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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

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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
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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 RecipePin

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 RecipePin

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 RecipePin

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 RecipePin

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 RecipePin

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 RecipePin

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
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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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