20-Minute Vegetable Sambar

Sambar - a popular South Indian dish made of lentils, vegetables, tamarind and spices. Sambar is gluten-free and vegan.

Instant pot sambar made with homemade Instant sambar masala is quick and very easy to make. No need to cook dal or extract tamarind pulp. Saute vegetables with whole spices, combine instant sambar masala powder and pressure cook. That’s it! Super delicious instant sambar is ready.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Natural Pressure Time10

Total Time40

Course: Curries

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 130kcal

Author: Geetha

Equipment

1 instant pot (I use Duo 7 in 1, 5 Quart)
1 Steel Pressure Cooker Insert Pan
1 Ladle/Wooden Spoon
1 Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

150 gms (or) 1 cup Instant Sambar Powder
1.5 Tablespoons (or) 1 ½ Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Mustard
½ Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Urad Dal
Few Curry Leaves
2 Pinches Asafoetida
174 gms (or) 1 cup Tomato washed and chopped
142 gms (or) ¾ cup Carrot wash, peel, trim edges, cut into half lengthwise and cut each half into bite size cubes
160 gms (or) 1 cup Eggplant wash, trim the edges, cut into half and cut each half into 3-4 pieces lenghtwise
133 gms (or) Drumstick each cut into 3-4 inches long
Handful Fresh coriander leaves chopped
1000ml (or) 4 cups Water adjust as per preferred consistency

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Put the rice in a steel container.
Wash the rice 3-4 times with cold tap water or until the water runs clear.
Add the required amount of water to the rice and keep it aside.
In a big bowl combine instant sambar masala with water. Mix until
150 gms (or) 1 cup Instant Sambar Powder, 1000ml (or) 4 cups Water
Plug in an Instant pot and press the saute button.
Add oil in the inner steel pot.
1.5 Tablespoons (or) 1 ½ Tablespoons Oil
Once oil is hot, fry mustard, cumin and urad dal for a minute. Let cumin sizzle.
1 Teaspoon Mustard, ½ Teaspoon Cumin, 1 Teaspoon Urad Dal
Now add curry leaves and asafoetida, and fry for half a minute or until aromatic.
Few Curry Leaves, 2 Pinches Asafoetida
Add vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes.
174 gms (or) 1 cup Tomato, 142 gms (or) ¾ cup Carrot, 160 gms (or) 1 cup Eggplant, 133 gms (or) Drumstick
Now add the prepared sambar masala paste, more water and coriander leaves and stir well.
Handful Fresh coriander leaves
Press the cancel button.
Place the trivet and put a steel container of rice with water on the trivet.
Secure the pot with the lid and move the steam release valve to the SEALING position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button.
Set the timer to 7 minutes at high pressure.
Once the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, move the steam release valve to the vent position to release the remaining pressure.
Delicious instant sambar is ready.

Notes

Water: Adjust the water depending on the desired thickness of the sambar.

Is sambar too thick? Add more water and cook in saute mode for 5-8 minutes. Check the taste and add more salt if required. First, add 1/4 cup water and check the consistency. Add another 1/4 cup of water if required. Check the consistency and add water accordingly.

Is sambar too thin? Combine 1 teaspoon of sambar masala with water and make a paste. Add it to sambar and cook on saute mode for 3-4 minutes. I necessary, add more until you get the right consistency.

Cook Time: The pressure cook time is NOT the complete cooking time. The instant pot takes time to build pressure and then the timer countdown starts. It calculates the time depending on the quantity inside the pot. So the total time IP takes to get this vegetable sambar and rice ready would be the time to saute vegetables and spices + time to come to the pressure + timer countdown + natural pressure release time.

The cook time might vary depending on the model you use.

Deglaze: Ensure to deglaze the pot before closing it with a lid to prevent a BURN message.

Nutrition