Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Dinner

Idli Sambar (South Indian Dinner Classic)

The Tamil light dinner par excellence — steamed soft idlis served with a freshly made, pressure-cooked toor dal sambar with vegetables and freshly tempered curry leaves. Simple, light, digestible, and profoundly satisfying. The dinner that Tamil Nadu returns to after a heavy lunch.

🧺 Ingredients

• 3 cups idli batter (fermented rice-urad dal batter, standard preparation)
• Idli moulds, greased lightly with oil or ghee
• ½ cup toor dal, washed
• 15–20 shallots (chinna vengayam), peeled and halved — shallots for dinner sambar (better than onions)
• 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium drumstick (murungakkai), cut into 5 cm sections
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• Small lime-sized tamarind, soaked in 1.5 cups warm water, strained
• 1.5 tsp sambar powder (homemade or store-bought MTR / Aachi)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp jaggery (optional — for balance)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (gingelly)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves (generous)
• ¼ tsp asafoetida (perungayam)
• Do not use the same batter that has been refrigerated for more than 2 days for dinner idlis — the acidity becomes too sharp.

👩‍🍳 How to make Idli Sambar

1. Pressure cook dal with vegetables (medium heat): In a pressure cooker, add toor dal, shallots, tomato quarters, drumstick sections, curry leaves, and ½ tsp turmeric. Add 2.5 cups water. Cook on high until steam, reduce to medium, cook 4 whistles. Release naturally.
2. Mash the dal (no heat): Open. Using a ladle, mash the dal well — it should be completely soft. The shallots will be soft and partially dissolved; the drumstick will have cooked through. The tomato quarters should have broken down.
3. Add tamarind and sambar powder (medium heat): Transfer to a wide pot. Add the strained tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt, and jaggery. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce to medium. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes until the sambar reduces slightly, deepens in colour, and the raw tamarind smell is completely gone.
4. Prepare the tempering (high heat): In a small tempering ladle (tadka pan), heat sesame oil on high until shimmering (30–40 seconds). Add mustard seeds — crackle fully. Add cumin (5 seconds). Add red chillies and curry leaves — fry 15 seconds until the leaves crisp and turn dark green. Add asafoetida. Pour immediately into the sambar. Stir. The tempering should hit the sambar with a loud sizzle.
5. Taste and adjust: Taste the sambar — it should balance sour (tamarind), savoury (dal), spiced (sambar powder), and the aromatic bloom from the fresh tempering. Adjust salt and tamarind as needed.
6. Steam the idlis (high heat): Bring a steamer pot (idli pot) to a rolling boil with 2 cups water. Grease idli plates lightly. Pour batter into each mould (fill to 3/4 — the idli will rise). Steam on high heat for 10–12 minutes. Test by inserting a thin skewer — it should come out completely clean (no wet batter clinging). Remove from the steamer. Wait 2 minutes, then loosen each idli with a spoon dipped in cold water.
7. Serve immediately: Place 2–3 idlis per person on a plate. Ladle sambar generously — Tamil night sambar is served in a generous pour, not a thin drizzle. Accompany with coconut chutney.

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