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You are here: Home / Sambar Recipes / Murungakai Tiffin Sambar-Moong Dal Sambar Recipe

Murungakai Tiffin Sambar-Moong Dal Sambar Recipe

November 24, 2015 24 Comments

Hotel-style Tiffin Sambar Recipe

Why is toor dal and not moong dal the main ingredient in a regular sambar recipe? I’d really like to know, especially after making sambar with moong dal recently, for the first time. I absolutely loved it. Although more popular called tiffin sambar because it is served with tiffin, or breakfast items, I served this with plain white rice and some vegetable curry on the side.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

Sharing step by step pictures of my sambar-making process feels very intimate and personal to me, for some reason. Probably it’s because sambar is made in practically every South Indian household and everyone has their own way of going about it. I make sambar atleast once a week and although I have shared recipes here in the past, it’s never been step by step.

Murungakai Tiffin Sambar (Sambar with Moong Dal)
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup moong dal, cooked in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or until soft and mushy
1 small lime-sized ball of tamarind soaked in 1 cup warm water for 15 mins (or ~1tbsp tamarind paste)
1 drumstick (murungakai) cut into 4″ long pieces
1 tomato
A few curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 to 2 tbsp sambar powder, diluted in 1/4 cup water
A pinch of hing / asafoetida / perungaayam
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

To temper:
1 tbsp ghee or oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
A generous sprinkling of hing / asafoetida / perungaayam powder

How I Made It:

1. Squeeze the tamarind and extract all juices in the warm water. Discard pulp and fibers. If using bottled paste, dilute in 1 cup water. Place this in a pan and add the cut drumsticks, tomato, turmeric powder and hing. Turn on heat. Add another cup water (so totally there’s around 2 cups water in there – what you used for the tamarind and what you added after)

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

2. Add the cooked moong dal and the sambar powder dissolved in 1/4 cup water. I do this mainly to prevent the sambar powder from clumping up when added directly. I use my MILs homemade sambar powder which is a very fine powder. If using store-bought sambar powder, adding directly should be fine.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

3. Mix well and bring to boil. Add salt and curry leaves. Simmer for about 15-20 mins until the drumstick is cooked and the sambar reaches the right consistency. You can add more water if you like it more watery. Generally, my sambar tends to be a bit on the thicker side. Adjust salt and remove from fire.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

4. Heat oil or ghee for tadka in a small pan or tadka pan. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add the cumin. When they sizzle and turn brown, add the hing and remove from fire.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

5. Twirl it a couple of times in the pan and dunk into the sambar. It will give out a heavenly smell right about now.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

You are done! Mix well after adding the tadka, garnish with coriander leaves, and serve hot with rice or any breakfast items.

Murungakai Tiffin (Moong Dal) Sambar Recipe

This sambar will taste fabulous with egg dosa, idli, or pongal.

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By nags Filed Under: Sambar Recipes, Tamil Recipes, Uncategorized

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sujai P

    February 7, 2013 at 3:02 am

    I have no words ! I already feel like pounding that rice and sambar and gulp it ! Good job !

    Reply
  2. Rose (Magpie's Recipes)

    February 1, 2012 at 9:24 am

    I always run out of toor dal so make it often with mung dal which I stock in tonnes, though I never knew that it was a proper dish in itself! Tiffin is such a TN word! Miss hearing it 🙂

    Reply
  3. Chef Mireille

    January 22, 2012 at 1:32 am

    I bought some frozen drumstick a while back from the Indian grocery, Patel brothers, and have been looking for recipes to try them, as I have never eaten them before.

    I am bookmarking this recipes..sounds delicious

    Reply
  4. An Open Book

    January 17, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    nags..i must tell u that this post is of great help to me. I love a good sambara but have never really learnt how to make it properly. The step by step pics are of great help . thnks a bunch 🙂

    Reply
  5. Miri

    January 17, 2012 at 8:43 am

    I have never cooked or eaten sambar with moong dal but have often wondered how it would taste – should try this.
    I too add the dal only later after the tamarind pulp has completely cooked down, so that the flavour of the dal and the vegetables is not lost. While the tamarind and spices are simmering, the veggies parboil in another vessel at the same time.

    Reply
  6. Anzz

    January 15, 2012 at 6:13 pm

    The sambar looks delicious. I used to crave the murungakai samabar a lot during my first pregnancy days..! Love it.
    I am hosting my first blog event plus giveaway – Valentines Special. Do check it out and be a part of it. Would be great..!

    Reply
  7. Vijitha

    January 14, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    I make moong dhal sambar for idly and pongal and I don;t use tamarind. Instead I add lemon juice and just after switching off the flame, I drizzle little coconut oil on top. It tastes like restaurant sambhar. The first picture with sambhar and rice makes me crave for sambhar rice now.

    Reply
  8. Material Girl

    January 14, 2012 at 9:37 am

    ghar ki yaad aa gayi. can't wait to go home and get my hands on some murungakai…

    Reply
  9. Hema

    January 14, 2012 at 12:12 am

    I usually do a moong dal sambar with eggplants, looks good, always been following you as a reader, now first time as a fellow blogger, one of my favorite blogs..

    Reply
  10. PrathibhaSreejith

    January 13, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    Tiffin Sambar is new to me, but I do remember my MIL using Moong dal in sambhar when she ran out of Toor dal. I never tried it though, will try this and let you know.
    Nags,I'm new herre and great space u have. Would love to follow you 🙂
    Thanks..

    Reply
  11. notyet100

    January 13, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    This looks so delicious,never tried sambhar with moong dal,

    Reply
  12. suhaina aji

    January 13, 2012 at 9:38 am

    sambar with moong dal is very new to me..looks great and wonderfully prepared.

    Reply
  13. DeEpAK KaRtHiK (420)

    January 13, 2012 at 8:04 am

    mouth wateringg 😛 😛 😛
    Deepak

    Reply
  14. Priya

    January 12, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Super flavourful sambar, loving it.

    Reply
  15. gardenerat60

    January 12, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Murungai kai and sambhar smells heavenly in eater's mind. Making it with moon dal is more healthy, some people say!

    Reply
  16. Anu Nandu

    January 12, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    LOL at how sambar making feels personal and intimate to you. But really glad you put the step by step – that's too much prettiness not seen otherwise!

    Reply
  17. divya

    January 12, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    Mouthwatering recipe…….hmmmm yummy yummy

    Reply
  18. Aarthi

    January 12, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    This is such a yummy one…I would love to try it..U have made perfectly Dear..Bookmarking it..

    Aarthi

    Reply
  19. Arch

    January 12, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    This is great with idlis…actually a healthier option compared to tur dal…even I have stuck to making it with idlis and pongal for some reason, never with rice !

    Reply
  20. Nimi

    January 12, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Nags, your clicks are making me drool… Yum.
    Nice and simple sambar… need to cook this way next time and some times I do use moong dal.

    Reply
  21. Chitra

    January 12, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    I too make with moong dal alone or sometimes with toor & moong combo. with drumstick , iam sure it must be flavorful and yummy :)Tempting clicks 🙂

    Reply
  22. A-kay

    January 12, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    One of the reasons I think moong dhal is used in a tiffin sambar is because it cooks faster. When you are cooking a tiffin, typically fast is the keyword (we have all heard/had our share of morning madness, right? :)) and typically toor dhal takes a while to cook whereas moong dhal cooks to mushiness real fast. In fact, some toor dhal (depending on the quality) takes an unusually long time to cook and the trick then is to add a handful of moong to them to enable them too cook faster.

    That said your post is lovely and am a regular reader though don't comment often. The one difference in the way I make is I add the cooked dhal at the end, right before the tadka as my mom says that retains the dhal flavor better instead of double-cooking it – one to cook the dhal and the second time with the sambar – I don't know how true it is but it is something I blindly follow 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagalakshmi V

      January 13, 2012 at 1:51 am

      That's a fantastic tip A-kay. Will try that from next time 🙂

      Reply
  23. Sharmilee! :)

    January 12, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    Wow flavourful and yummy sambar

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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