Hotel Sambar | Tiffin Sambar ~ Restaurant Style | Step by Step

Being a Madrasi, having a fetish for Sambar is nothing new. However when I see how my colleagues love the Hotel Saravana Bhavan Sambar, makes me wonder if there is a different sambar all together! Afterall a sambar is a simple, everyday dish right!

Hotel Saravana Bhavan is a chain of hotels that specialises in vegetarian food. Their chargers are sky high, yet the place is always crowded. That must show you, how much fanfare the place has. We have a hotel close by and trust me their parcels are much sought out, even if the food packed is very less, not enough to feed a person. Same goes for the side dishes like the sambar or the chutneys. Everything comes in a very small packets.

However it is, there is no doubt that people who eat it loves their sambar. Coming to the recipe for today, it's a sambar made with MTR Sambar powder. This recipe is so quick and can be done in flat 15 mins.

Hotel Sambar

The process used is so simple I always wonder why I have not thought of it myself for my tiffin sambar. As I had already said the sambar Amma makes for Idlis is different from what she makes for Rice. She was making this for a while, before I actually asked her why she has been making this sambar constantly. Then I was told how simple she has made this process.

I realized I had to make this myself and till the powder lasted, I must have made this every other week. 

Making this is very simple. Mix everything in one single bowl, pressure cook and temper! How much simpler can it become?

Hotel Sambar:

Ingredients Needed:

Toor Dal - 1 cup
Sambar Onions/ Pearl Onions - 3/4 cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium
MTR Sambar powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Tamarind pulp, thick
Fresh coconut, grated - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - handful
Salt to taste

For tempering

Sambar whole spice (Mustard Seeds, Urad dal, cumin, methi) - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves, handful

Asafetida a pinch

Oil - 2 tsp

How to make Sambar:

Wash and pressure the toor dal along with turmeric powder till done. 

Once the pressure falls, mash well, transfer to a bowl. Add the tamarind pulp, chopped tomatoes, peeled small onions, sambar powder, grated coconut, salt and coriander leaves. Add water as per requirement.

Again pressure cook for a whistle. Wait for the pressure to fall down.

Heat a small pan with oil, temper with the sambar whole spice mix. Add curry leaves. Pour this over the cooked sambar. Simmer for 5 mins.

Serve with Idlis

Tiffin Sambar

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