Instant Pot Vegetable Sambar is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stew made with lentils, tamarind, and a unique blend spice blend together called sambar powder.
It is known as Sambaru or huli in Karnataka, Kuzhambu in Tamilnadu, and Sambhar in North India due to different dialects but its preparation is the same.
What is Sambar?
Sambar is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stew made with lentils, tamarind, and a unique blend spice blend together called sambar powder.
This is a must-have accompaniment for popular South Indian breakfast and lunch recipes like Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada, Steamed Rice, etc. The final taste of Sambar greatly depends on the quality and aroma of Sambar Powder.
Homemade Sambar Powder
Sambar powder is easily available on Amazon or any Indian grocery store. However, in case you can’t find sambar powder, here’s a quick recipe to make it at home.
Dry roast the following spices in a pan on medium-low heat until fragrant, around 3 to 4 minutes.
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds (dhaniya)
- 1 tablespoon channa dal (skinned split bengal gram)
- ½ teaspoon cumin(jeera) seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (skinned split black gram)
- 4-5 dried red chilies (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
Let it cool completely, and then grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.
How to make Vegetable Sambar in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it's hot, add mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, and asafetida, let it splutter.
Add mix vegetables, tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Then add washed toor dal(lentils), sambar powder, turmeric powder, tamarind extract, salt, coconut paste, and water. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).
Remove lid away from you, garnish with Coriander leaves.
Mix well and adjust consistency and spice level. Increase accordingly.
Serve this South Indian sambar recipe with Hot Rice.
Serving suggestions for Sambar
Mixed vegetable Sambar is served traditionally with Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada, Steamed Rice. But can be eaten with quinoa, brown rice, or even as a lentil soup.
Variations & substitutes
- Traditionally in South Indian households, toor dal (split pigeon pea) is used to make sambar. But you can always use a mix of toor dal & moong dal(split yellow mung lentil) or toor dal & masoor dal(red lentil).
- You can use vegetables of your choice like Drumstick, Brinjal(eggplant), Sweet potato, pearl onions, pumpkin, and squash.
- Blend ¼ cup fresh/frozen coconut with little water to make smooth coconut paste.
- To make tamarind paste, soak lemon-sized tamarind in hot water, squeeze and extract the juice. If tamarind is not available you can replace it with 1 tomato or juice of ½ lime.
- If you like your South Indian lentil stew to be spicier add 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder.
More Instant Pot Dal Recipes
- Dal Tadka – Dal prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, assorted spices
- Green Lentil Soup – lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper and Indian spices
- Spinach Dal / Palak Dal – Dhal cooked with spinach leaves
- Whole green moong dal– Dal cooked with whole mung beans
- Panchmel dal – dal prepared with five varieties of lentils
- RidgeGourd Dal - dal prepared with ridge gourd and moong dal.
Instant Pot Vegetable Sambar
Equipment
Ingredients
- Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup toor dal/split Pigeon Pea washed
- 2 cups mix vegetables (carrot,beans,potato)
- 1 large tomato finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon sambar powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon tamarind Concentrate *See Notes
- ¼ cup coconut paste optional *See Notes
- 4 cups water
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro/Coriander leaves to garnish
Tempering Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin/Jeera Seeds
- 8-10 Fresh curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida/Hing
- 2 tablespoon oil or ghee
Instructions
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it's hot add mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves and asafetida, let it splutter.
- Add mix vegetables, tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Then add washed toor dal(lentils),sambar powder, turmeric powder, tamarind extract , salt, coconut paste and water.Mix well.Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
- Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 8 minutes
- Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.
- Remove lid away from you, garnish with Cilantro.
- Mix well and adjust consistency and spice level.Increase accordingly.
- Serve with Hot Steamed Rice.
Notes
- Blend ¼ cup fresh/frozen coconut with little water to make smooth coconut paste.
- To make tamarind paste,soak lemon sized tamarind in hot water,squeeze and extract the juice.
- Sambar Powder is easily available in indian grocery stores or amazon (http://amzn.to/2G0Eeck).
- If you like your sambar to be more spicy add 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder.
- You can also add vegetables like pumpkin,drumstick,eggplant etc.
Nutrition
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