Instant tiffin sambar recipe, sambar without dal. Easy to make tiffin sambar without dal and sambar powder, recipe with full video and step-by-step pictures.
We make sambar using toor dal or moong dal. We don’t use any cooked dal in this recipe, instead, we use pottukadalai | roasted gram dal. When we have sudden guests at home or running out of time to cook the dal, you can make this instant sambar.
This sambar pairs well with Idli, dosa, and Pongal. This won’t go well with rice. I added carrot to this sambar, apart from onion and tomato. You can add capsicum, yellow pumpkin, brinjal, or drumsticks too. Even you can skip the veggies and add only onion and tomato.
Apart from this, we have a lot of sambar varieties in Jeyashris kitchen. Check out our Hotel sambar recipe , Arachuvitta vengaya sambar , Thakkali sambar
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- Soak a small lemon sized tamarind in water and take 1.5 cups of thin tamarind extract.

- In a pan add 2 tsp of oil and add the coriander seeds and red chili.
- Saute this for 2 minutes and then add the 5 shallots.
- Saute everything till the onions change color. Cook on medium flame.

- Now add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.

- Switch off the flame and add the cumin seeds and the potttukadalai.

- Cool this and grind into a fine paste by adding water.
- Keep this aside.

- In the pan add 3 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds, slit green chili and curry leaves.
- Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the small onions.
- Saute till translucent.

- Now add in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

- Add in the carrots, you can add capsicum or pumpkin too.

- Mix well and add in the tamarind water.
- Add turmeric powder,asafoetida and salt.

- Let this boil for 7-9 minutes in a medium flame till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off.

- Now add in the ground paste and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency.

- Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.
- Instant tiffin sambar is ready.

- Serve with Idli, Dosa, Pongal or Kuzhi paniyaram.

- Do not add more pottukadalai than the quantity mentioned, it won’t taste good.
- This Instant sambar pairs well with tiffin items only, and not with rice.

Instant sambar recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup peeled shallots
- ½ tomato
- ½ carrots
- 1.5 cups thin tamarind extract
- Salt as needed
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 pinches asafoetida
- 3 tsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 green chili
- Few curry leaves
To grind
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tbsp dhaniya | coriander seeds
- 5 shallots
- ½ tomato
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp pottukadalai | roasted gram dal
- 4 red chilis
Instructions
- Soak a small lemon sized tamarind in water and take 1.5 cups of thin tamarind extract.
- In a pan add 2 tsp of oil and add the coriander seeds and red chili.
- Saute this for 2 minutes and then add the 5 shallots.
- Saute everything till the onions change color. Cook in a medium flame.
- Now add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
- Switch off the flame and add the cumin seeds and the potttukadalai.
- Cool this and grind into a fine paste by adding water.
- Keep this aside.
- In the pan add 3 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds, slit green chili and curry leaves.
- Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the small onions.
- Saute till translucent.
- Now add in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the carrots, you can add capsicum or pumpkin too.
- Mix well and add in the tamarind water.
- Add turmeric powder and salt.
- Let this boil for 7-9 minutes in a medium flame till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off.
- Now add in the ground paste and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency.
- Mix well and let this boil for 3 minutes.
- Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.
- Instant tiffin sambar is ready.
- Serve with Idli, Dosa, Pongal or Kuzhi paniyaram.