Instant Pot Sambar
An authentic Tamil-style sambar made entirely in the Instant Pot with less than 10 minutes hands-on time needed. Serve it with rice for a delicious south Indian meal.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 221kcal
Cost: $4.15 per recipe/$1.05 per serving
Equipment
- Three quart Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon asafetida
- 2 sprigs curry leaves (about 25 individual leaves)
- 7 small Indian eggplants (about 1½ pounds. Slice the eggplants lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices. See FAQs below if using other vegetables)
- 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (if using tamarind pods, soak a 1-inch ball of the pods in ¼ cup warm water for 15 minutes. Extract the juices by squeezing the pods between your fingers, then discard the solids and use only the watery extract.)
- 1 medium tomato (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- ½ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas, rinsed in a colander)
- 1 heaping tablespoon sambar powder (add more to your taste)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (cayenne)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (or sugar)
- Salt to taste
- 2-3 cups water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté on high, then add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafetida and sauté for 15-20 seconds.
- Add the eggplant or whatever vegetables you are using, tomatoes and tamarind paste to the Instant Pot. Mix them in with the spices and oil and sauté for a minute.
- Stir in the washed dal, sambar powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, ground coriander, jaggery or sugar and salt to taste. Add 2½ cups water. Mix.
- Cover the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is set to the "sealed" position. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. After cooking has ended, you can wait for pressure to release naturally or force-release it after 10 minutes.
- The vegetables would have risen to the top. Stir them back into the dal gently - this will also help the dal become creamier. Check seasoning and add more salt and/or sambar powder if needed. You can also add ½ cup water if the sambar is too thick - in that case turn the Instant Pot back on to sauté and heat the dal just until it boils.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 1048mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg