Idli Sambar Recipe (Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar)

For cooking lentils

• ¼ cup arhar dal (husked and split tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
• ¼ cup masoor dal (husked and split red lentils)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
• 1.25 to 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking - for a 2 litre cooker

For tempering

• 2 tablespoons oil (gingelly oil, sunflower oil or peanut oil)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black lentil)
• 4 to 5 curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)

For cooking veggies

• 1 large onion or 10 to 12 pearl onions or shallots or 90 to 100 grams onions
• 3 medium tomatoes or 220 to 230 grams tomatoes
• 1 to 2 drumsticks - scraped and chopped in 2 to 3 inch pieces
• 1 medium carrot
• 6 to 7 green beans or flat beans - chopped
• 1 medium potato - optional
• 4 to 5 okra - chopped
• 6 to 7 small brinjals (baingan or eggplant) or 80 to 100 grams
• 1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required
• salt as required

For tamarind pulp

• 1 tablespoon tamarind
• ¼ to ⅓ cup warm or hot water

For sambar powder

• 5 kashmiri chilies or byadagi/bedgi chilies or 4 to 5 dry red chilies - reduce depending upon the heat in the chilies
• 11 to 12 large curry leaves or 16 to 18 small curry leaves
• 1.5 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon whole black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• 2 teaspoons oil (gingelly oil, sunflower oil or peanut oil)

Other ingredients

• 1 cup water to be added later or add as required
• few coriander leaves for garnish