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Showing posts with label IDLI/DOSA SAMBAR RECIPES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IDLI/DOSA SAMBAR RECIPES. Show all posts

October 6, 2016

30 Idli Sambar Recipes – South Indian Idli Sambar Varieties – Sambar For Idli, Dosa, Pongal

Idli sambar varieties
In this post, I have shared a list of 30 Idli Sambar recipes / Sambar for idli. We call it as idli sambar vagaigal in Tamil. These South Indian sambar varieties is served as the best side dish for idli, dosa, pongal and many other tiffin recipes. I hope this collection would help you all in choosing the side dish for breakfast. I got the habit and passion of trying varieties of Idli sambar, chutney recipes from my Mom. In my home, My mom makes around 10 different types of sambar recipes for idli, dosa along with some chutney recipes for everyday breakfast recipes. We used to relish the same for breakfast and dinner.

After marriage, I learnt even more simple and easy idli sambar recipes from my MIL as well. In most of the South Indian households, especially in Tamil nadu, Idli is the staple breakfast. Sambar is the most popular and the best side dish for idli, dosa and pongal. Every family have their own version of Idli sambar recipe and follow it for years. If you are looking for a change from your usual idli sambar, this collection would surely help you.

I have categorized these sambar varieties as Dal sambar varieties ( hotel style recipes), Tomato sambar recipes, Brinjal sambar recipes and Kurma varieties for idli, dosa, idiyappam and rava idli. In that, you can find varieties of moong dal sambar, toor dal sambar recipe, hotel idli sambar, easy restaurant style sambar, ghee idli sambar( mini idli sambar), Instant tiffin sambar, Easy vegetable sambar, Easy besan sambar, 6 tomato sambar varieties, 4 types of Kathirikai sambar recipes with and without tomato, Idli sambar without dal, Idli sambar with and without coconut and some Kurma kind of side dish for idli dosa like Parotta Salna, Vadacurry, Cauliflower gravy, tomato kurma etc.

Apart from this, you could also find some of the most popular South Indian speciality idli sambar recipes like Kumbakonam Kadappa, Saravana bhavan Idli Sambar, Chidambaram Brinjal Gosthu and Thanjavur Tomato gothsu for pongal and idli.For making hotel style idli sambar, we need to add roasted and ground idli sambar masala powder. So I have shared an easy, idli sambar powder/podi recipe which can be prepared and stored for weeks together. This helps you to make hotel style idli sambar instantly.

 Apart from our Tamil nadu style sambar recipes, I have also shared the links of idli sambar recipes from other states like Kerala Ulli Sambar and Udupi Hotel style sambar, Karnataka. I am yet to try Bangalore style and Andhra style idli sambar recipes. I will post them after I get a perfect recipe. Most of these recipes are learnt from my Mom, MIL and magazines. I have also shared some tips for making perfect idli sambar. Do check them out and try your favorite Idli sambar ! Share your feedback too. Ok, Lets see the collection of South Indian Idli sambar recipes below.
Check out my

50 chutney recipes

15 Idli Varieties

Idli sambar varieties - Breakfast sambar recipes


Idli sambar varieties - Breakfast sambar recipes A collection of 30 sambar recipes - Side dish for Idli, dosa
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sambar varieties
Serves: Serves 2-3
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 50 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Moong dal
  • Toor dal
  • Tomato
  • Brinjal
  • Roasted gram dal
  • Onion
  • Tamarind
  • Coconut
  • Green chillies
  • Red chillies
  • Dhania seeds/ powder
  • Chilli powder
  • Sambar powder
  • Salt & water
  • Mixed vegetables
To temper
  • Cooking oil / ghee
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urad dal
  • Cumin seeds
  • Hing/Asafetida
  • Curry leaves
  • Coriander leaves - to garnish
TIPS TIPS
  • Generally Idli sambar should be less tangy. So use less tamarind, may be small gooseberry size to make sambar for 2-3 persons OR you can use just 2 tomato instead of tamarind.
  • We should add more dal for idli sambar ( Say 1/3  - 1/2 cup for 2-3 persons) if you don’t add roasted and ground fresh powder ( Idli sambar powder).If you add Idli sambar powder, 1/4 cup dal is enough.
  • Idli sambar should not be too spicy.It should be drinkable.So use less chillies.
  • Toor dal or moong dal used in the sambar should be cooked really well, soft and mushy. Use 1:4 ratio of dal and water, add a few drops of cooking oil in the pressure cooker. If you wish, you can soak the dal for 20 minutes at the time of chopping other vegetables like onion, tomato, carrot, potato etc.
  • Cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Mash the dal with a whisk once the pressure is down. The base of sambar lies in how well the dal is cooked. Suppose if the dal is not mushy, sambar will become watery and dal looks separately in the sambar. To trouble shoot this problem, u can mix 1-2 tsp of besan flour with 1/4 cup of water and add to the dal while boiling. It will help you to give a good base to the sambar. But remember to boil the sambar till the raw smell of besan emanates.
  • Vegetables like Drumstick and Pumpkin is essential for Dal based idli sambar. In hotels, they do add drumstick in small pieces. But you should not cook drumstick along with dal. It should be cooked separately. I usually cook few drumstick pieces in a small tiffin box without adding water. It will get cooked well without losing its shape. Few pieces of pumpkin is added to give natural sweetness to sambar. But do not add more. Just 2-3 chunks would be enough for 1/2 cup of dal. Apart from these vegetables, you can add few pieces of Potato & carrot too. I feed the carrot & potato pieces to my daughter.
  • If you don’t have pumpkin in hand, you can use a small berry sized jaggery ( Sundakkai alavu)
  • Use small onions/sambar onions for best taste.
  • Try to temper the sambar in ghee. Ghee gives a great flavor to the sambar especially if its dal based. For making brinjal sambar, you can use sesame oil/Gingely oil/Nalla ennai.
  • If you don’t like to temper in ghee for dal based sambar recipes, do it using cooking oil and add a tbsp of ghee over the sambar at the end, close it with a lid and rest for 30 minutes to one hour before serving.
  • Generally idli sambar tastes the best when you give a resting time of an hour. For guests, I usually prepare the sambar well in advance and reheat it at the time of serving.
  • To make hotel style sambar, freshly roasted and ground spice powder should be used. To make this powder, use more chana dal than dhania/coriander seeds OR equal quantity of chana dal and dhania. Never forget to use methi seeds while roasting spices. Some people add curry leaves and even coconut for variations.
  • For tomato sambar recipes, adjust the number of chillies based on the ripeness of tomato.Generally Tamil nadu tomato ( Naatu thakkali) tastes sour than Bangalore tomato.
  • For brinjal sambar recipes, adding tamarind is mandatory because brinjal has a slight bitterness naturally.To avoid this, tamarind should be added but in a minimum quantity based on the recipe.
  • To make Kurma style side dish for idli, dosa you can either grind coconut + whole spices and add to the tomato, onion, vegetables base OR saute the whole spices before adding onions, tomato and proceed without coconut paste.
  • Last but not the least, add a tsp of gingely oil while serving the sambar especially for tomato sambar and brinjal sambar. It adds a great taste to the sambar.
  • Hope you find these tips useful. Ok, Lets move on to the collection below 
    DAL SAMBAR VARIETIES
    Hotel idli sambar Saravana bhavan idli sambar
     Mini idli sambar Kerala Ulli sambar/ Onion sambar
     Udupi hotel style sambar Hotel sambar - Easy version
     Carrot sambar for kids Instant tiffin sambar 
    Toor dal sambar A2b style sambar
     Tirunelveli style sambar  Easy moong dal sambar
       Vegetable idli sambar Besan sambar/ Kadalai maavu sambar
    Toor dal + Moong dal sambar


      BRINJAL SAMBAR VARIETIES

        Easy brinjal gosthu Chidambaram brinjal gothsu
       Brinjal sambar/ Kathirikai kichadi Tomato brinjal sambar

    TOMATO SAMBAR VARIETIES

     Tomato sambar with coconut Tomato sambar for dosa
     Thanjavur tomato gosthu Thakkali sambar for idli - Mom's special
      Spicy tomato sambar for dosa
    KURMA VARIETIES

    Kumbakonam Kadappa - 2 versions Parotta salna
    Vada curry Cauliflower gravy
     Tomato kurma Kurma for idiyappam, rava idli

    IDLI SAMBAR POWDER
    Idli sambar powder for hotel style sambar

Try these idli sambar recipes at home and do share your feedback with me. Thanks for visiting this page !
Check out my

50 chutney recipes


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August 17, 2016

Easy Hotel Sambar Recipe – How To Make Restaurant Style Idli Sambar

Easy hotel sambar recipe for idli

This is an easy version of hotel sambar recipe for idli without making hotel sambar powder. Usually I make Tamil nadu Hotel style idli sambar adding freshly roasted and ground spices. To make my job easier, I started making Idli sambar powder in bulk and use it to my need. Few months back, I watched Venkatesh Bhat’s hotel style idli sambar recipe in Samayal Samayal cookery show. It is a simplified & quick version of restaurant style idli sambar without any grinding job. As I had already tried Kerala ulli sambar recipe (Vengaya sambar), I found this recipe very close to it. So I tried it confidently.

As expected, it came out really well. I started making it regularly with my own modifications. This has become Raksha’s favorite idli sambar. It tastes good for all tiffin recipes like Idli, dosa, vada, Pongal and rice upma as well. For variations and to make it more healthy for your kids, you can add vegetables like potato, carrot & use few pieces of pumpkin instead of jaggery to give a natural sweetness in sambar. This sambar tastes mildly tangy and spicy which makes it drinkable. So you can dunk your idlis in this sambar and enjoy eating it ! If you like the taste of this sambar, you can use this sambar recipe for making mini idli sambar and sambar vadai. Try this easy version of idli sambar and prepare a quick side dish for idli, dosa during busy morning hours. Ok, lets see how to make hotel style idli sambar in an easy way !

Check out my other Idli Sambar varieties too !

restaurant style idli sambar


Hotel Style Idli sambar Recipe


Hotel Style Idli sambar Recipe Hotel style idli sambar recipe - Quick version
Cuisine: South Indian
Category: Side dish For Idli, dosa
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
  • Moong dal - 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Cooking oil - few drops
  • Water - 2 cups
  • Big onion - 1 no (cubed) Or shallots/small onion - 10nos
  • Ripe tomato - 2 nos (Small sized, Do not chop it, use whole tomato)
  • Asafetida/Hing - a big pinch
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Grated jaggery - 1/2 tsp
  • Besan flour – 1 tsp
To temper
  • Cooking oil or ghee - 1 tbsp ( Use ghee for best taste)
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Methi seeds - 1/8 tsp( 5nos)
  • Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
  • Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Dhania powder – 1 tsp
Ghee  - 1 tsp & coriander leaves - to garnish

** Skip onion to make no onion, no garlic idli sambar
** Use 3 pumpkin cubes along with dal to get natural sweetness in sambar.
**Add mixed vegetables like carrot & potato with dal to make it more healthy.Use one tomato if its bigger in size or sour in taste .
         
HOW TO MAKE HOTEL SAMBAR - METHOD

  • Wash and take the toor dal, moong dal in a pressure cooker base. Add 2 cups of water and let it soak for few minutes till you chop onions. Chop the onion and add to the cooker. Add 2 small or one big whole tomato ( Do not chop the tomato because dal may not cook mushy), turmeric powder, curry leaves, hing and few drops of cooking oil. Add enough water and cook the dal in low flame for 2 whistles. Remove the lid after the steam is released. Mash the dal + tomato very well. Make sure dal is well cooked and mashed well.
Hotel style idli sambar recipe
  • Dilute besan flour in 1/4 cup of water and add to the cooked dal ( ** Adding besan flour helps to get a creamy texture to this sambar and blends well with dal).  Add jaggery. Mix well. In a kadai, heat ghee.  Keep the flame low. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds & sambar powder, red chilli powder and dhania powder. Saute for few seconds without burning sambar powder. Do not change its color. Add the mashed dal + besan flour mixture to the kadai. Boil the sambar for  few minutes by adding chopped coriander leaves and 1 tsp ghee. Check for taste, Add salt or red chilli powder if  needed for spicy taste. Boil for one more minute. Switch off the flame ,cover the sambar with a lid and give a standing time of one hour before serving. This sambar thickens when it cools down.So add 1/2 cup water to adjust its thickness and check for salt. Reheat it if you wish and then serve.
    Hotel style idli sambar recipe
  • Enjoy with hot idli, dosa & pongal. Drizzle a tsp of sesame oil or ghee if you like !

Try this easy version of hotel idli sambar at home and enjoy with piping hot idlis !
You will love it !
restaurant style sambar for idli

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July 18, 2016

Idli Sambar Powder Recipe – How To Make Hotel Idli Sambar Podi

Idli sambar powder recipe
Homemade idli sambar powder – Idli sambar can be prepared in many ways. But most of the people like hotel idli sambar ( restaurant style idli sambar) as it has got a special flavor.Usually my Mom & MIL makes Idli sambar adding freshly ground spices in addition to our usual Kuzhambu milagai thool/sambar powder just like hotels. My mom calls this powder “Mel podi” in Tamil. My MIL makes this sambar podi every time freshly whereas my mom makes this powder in bulk quantity and stock it for a week. She adds this powder to idli sambar and lunch sambar as well. Its a very simple recipe with just 5 ingredients. Sendhil loves hotel style idli sambar as it is more flavorful than the plain idli sambar. But most of the time especially during busy morning hours, I make a simple onion sambar for idli without adding mel podi. Recently my mom suggested me to grind and store this idli sambar powder and use it whenever needed. I gave a try and it really helped me for quick & easy cooking. Its smell & flavor lasted for more than 2 weeks even though I made in small quantity. If you have leftover lunch sambar in hand, you can add this powder to convert into idli sambar. Check out Notes section in this post. I have shared in detail.Friends, do try this idli sambar powder and make restaurant style sambar at home easily. Lets see how to make it.
Idli sambar powder recipe

Idli sambar powder - Hotel idli sambar podi


Idli sambar powder - Hotel idli sambar podi How to make idli sambar powder at home for making hotel style sambar
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Homemade powders
Serves: 1/2 cup
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp - 15ml : 1 tsp - 5ml
  • Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp (heaped)
  • Chana dal - 2 tbsp
  • Methi seeds/ Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
  • Red chilli - 5 nos ( I used byadge & guntur chillies for color & spiciness)
  • Cooking oil - 1 tsp
For variations you can few curry leaves while roasting. Dry grated coconut can be added while grinding but not more than 1 tsp.
METHOD

  • In a small kadai, heat oil. Add the methi seeds, when it starts to sizzle add the chana dal, pinched red chillies, cumin seeds and dhania seeds.Roast everything in low to medium flame. Make sure no dals or spices are burnt.
Idli sambar powder recipe
  • Let them cool down. Grind everything to a fine powder. Store in an air tight box and use it whenever needed. This sambar powder stays good for one week if stored in an air tight box.
Idli sambar powder recipe
  • Please refer my HOTEL IDLI SAMBAR post for the procedure of making sambar. In that recipe, I have shared the ingredients of spices to roast & grind. No need to make that powder. Instead add 1 tbsp of  this sambar powder at the end.Give a boil.Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. If you have left over lunch sambar in hand, you can easily convert that into hotel style idli sambar. For that : Season mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves in ghee ( Add chopped small onions if needed). Add 1 tbsp of this idli powder in the ghee,saute for a second and add to the left over sambar. Dilute 1 tbsp of besan flour in 1/4 cup of water. Add to the sambar. Mix everything well. Let the sambar boil nicely. Check for taste and add more salt or sambar powder if needed.Enjoy !
Note : In this recipe, I have used less number of chillies. So I add either green chilli or add some sambar powder or red chilli powder for extra spiciness. So please add more chilli powder or chillies as per you need.
Try to prepare this sambar 1-2 hours before serving. This standing time helps for all the flavor to enhance while serving. You can use this powder for making sambar 3-4 times.
Try this homemade idli sambar powder and share your feedback with me.

Idli sambar podi recipe

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May 30, 2016

Idli Sambar Recipe – How To Make Tiffin Sambar

Idli sambar recipe
I learnt this recipe from my friend Shalini. This method of making South Indian Idli sambar must be new to many of you I guess. This recipe calls for grinding masala using raw vegetables, coconut & sambar powder. So the flavor and taste of this sambar is different from our usual Hotel idli sambar and its healthy too. But this recipe is easy to make and tasted awesome. My entire family loved it very much. A big hug to my friend Shalini for teaching me this yummy Idli sambar. I am sure, I will be making this side dish for idli, dosa very often in my kitchen. Lets see how to make Idli sambar recipe using ground vegetable masala.

Idli sambar recipe with ground vegetables


Idli sambar recipe with ground vegetables Idli sambar recipe with ground vegetable masala
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sambar recipes
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
To pressure cook
  • Toor dal – one handful (2 tbsp)
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Tomato - 1 no
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Cooking oil - few drops
  • Water – 1.5 cups
To grind
  • Carrot - 1/2 no (medium)
  • Cabbage – 1 small leaf or roughly chopped cabbage - 2 tbsp
  • Grated coconut - 2 tsp
  • Sambar powder - 2 tsp
  • Tamarind - Berry size ( sundakkai alavu)
To Temper
  • Ghee – 2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Hing/Asafetida – 1/8 tsp
Salt & water – as needed
Jaggery – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish
 HOW TO MAKE TIFFIN SAMBAR - METHOD

  • Wash and pressure cook the dal, Chopped onion, one whole tomato ( Do not chop the tomato), Turmeric powder and few drops of cooking oil. Add enough water and cook the dal in low flame for 2 whistles. Remove the lid after the steam is released. Mash the dal + tomato very well and set aside.
  • In a mixie jar, take the sliced carrot, chopped cabbage, grated coconut, sambar powder and tamarind. Add the required water and grind them to a smooth paste.
How to make idli sambar
How to make idli sambar
  • Add this ground paste to the cooked dal mixture. Mix well. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water based on the thickness. Let the sambar roll boil well at least for 3-4 minutes in medium flame till the raw smell of vegetable and sambar powder goes off. Add jaggery when it boils. Check for taste.
How to make idli sambar
  • Heat ghee in a kadai and when it gets heated, splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal , hing and curry leaves. Add to the sambar and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and cover the sambar till use. Serve with hot idli drizzled with a tsp of gingely oil.
How to make idli sambar
Enjoy !

Note
  • Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
  • As we are grinding the vegetables and coconut, it gives thickness to the sambar. So it needs less toor dal.
  • Do not add more vegetables for grinding as it may change the flavor of sambar.
  • I have added tomato, onion along with dal. If you wish, you can saute them in oil and then add to the dal.
  • Tempering in ghee gives a nice flavor.


Enjoy this yummy sambar with hot idli drizzling a tsp of sesame oil/gingely oil!!
Idli sambar
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