Sambar is one of the most popular dishes from South Indian cuisine. It is so versatile that it served as an accompanied with breakfast like dosa, idli, upma, or eaten with mashed steaming rice, quinoa for lunch. This instant pot sambar recipe is the easiest, quickest recipe you will ever make.
WHAT IS SAMBAR?
A thick stew made from mashed lentils cooked with assorted veggies, sambar powder, and tamarind. Then temper it with south Indian style tadka adds up extra favor. There are several recipes of sambar which vary according to their regional produce.
BENEFITS OF SAMBAR:
- High on protein: Lentils are a good source of vegetarian protein
- Fiber & potassium: Adding veggies can help in the intake of fiber and potassium. Fiber containing food helps in keeping you full with fewer calories.
PURPOSE OF SOAKING DAL BEFORE COOKING:
Soaking the lentils in plenty of water will reduce the phytate levels which lowers the potential cause for bloating or gas. I usually soak them overnight and cook them in the morning after giving a quick wash. Along with soaking, cooking lentils with a lot of carminatives also helps.
WHAT ARE CARMINATIVES?
Carminatives are foods that help to soothe the digestive tract and help in reducing bloating and indigestion. Some herbs and spices in our kitchen have valuable carminative properties which are cumin, coriander, fennel, garlic, ginger, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg.
BEST VEGGIES FOR SAMBAR:
- Bottle gourd or Opo squash
- Radish
- Carrot
- Drum stick (Moringa)
- Yellow cucumber
- Eggplant
POT IN POT METHOD:
If you notice my posts, I prefer cooking rice along with Curry or sabzi. Cooking two separate meals at the same time in the same pressure cooker saves a lot of time and dishes.
TEMPERING :
- The crackling of spices and change in color indicates the process is completed. It takes only a few seconds so be prepared to move fast.
- Pour oil and ghee in a pan over high heat. When the oil is hot enough, reduce heat to medium.
- Add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing or asafoetida.
TAMARIND JUICE:
- Clean lemon size raw tamarind (15 grams) under water gently and pour 1/2 cup water and microwave for 30 sec. Extract the juice by squeezing with hand and discard the pulp.
- You can use the store brought 1.5 tbsp tamarind pulp.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Wash the toor dal until it runs clean and soaking them until other ingredients are prepared.
- Meanwhile, chop all veggies to bite-sized pieces. Today I’m using okra, carrot, bottle gourd, drum stick, onion, Thai green chili. Soak the tamarind and extract the juice.
- Drain the soaking water then give dal a good rinse.
- In instant pot, liner add soaked dal, water, turmeric.
- Place a trivet and keep a rice bowl on the trivet. On top of the rice bowl, I add my veggies plate which gets cooked at the same time.
- Close the lid and set the instant pot on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK for 8 min.
- When count down is done, quick release and remove the pot which is on top (I.e. Rice and veggies). Add salt to dal and mash it with a ladle until the dal is smooth and soft.
- Turn on SAUTE mode, add veggies, tempering, tamarind juice, sambar powder, jaggery, and let it boil for 5minutes and turn off saute mode.
RECOMMENDED: SAMBAR POWDER – 5 INGREDIENTS RECIPE
- Serve it with steamed rice or quinoa.
YOUTUBE:
Sambar with vegetables
Ingredients
- Toor dal - 1 cup
- Water - 600 ml
- Bottle gourd - 1/2 cup Customizable
- Okra - 1/2 cup Customizable
- Carrot - 1/2 cup Customizable
- Onion - 1/2 cup Customizable
- Drum stick - 1/2 cup Customizable
TEMPERING
- Vegetable Oil - 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
- Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
- Hing or asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
- Curry leaves - 4
- Jaggery - 1 tbsp or According to your taste
Instructions
TEMPERING :
- The crackling of spices and change in color indicates the process is completed. It takes only a few seconds so be prepared to move fast.
- Pour oil and ghee in a pan over high heat. When the oil is hot enough, reduce heat to medium.
- Add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing or asafoetida.
TAMARIND JUICE:
- Clean lemon size (15 grams) raw tamarind under water gently and pour 1/2 cup water and microwave for 30 sec. Extract the juice by squeezing with hand and discard the pulp.
- You can use the store brought 1.5 tbsp tamarind pulp.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Wash the toor dal until it runs clean and soaking them until other ingredients are prepared.
- Meanwhile, chop all veggies to bite-sized pieces. Today I’m using okra, carrot, bottle gourd, drum stick, onion, Thai green chili. Soak the tamarind and extract the juice.
- Drain the soaking water then give it a good rinse.
- In instant pot, liner add soaked dal, water, turmeric.
- Place a trivet and keep a rice bowl on the trivet. On top of the rice bowl, I add my veggies plate which gets cooked at the same time.
- Close the lid and set the instant pot on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK for 8 min.
- When count down is done, quick release and remove the pot which is on top (I.e. Rice and veggies). Add salt to dal and mash it with a ladle until the dal is smooth and soft.
- Turn on SAUTE mode, add veggies, tempering, tamarind juice, sambar powder, jaggery, and let it boil for 5minutes and turn off saute mode.
instant pot sambar - Serve it with steamed rice or quinoa.
