsp
Urad Dal (split)¼ tsp
Asafoetida¼ tsp
Small Onion (Shallots), Chopped15
Tomato, Chopped1
SaltAs Needed
Ghee1 tbsp
Jaggery2 tsp
Curry leaves10
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp

Contains: milk, wheat.

Nutrition

Per 1 person, and for all 2 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.

Nutrient	Per 1 person	All 2 people
Energy	513kcal	1026kcal
Protein	19g	38g
Carbohydrate	71g	142g
Fat	20g	41g
Fibre	20g	39g
Sugar	16g	32g

Cookd masalas for toor dal

Method

1
Soak tamarind in ½ Cup of water and extract tamarind juice.
TamarindWater
2
Wash the Dal until the water is clear.
Toor Dal
3
Pressure cook the Toor dal and pumpkin with turmeric powder, 2 Cups of water for 8 whistles and mash the dal and pumpkin. Keep aside.
Yellow PumpkinTurmeric PowderWater
4
Dry roast and grind all the ingredients under Sambar powder into a powder.
Dry Red ChilliCoriander SeedsChana DalFenugreek SeedsCumin
5
Heat oil in a Kadai, add mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli and asafoetida. Add the chopped shallots, tomato and saute for a minute.
OilMustard SeedsUrad Dal (split)Dry Red ChilliAsafoetidaSmall Onion (Shallots)Tomato
6
Add the salt, sambar powder and cook for 2 mins. Add the tamarind juice to the Kadai and let it simmer for 3 mins.
Salt
7
Add ghee. Add the mashed dal and pumpkin mixture, 1 Cup water and Jaggery to the Kadai and let it simmer for 5 mins.
GheeWaterJaggery
8
Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and serve hot with Dosa/Idly/Pongal.
Curry leavesCoriander Leaves

Before you start

How long does Tiffin Sambar take?: 40 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.
How many people does Tiffin Sambar serve?: 2. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
Is Tiffin Sambar vegetarian?: Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
Is Tiffin Sambar spicy?: It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
What do I need to make Tiffin Sambar?: ½ cup Toor Dal, 1 tbsp Tamarind, ¼ cup Yellow Pumpkin, 5 Dry Red Chilli, 15 Small Onion (Shallots), 1 Tomato, and a few more listed on this page.
Do I need a pressure cooker for Tiffin Sambar?: Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
How many calories are in Tiffin Sambar?: About 513 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Tips from other cooks

9 notes

N
NavyajaJune 2024
Really superb
kirthanaJune 2024
it was amazing. step by step process really helped me set things in motion.
S
Shivaani SelvamJanuary 2022
nice taste
K
KBVOctober 2026
Chennai style Sambar, Good one
I
ijazAugust 2024
❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰
D
Divya NairFebruary 2024
quick and delicious. prep a bit and whoa you have yummy sambar hot in the morning without much hassle.
C
A Cookd cookJuly 2023
An easy but best Tiffin Sambar ever!
Dr. SasikanthMarch 2023
i didn't have pumpkin hence I haven't used it still it turned out good 😊 . thank you for the recipe enjoying the app so far
R
Rohan RamaDecember 2021
easy enough to make, delicious. best to peel the small onions in advance to save time. great recipe though