Instant Pot Sambar

Spicy, tangy South Indian, Instant Pot Sambar with seasonal vegetables and a with traditional curry leaf tempering - that's my idea of comfort food. This spicy lentil stew dish is the easiest and quickest instant pot sambar recipe that you will ever make.

What is Sambar?

Sambar is a south Indian lentil dish often cooked with vegetables and tempered with mustard seeds. Unlike the North Indian version of the daals, the sambar has spices or spice mix often known as sambar powder. Another important element in my instant pot sambar is its typical tanginess from the tamarind pulp.

You may or may not add it, but adding tamarind does uplift the flavor. Usually, the south Indian sambar recipe calls for seasonal vegetables. However, the most common vegetables used in sambar are small pearl onions, drumstick, radish, green beans, and squash or carrots. My favorite combination of sambar vegetable is radish, small onions, tomatoes, carrots, beans, and eggplant. 

Why Should You Make Sambar in The Instant Pot?

Instant pot gives two options to cook sambar and without needing you to watch it while it cooks the delicious sambar. In the first method, you can add cooked dal and cook the way I did. The second method is PIP, where you cook raw toor dal in the instant pot with spices and cook vegetables in a steamer rack. Both methods are convenient, quick and yield the best-tasting sambar.

What is Sambar Made of?

The base of sambar is toor dal or split pigeon peas dal, sambar masala, spices, tamarind, and seasonal vegetable. This spicy soup is then tempered with dried red chilies, curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Regional versions vary and that's why sambar may contain coconut, local vegetables, homemade spices, and even sambar chilies.

What do you eat with Sambar?

Sambar is often eaten with rice, idli, and dosa. But I like to eat sambar as a soup, with my quinoa and even with my rice flour pancakes. 

What is the origin of sambar?

Sambar has originated in the South Indian province. All South Indian states have their own version of sambar.

Is Sambar good for health?

Sambar is a lentil-based stew, which is high in fiber, low in cholesterol and fat. This dal based curry is also high on vitamins and minerals; thanks to the vegetables used that supply a copious amount of iron, zinc, folate, and magnesium. In addition to the lentils and vegetables, sambar has some healthy spices such as turmeric, which has many health benefits too.

How to Make Instant Pot Sambar?

Ingredients of Instant pot Sambar :

2 cups cooked toor dal, 3-4 tablespoon of sambar powder, ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1-inch size dried tamarind soaked in ½ cup of warm water, 2 cups of mixed vegetables (zucchini, carrot, green beans and eggplant) 6-8 pearl onions (peeled and halved),2 large tomatoes chopped, 2 green chilies, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 2 cups of water, salt to taste

Tempering: 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds,2 dried red chilies, ½ teaspoon white Bengal gram dal, 2 strands of curry leaves,¼ teaspoon asafoetida, cilantro to garnish

Method of Making Instant Pot Sambar:

• Set the instant pot to a saute mode. When it is hot, add the cooking oil.
• Now temper mustard seeds, chilies and after the seeds splutter, add asafoetida and curry leaves.
• Save half of this tadka for later use. Now add onions and saute for a minute. (You don't have to soften the onions)
• Add chopped tomatoes and allow it to cook for a while. Once the tomatoes start to lose water and become mushy, add all spices followed by tamarind water.

• Give a good mix. Now add all the vegetables, water, salt and mix well. Lastly, add cooked toor dal and stir well.
• Close the lid and set the pot to pressure cook and set the timer for 3-minutes. Since our dal is cooked, you don't have to overcook the veggies.
• If using raw and soaked dal, then set the timer for 9-minutes. (Remember for this step, the dal must be soaked for at least 2-hours)
• After the beep, wait for the natural pressure release. Open the lid and carefully mix the sambar well. Adjust salt and spices if needed.
• If you like a thin sambar, add 1-2 cups of hot water at this point. If you do so, don't forget to bring the mixture to a boil.
• Now add the rest of the tadka and mix well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice. 

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Sambar

Spicy, tangy South Indian, Instant Pot Sambar with seasonal vegetables and a spicy curry leaf tempering - that's my idea of comfort food. This spicy lentil dish is the easiest and quickest instant pot sambar recipe that you will ever make.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Hotel sambhar, Instant pot sambar, PIP Sambar, South Indian Sambhar, Vegetable Sambar

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Natural Pressure Release: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Sophie

Cost: $4

Equipment

• Instant pot

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked toor dal
• 3-4 tablespoon of sambar powder
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1- inch size dried tamarind soaked in ½ cup of warm water
• 2 cups of mixed vegetables, zucchini, carrot, green beans and eggplant
• 6-8 pearl onions, peeled and halved
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 cups of water, salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chilies
• ½ teaspoon white Bengal gram dal
• 2 strands of curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
• cilantro to garnish

Instructions

• Set the instant pot to a saute mode. When it is hot, add the cooking oil.
• Now temper mustard seeds, chilies and after the seeds splutter, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Save half of this tadka for later use.
• Now add onions and saute for a minute. (You don't have to soften the onions)
• Add chopped tomatoes and allow it to cook for a while. Once the tomatoes start to lose water and become mushy, add all spices followed by tamarind water.
• Give a good mix. Now add all the vegetables, water, salt and mix well.
• Lastly, add cooked toor dal and stir well.
• Close the lid and set the pot to pressure cook and set the timer for 3-minutes. Since our dal is cooked, you don't have to overcook the veggies. If using raw and soaked dal, then set the timer for 9-minutes. (Remember for this step, the dal must be soaked for at least 2-hours)
• After the beep, wait for the natural pressure release. Open the lid and carefully mix the sambar well. Adjust salt and spices if needed. If you like a thin sambar, add 1-2 cups of hot water at this point. If you do so, don't forget to bring the mixture to a boil.
• Now add the rest of the tadka and mix well.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice.

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Notes

For the pot in pot method: 

• Follow the steps till tomatoes become mushy. Then add raw, soaked toor daal and 2 cups of water. Add all spices and mix well.
• Place a trivet on the dal. Now take all the veggies in a n a small pot and add tamarind water in it. Add ½ cup of extra water. Close the lid and place it on the trivet. For this method, I only take carrots, beans, sambar onions, drumstick and pumpkin. Since our dal will cook for 9-minutes on high pressure, I avoid taking vegetables that easily become mushy in pressure cooking. 
• Once the cooking time and natural pressure release time is over, mix the dal with the cooked vegetables and bring the mixture to a boil. If needed, add salt and spices. Add rest of the tadka and serve. 

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Nutrition

Serving: 230g | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g

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Want more instant pot lentil dishes? Here are some:

• How to cook lentils in the instant pot?
• Instant pot Red Lentil coconut curry
• Toor Dal {In Six Ways}