instant pot sambar

When it comes to sambar, I am pretty set in my ways.  I make it the exact same way every single time and a freshly ground coconut masala is an absolute must.  No veering away from that script as far as I was concerned.  So tooling around with a recipe that is pretty much written in stone came as a surprise even to me.  But summer break was over and and my son headed back to college taking with him an instant pot and only a fraction of the promised recipes.  So needed to add to the list…….a simplified version of sambar and with minimal clean-up 🙂

Spicy, tangy and very similar to a stew, this hearty dish is my dream comfort food with some rice and ghee.  A signature south Indian dish with each state having a slightly different version, the Udipi-style being the one I have a soft corner for.  Along with the deep-fried south Indian papad called appadam, this makes a complete meal for me.  And for the longest time, whenever we came back from a vacation or a long trip, the first dish I cooked was sambar.

While a fresh masala is my preferred way of spicing the dish, I wanted the recipe to be more convenient and without the hassle of messing up a bunch of dishes or the need for a blender.  Any store-bought sambar powder would work quite well but I find like most things, homemade is always the best.  One just cannot beat that fresh taste.  I am including my recipe for the sambar powder but feel free to use your favorite one.  I also add some dried coconut to my masala so make sure you freeze it in case you are not planning to use it for a while.  In fact, I store many of my rarely used spices and masalas in the freezer since they tend to stay fresh for a longer time.

There are different combinations of vegetables one can use like pumpkin, bell peppers, eggplant, okra,  carrots, onions, yellow cucumber, some kinds of squashes etc.  My personal favorite is the combination of small sambar onions that I get in the frozen section in the Indian store, carrots, moringa seed-pods (drumsticks), radish and broccoli stems.  If I am lucky to have some pumpkin at home, it is an added bonus.

To make this an almost one pot dish (not counting the making of the sambar powder), you can start making the sambar by first preparing the tempering in the instant pot and then adding the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients before cooking.  In that case, follow the directions for the tempering exactly as you would for the pour method.*

Now that summer is slowly winding down and the gradual move from salads and grilled food to hearty soups and stews will begin, this dish will fit very well into the list of warming, hearty comfort foods.

Link for using pressure release in instant pot

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Sambar

Serves: Makes approx. 8 cups

Ingredients

• Sambar Masala:
• 1/4 cup chana dal
• 1/2 cup coriander (dhania) seeds
• 2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 15 Byadgi or Kashmiri dried red chillies
• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves (approx. 12 leaves), washed and dried completely
• 1/4 tsp asafetida (hing) powder
• 1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
• 1/4 cup dry coconut shreds, powder or flakes (unsweetened)
• For the Sambar:
• 1 cup tuvar dal (piegon peas)
• 3 tbsp thick tamarind pulp (I use the thai variety that comes in a bottle)
• 4 -5 cups of large of vegetables (I used pumpkin, radish, broccoli stems, carrots, drumsticks and onions)
• 1 cup onions ( the small variety or a large one chopped into chunks)
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tsp jaggery (optional)
• 1 tbsp oil
• Tempering( tadka):
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp asafetida
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 dried red chilli
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

1

For the dry-roasted powder:

2

Heat a pan on medium heat and add the fenugreek seeds. After a few seconds, add the chana dal and start to roast it, stirring constantly until the fenugreek seeds start to change color. Do not raise the heat above medium.

3

Add the coriander seeds and black pepper and continue to roast until the coriander seeds start to crisp up.

4

By this time, the chana dal should have crisped up too. Add the curry leaves and stir until they crisp up. Now add the dried coconut and stir until it gives a nice aroma. Don't let it change color.

5

Transfer this to a plate to cool and return the pan back to the stove. Add the dried red chillies and roast it till it turns crisp ( takes a couple of minutes).

6

Add this to the plate of spices. Add the turmeric and asafetida and mix well. Let it cool completely and then powder in the blender.

7

Sambar:

8

Rinse the tuvar dal 2-3 times.

9

Turn the instant pot on and press the saute button. Add a tbsp of oil and then add the vegetables (if doing tempering, do it before adding vegetables). Stir for a minute and then add the rinsed tuvar dal. Add 1 3/4 cups of water, some salt and close the lid with the weight in the sealed position. Press cancel and then press the pressure button. Set time to 7 minutes on high pressure.

10

After the time is up, let it release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and then turn manually using an oven mitt to the venting position to release the rest of the pressure. ** Do this extremely carefully so as to not burn yourself....link with video at end of post shows the technique**

11

Open the lid and add 2 cups of water and the crushed tomatoes. You can add more water later depending on the consisitency you want.

12

Dissolve 3-4 heaped tsp of the sambar masala in 1/4 cup of water and add to the dal-vegetable mixture.

13

Add the tamarind pulp, coriander leaves, salt to taste and a touch of jaggery (this is optional).

14

Put the instant pot back into the saute mode and bring the sambar to a boil.

15

Add the tempering and garnish with coriander leaves.

16

Serve hot.

17

Tempering*

18

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop, add the cumin seeds, dried red chili, asafetida and finally the curry leaves. Pour over sambar and mix well. Garnish with some more coriander leaves.

Notes

*If you are making the tempering in the instant pot, follow the instructions for the regular method and then add the vegetables and saute for a minute and continue with the recipe. ** Please make sure to manually release the pressure carefully.