Moong Dal Sambar | Pasi Paruppu Sambar | Side dish for Idly, Dosa | Step by Step Recipe

Moong Dal Sambar or Pasi Paruppu Sambar is something that I remember Amma always making during our childhood. Somehow this mild concoction of sambar used to feature a lot on our table some years back. Maybe after my marriage or few years later, I see that we have almost stopped making this variety for Idly or any of the breakfast dishes, as it's mostly less spicy. But the goodness of Moong dal and the fact that it's not so spicy makes it a great dish for kids.

I must confess I have not made this combination in years. So when I finally remembered to make this, it was mostly to avoid the confusion I have on what to make for the afternoon tiffin that hubby dear now takes instead of meals. So I was glad that this sambar ended up being a great dish for kids also.

Plus the fact that making this sambar is like 10 - 15 minutes makes it a super duper dish for those rush hours. Split Yellow Moong dals cooks in 1 whistle in pressure cooker, takes about 10 minutes in microwave. However as I said pressure cooker is the best bet when it comes to cooking our dried lentils. 

I never soak any of my lentils, be it Toor dal or Moong dal. So this went directly into the cooker. 

Step By Step Pictures Recipe

Moong Dal Sambar |Payatham Paruppu Sambar | Pesara pappu Sambar

Ingredients Needed:

For pressure cooking

Split Yellow Moong Dal - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 big
Turmeric powder a pinch
Oil few drops
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 2 cups

For Seasoning / Talimpu

Onions - 1 small
Mustard Seeds, Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chilis - 2 medium
Curry leaves few
Oil - 1 tsp

How to make Moong dal Sambar:

Wash and pressure cook the moong dal with chopped tomatoes and sambar powder for 1 whitle. Keep aside for the pressure to fall down.

For seasoning:

Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal. When mustard pops, add onions and saute onions, curry leaves, dried red chilies till done,

Then pour the cooked dal to the pan, take care to ensure it doesn't spill over as you pour the hot dal into the pan, add salt and required water, if you want a think sambar. Bring it to boil, add coriander leaves.

This goes best with Idlis and makes a great dish for toddlers

I want to send this for the Kid's Delight Party  as part of the Easy Tiffin Dishes

Potato Broad Bean Sambar | Indian Lunch Box Recipes

As I was saying yesterday, I have the lunch menu planned with two days of Sambar in a week with some vegetables. Well some can say if you know one sambar, you know them all. I beg to differ in that. Of course what goes in is the same, no doubt about it. But you should also know what else can go into it right.

Like there was one person who confessed that she didn't know how to make Lady's finger Sambar or Bendakaya Sambar. Well I was actually surprised when she said that, as I always assumed you can just change the vegetable. But later realized that maybe she didn't know how to cook Bindi in a sambar. So it was very funny when I realized one day that you actually use Potatoes in a sambar. See I got my own lesson back. I mocked myself saying, see never belittle others ignorance, you got a chance to teach something, now learn something new..:)

Today's Lunch box is going to be Potato Broad Bean Sambar, Beets Poriyal and rice.

I have a Lunch Box Series going on Cooking 4 all Seasons and as per that list this is 61st in the making.

The Beets Poriyal featured here is almost same as the one I had already made but this has Bengal gram added and I used Dry Red Chilis.

Potato Broad Bean Sambar:

Ingredients Needed

Toor Dal - 1 cup
Potatoes - 2 medium

Broad Beans - 4 nos
Sambar Onions - 100 gms
Sambar Powder - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Tamarind pulp - small lime size
Coriander Leaves - few chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to Taste
Turmeric a pinch

For Seasoning

Mustard Seeds + Urud Dal + Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Garlic - 4 pods

As I was saying yesterday if you have few things ready at hand, it becomes very simple. I always have Tamarind Extract ready, or at least soaked tamarind. Of course these days you get ready made tamarind extract, which I have never used but heard is not that good.

I have Whole Spice Blend For Tempering always ready at hand.

When you have multiple dishes like these to be done, get the first things done first. I normally use my pressure cookers for quick cooking.

Wash and Soak rice first
Wash and pressure cook Toor dal in a pressure cooker.

when the dal is getting cooked, wash and peel the beets. This goes into another small pressure cooker. This takes about 10 mins to get done, with 2 -3 whistles depending on how big or small you have chopped it.

After 15 mins, Add water and pressure the rice in a pressure cooker.

When the pressure falls down in the dal, check for doneness, remove the dal water if you are planning to make Rasam, else churn everything together.

Transfer the dal to a bowl, rinse the pan, put it on flame again.

Chop the onions, curry leaves and garlic needed for the sambar.

When the pan is hot, add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera and methi seeds. When they spulter add the onions, garlic and curry leaves. Simmer for 1 mins.

As the onions get cooked, cube potatoes and microwave for 5 mins. Broad Beans can be added directly to the pan as it will get cooked fast.

When the onions are done, add chopped tomatoes, sambar powder, tamarind extract, salt and trimmed broad beans. Cover with lid for it to get cooked fast.

Meanwhile the beets are done. Transfer to a bowl, rise the pan, wipe it clean and put it back on fire.

Add oil for the saute, add split red chillies, mustard seeds, Bengal gram, curry leaves, When the mustard spultters, add the cooked beets. Cook on high for all the water to get evoparated. This takes about 5 - 7 mins. When it is dry add grated coconut.

By this time, the tomatoes are mashed well, add the cooked potatoes, cooked dal, required water. Bring to boil. You can cover this slightly for it to get done soon.

Rice is all done in 15 minutes time.

Garnish the sambar finally with coriander leaves and your meal is ready.

Of course getting these three dishes done within 30 minutes is not a breeze as my post might convey. Conditions apply!..:)

With my kids dropping in every other moment, I tend to delay in certain areas. Having said that I have checked it myself on various times that this time is more than enough if you are prepared with all the ingredients and don't go searching for ingredients.

I added very few broad beans to the sambar as I was told that it adds flavour to a potato sambar.

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