Sambar, a beloved vegetarian curry from South India, is a staple in many homes and an essential part of Sadya, a traditional Kerala feast.
It’s typically enjoyed as the second course, paired with Kerala matta rice. In this post, I’m sharing a quick and easy recipe for making Sambar in the Instant Pot, which brings out its authentic, aromatic flavors with minimal effort.
The key to this finger-licking, delicious dish lies in the homemade sambar masala, which infuses the curry with rich, deep flavours, making it irresistibly fragrant and flavourful. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Sambar- South Indian Lentil & Mixed veggies Curry- Instant Pot Kerala Sadya Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Thasneen
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 6 People
Ingredients
Pressure Cooking Toor Dal
- Toor dal or split pigeon peas 1 cup
- Green chilies, halved- 2
- Curry leaves- 8 leaves
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- 2 cups
Pressure Cooking Veggies
- Carrot, diced 1
- Potatoes, diced- 2, medium-sized
- Drumsticks, fresh cut long or frozen- 10 (3 inch slices)
- Ash gourd, diced- ½ cup
- Curry leaves- 2 sprig
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- 1 cup
Homemade Sambar Masala
- Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp
- Dried red chilies- 3
Other Ingredients
- Fresh tamarind extract or concentrated paste- if using fresh tamarind extract, soak 3 inch slice tamarind in ½ cup warm water (or use ½ to 1 tsp of concentrated tamarind).
- Asafoetida- ½ tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder- ½ to 1 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Warm water- ½ to 1 cup
For Tempering
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Dried red chilies, halved- 3
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Instructions
Prep work
- Soak 3 inch slice or gooseberry sized fresh tamarind in ½ cup lukewarm water for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, squeeze the tamarind in water and extract the juice.
- Strain the tamarind extract. Keep it aside.
Making Homemade Sambar Masala
- In a small frying pan, roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and dried red chilies until they turn aromatic; don't over roast or burn the seeds.
- Let the roasted seeds cool down & then transfer to a spice jar.
- Grind the roasted seeds to a fine powder. Keep it aside.
- For making a large batch, double or tripe the recipe & store the powder in an air-tight container for a few months.
Cooking Toor Dal
- Into the stainless steel pot, add the toor dal along with green chilies, curry leaves, salt & 2 cups water.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Select pressure cook setting, set the time to 12 minutes at high pressure.
- After 12 minutes of pressure cooking, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid, combine the cooked dal, keep it aside.
Cooking Mixed Veggies
- Let's cook the veggies separately as veggies only require 3 minutes of pressure cooking.
- Into the stainless steel pot, add the veggies along with curry leaves, salt and 1 cup water.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Select pressure cook setting, set time to 3 minutes at high pressure.
- After 3 minutes of pressure cooking, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid, give the veggies a good mix.
Saute Cooking
- Add the cooked toor dal to the veggies and gently combine well.
- Select saute setting at normal temperature, remaining cooking will be in saute setting.
- Add 2 tbsp homemade sambar masala, combine well & cook for 2 minutes.
- Add asafoetida, combine well.
- Taste & add salt if required.
- I've also added ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder, imparts a nice vibrant color to the sambar. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tamarind extract around ½ cup. Cook for a minute.
- Add ½ to 1 cup warm water to thin down the gravy and cook for 5 minutes; let come to a boil.
- Take the inner pot out of the main pot & keep it covered.
Making Tempering
- Place a small frying pan over medium heat: add coconut oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter, add whole red dry chilies, curry leaves; fry for a few seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the Sambar, close with the lid and let rest for a few minutes, let the aroma & flavour of the tempering infuse into the sambar.
- In Kerala Sadya, as the second course, sambar is poured over matta rice & enjoyed.
- This can also be enjoyed with dosa or idli, absolutely aromatic & delicious.
