Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe - For Idlis

Thinner broth blessed with a mild tangy taste blended with spiciness just to suit the idlis and vada, Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar can be served for breakfast along with Home Made Soft Idlis and South Indian Coconut Chutney.

Gauravi Vinay
Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe - For Idlis
14935 ratings.

This Sambar Recipe for Idlis is a Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar that is usually served in restaurants along with Idli and Dosa. Like many dishes have various versions across geographical boundaries, the humble idli-sambhar is no different.

Many versions of Sambar is made as an accompaniment with idlis and vadas. Some with vegetables, some are thicker than the others and some are spicy and uses a sambar masala. But the ones served in hotels across bangalore are very different. The Idlis are normally made with a batter by mixing soaked rice rava and ground urad dal instead of grinding the rice and urad together and the Sambar is a thinner broth, tangy and slightly sweetened with jaggery.

Lots of shallots and coriander is put in and it uses freshly made sambar masala. If you love a hot plate of Idlis- Vada Sambar Dip in any of the Darshinis in bangalore, look no further than this recipe.

Serve Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe For Idlis with Homemade Soft Idli RecipeMedu Vada Recipe and Coconut Chutney for an indulging and nutritious breakfast.

If you like this recipe, you can also make other sambar recipes for your Vegetarian dinner such as

  1. Tamil Nadu Style Vengaya Sambar Recipe
  2. Varutharachu Sambar Recipe
  3. Thakkali Vengayam Sambar Recipe

Notes:

  • If you are not using Shallots you can use the same amount of finely chopped regular onions.
  • Coriander makes this dish you can use tender stems too along with the leaves.
  • What makes this Sambhar different is the Jaggery and a must for this recipe.
  • This recipe uses no other vegetables except onions & tomatoes, if you wish to you can use finely chopped Red pumpkin (with skin) while adding the tomatoes. This is a slightly more thinner sambar than the sambar from other regions.

Prep in

15 M

Cooks in

25 M

Total in

40 M

Makes:

5 Servings

Ingredients

    To grind:
  • 1/2 Cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 2 teaspoons Coriander (Dhania) Seeds
  • 4 Byadagi Dried Chillies
  • 3 Guntur Dried Chillies
  • 1/3 cup Fresh coconut , grated
  • Other Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) , rinsed
  • 150 grams Shallots , chopped
  • 1 Onion , chopped
  • 2 Tomatoes , finely chopped
  • 8 Curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
  • 2 teaspoons Coriander (Dhania) Seeds
  • 1 cup Tamarind Water , (lemon size tamarind soaked and extracted)
  • 1 tablespoon Jaggery , grated
  • Salt , to taste
  • Oil , as needed
  • 4 tablespoons Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , finely chopped

How to make Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe - For Idlis

  1. To begin making Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe For Idlis, rinse the lentils and add it to the pressure cooker along with chopped onion, turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of oil and enough water and pressure cook until the dal is completely soft. (mine took 2 whistles)

  2. Mash the onion and the dal with a masher and set this mixture aside.

  3. In a kadai, add a teaspoon of oil and roast lightly the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and both varieties of dry red chillies until fragrant. Be careful to do this on low flame since these can burn easily.

  4. Transfer this to a mixer jar along with the fresh coconut and grind this to a smooth paste using a little water.

  5. Heat some oil in a heavy bottoemd pan, add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add asafoetida, curry leaves and shallots. Saute the shallots until they start to pop and turn transparent, need not brown them.

  6. Add the ground paste and saute this mixture until for 2-3 minutes along with the onions. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. (They need to be mushy)

  7. Add the cooked dal mixture, salt, tamarind extract (reserve some and add depending on the sourness from tomatoes) and jaggery and bring it to a boil with 1-2 cups of water. 

  8. Cook this for 8-10 minutes while stirring occassionally and adjust the seasoning if needed or till completely cooked and flavours even.

  9. Turn of the heat, add the coriander leaves and give it a mix. It is ready to be served.

  10. Serve Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe For Idlis with Homemade Soft Idli RecipeMedu Vada Recipe and Coconut Chutney for an indulging and nutritious breakfast.

Bangalore Restaurant Style Sambar Recipe - For Idlis is part of the Recipe Contest: South Indian Cooking