Instant Pot Vegetable Sambar Recipe
Pressure cooker Sambar is lentil and vegetable stew with sultry Indian spices. This spicy Indian lentil stew is ideal for wholesome weeknight dinner.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 130kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor tur dal rinsed well, till water runs clear
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup eggplant about ½ eggplant cubed into ¾ inch pieces
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup pearl onions or small onion chopped
- 1 cup moringa beans drumsticks
- ½ cup carrots diced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped to garnish
- 1 tablespoon sambar powder or more to taste
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon jaggery powder or brown sugar
- Salt - adjust per taste
For Oil Tempering / Tadka
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ tsp. red chili powder
- Pinch of asafeitida
- 2-3 whole red chilies optional
- 10-12 fresh curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Instantpot Instructions:
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat oil in it. Add all the tempering ingredients.
- When the mustard seeds and curry leaves start to sizzle, add the pearl onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, sambar powder and salt. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add all the vegetables, jagery, toor dal and water to the instant pot. Stir well and deglaze to make sure that nothing is stuck at the base.
- Cancel SAUTE. Close the lid and select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK mode for 8 minutes at high pressure with vent in sealing position.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Stir in the tamarind paste. Stir the sambar so it is mixed well.
- Garnish with cilantro and sambar is ready to be served.
- For additional flavors, you can add more tadka with whole red chilies on top while serving.
STOVE TOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the dal and add it in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder. Cook the dal until it is softened.
- Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Remove the lid of the cooker. Add tamarind paste in the dal and whisk until smooth and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add all the veggies. Stir well. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are softened.
- Add sambar powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add some water if the tempering is too dry.
- Add the cooked dal to the veggies in the pan and mix everything well. Simmer the sambar for 10-12 minutes on medium low heat. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and sambar is ready to be served.
Notes
Depending upon your preference, add more water to adjust the consistency of sambar.
Additional tempering if desired :
Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, dry whole red chillies and curry leaves and let them crackle for a few seconds. Pour the tempering over the sambar and serve hot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 173mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g