Sambar Recipe (Instant Pot)

Sambar is a classic south Indian staple dish made with lentils, mixed vegetables, and spices. This instant pot sambar is super easy to make with PIP (pot-in-pot) method and gets ready in just 30 minutes.  

What Is Sambar? 

Sambar is a medium spicy, tangy stew that is made with toor dal (pigeon peas), veggies of your choice (mainly shallots, tomatoes, drumsticks, and eggplant), tamarind, and a special spice blend, sambar powder. 

Sambar is part of everyday meals for most South Indians. It is so popular that now every Indian (not only south Indians) makes sambar at home very often. It pairs well with rice, idli, dosa, vada, and many other sides. 

Different regions of South India has own versions of making sambar recipe. It varies by using different lentils, different vegetables, or by a different proportion of tamarind and jaggery. 

You’ll Love This Sambar Recipe

• Taste: Medium spicy, slightly tangy, flavorful, and aromatic
• Texture: Thick yet pourable consistency with smooth (pureed) lentils with perfectly tender (not mushy) veggies. 

• Easy to make in instant pot: In this sambar recipe, veggies are cooked in an instant pot liner and toor dal (lentil) is cooked at the same time with PIP (pot-in-pot) method. Then boiled dal is mashed/pureed and added to cooked veggies along with sambar powder. Lastly, tempering is made on top for extra flavor.
  • Vs the traditional method calls for cooking veggies (on the stovetop) and lentils (in a pressure cooker) separately and combining them together. 
• Quick to make: This instant pot sambar takes just 30 minutes to make (with only 10 minutes of active time).
• Healthy & Nutritious: Because of the combination of veggies and lentils, this sambar is full of protein, and fibers and high in antioxidants. Plus, it is easy to digest. So it can be a part of your daily diet. 

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need to cook sambar in instant pot. 

• Toor dal: It is also known as arhar dal or toovar dal. This is the most commonly and traditionally used lentil to make sambar. But the same can be made with masoor dal, moong dal, or a combination of these with toor dal. 
• Vegetables: 
  • I have used shallots, tomatoes, and drumsticks (frozen).
  • Other options are eggplant, okra, gourd, carrots, pumpkin, etc.
  • The flavor and taste can vary depending on what vegetables you’re using. So choose the veggies that you like.
  • Shallots (or onions) and tomatoes are a must. You can play with the rest veggies.
• Sambar powder: I have used my homemade sambar masala. But you can use your favorite brand’s store-bought packet. But homemade masala gives a fresh and aromatic flavor.
• Tamarind: I have used seedless tamarind that I have soaked in hot water and squeezed out the pulp.
  • Instead, you can use readymade tamarind paste as well.
• Jaggery: A little amount to balance the tangy flavor.

Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need for tempering (tadka) sambar.

• Oil: Based on the region, people use coconut oil (in Kerala), sesame oil (in Tamilnadu), or ghee. 
• Curry leaves: Fresh curry leaves give a unique aroma and flavor to this dish. It is a must.
• Hing: It promotes easy digestion.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Sambar In Instant Pot? (Stepwise) 

Prep:

1) Take tamarind and soak it in hot water for around 10 minutes. Meantime prep veggies and the rest ingredients.

2) After that squeeze out the pulp using your finger and thumb.

3) Also, rinse/wash the toor dal with tap water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore. Transfer rinsed dal along with fresh water and salt into a container (that you use for PIP cooking).

Making Instant Pot Sambar:

1) Turn on the instant pot with saute mode. Add oil and once it is hot, add turmeric powder and green chili.

2) Add shallots, tomatoes, and drumsticks. Saute for 2 minutes or until shallots start to soften. 

3) Strain the tamarind pulp directly into the veggies.

4) Press the remaining pulp using a spoon and extract every bit of juice and discard the leftover pulp. 

5) Add salt, red chili powder, and jaggery. Mix well.

6) Add Water and stir. Turn off the saute mode.

7, 8, 9) Place a tall trivet in the center. Place the toor dal container on the trivet. Cover that container with a lid.

10) Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve position to sealing. 

11) Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 8 minutes. Let the pressure go down by itself aka NPR (natural pressure release). Once the pin drops, open the lid.

12) Remove the dal container lid and puree it using a hand blender. Or simply whisk it using a wire whisk until smooth. 

13) Remove the dal container and check the veggies, they should be cooked to perfection.

14, 15) Add sambar powder and mix.

16, 17) Add cooked, pureed toor dal and mix well. Turn on the saute mode again and let this mixture simmer for 5-7 minutes. If it looks too thick then add some hot water and continue simmering.

Make Tempering:

1) Heat the oil in a small tadka pan. Once hot add methi seeds and fry until golden brown.

2) Add mustard seeds and saute until it starts to splutter.

3, 4) Add dried red chilies and hing. Also, add curry leaves.

5, 6) Immediately add this tempering to cooked sambar and mix.

💭Expert Tips For BEST Sambar Recipe

• Use seasonal vegetables. You can use any mix of veggies from okra-bhindi, gourds (bottle gourd-lauki, ridge gourd-turai, snake gourd-chichinda, ivy gourd-tendli), pumpkin-kaddu, eggplant-baingan, green beans, carrot, potatoes, radish (white mooli). Depending on what you choose, it imparts its flavor and taste in sambar so choose accordingly.
• Shallots (or onions) and tomatoes are a must. Play with other veggies combos. 
• Always use a fresh batch of toor dal. The stale or old batch of lentils takes longer to cook. 
• Always add sambar powder after pressure cooking to retain its flavor and aroma. 
• Adjust the amount of tamarind based on how sour your tamarind is. Fresh (yet dried) tamarind is less sour compared to aged dried tamarind. 
• If your sambar gets more tangy then add some more jaggery and sugar to balance the tanginess. 

🥣 Storage Instructions

• Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.
• In the freezer, It stays good for up to 3 months. I freeze in individual portions or family portions and thaw as needed.
• To thaw, simply keep the container in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. 
• Reheat in a pan on the stovetop until piping hot. If needed you can add water to make the right consistency. 

🍽 What to serve with sambar?

• Serve sambar with plain, steamed rice. I would keep thick consistency (like dal fry) when serving with rice.
• Sambar goes well with idli, dosa, medu vada, masala dosa, uttapam, ven pongal, etc. I would keep a medium thick yet pourable consistency when serving with these sides. So spongy idli, vada can soak up some sambar. 

Did you try this instant pot sambar recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.