Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Sambar – How to make Sambar in an Instant Pot – Instant Pot Sambar Recipe – Instant Pot Indian Recipes – How to make South Indian Sambar – Learn how to make traditional sambar using an instant pot – Mixed Vegetable Sambar
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Sambar is something that we make twice or thrice a week to pair it with rice or any kind of tiffin item like idli, dosa or poori. Using mixed vegetables is kind of my favorite to sneak in all the veggies in one shot!
Instead of baby sitting the traditional pressure cook, I resort to Instant Pot cooking most of the busy days. I can cook both dal and veggies the same time and just temper, saute and simmer to finish!
Using Sambar Powder a must?
Not exactly, sambar can be made without sambar powder but using a little will definitely enhance the flavor. You may either use home made or store bought sambar podi for this recipe.
Here is a simple quick sambar podi that you can make few minutes for single use. Usually these powders/ podis are ground in bulk. Some days i make my own single use sambar powder which adds the same touch as traditional sambar podi.
Here is the recipe for a small quantity… roughly yields 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
- Dry Red Chilli – 3 to 4 (long)
- Coriander Seeds – 2 tablespoons
- Toor Dal – 1 teaspoon
- Channa Dal – 1 teaspoon
- Black Peppercorns – 1/2 teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
- Desiccated Coconut – 1 tablespoon (optional)
Dry roast all these over low flame for 10 minutes, let cool completely and grind to a coarse texture. As this is a small quantity , its all roasted at the same time. For traditional sambar powder made in bulk, roast them separately. Coconut is optional, exclude if storing for longer time.
What kind of Mixed Vegetables to Choose?
Carrots, Greens Beans, White Pumpkin, Brinjal, Drumstick are my favorites. You can also include peas, ivy gourd, chayote, bottle gourd, broad beans, sweet potato or cluster beans.
What is an Instant Pot ? – Its a programmable counter-top electric pressure cooker…. You must have heard or read about this magic machine in the past few months… people rave about. I was so skeptical in using one as i am pretty old school and totally love my traditional pressure cooker. 
There are many models and capacity to choose from, i got 3 quart Instant Pot Duo Mini as a gift this christmas and will be trying my hand on taming it to make Indian recipes. Its basically an electric pressure cooker where you don’t have to babysit, count whistle or time everything is done with a touch of a button.
Check our INSTANT POT TOMATO RICE RECIPE
Instant Pot Sambar - Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Sambar
Ingredients
Ingredients - for cooking Split Pigeon peas + Mixed Veggies
- 1 cup Toor dal / Thuvaram paruppu / Split Pigeon peas
- 2 cups Water
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 4 pieces Drumstick
- 1/4 cup Ivy Gourd
- 1/4 cup Carrots
- 1/4 cup Green Beans
Ingredients - for saute
- 10 each Sambar onions/ Chinna vengayam / Pearl onions sliced or use 1 cup (regular onions)
- 1/2 cup Tomatoes
- 4 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 each Green chilli
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tablespoon Sambar powder (optional) ****Read Notes ( varies with type)
- 2 tablespoon Tamarind extract
- 1 cup Water
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt kallu uppu/ crystal salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Jaggery
- 5 each Curry leaves
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
Ingredients - for tempering
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 each Dry Red Chilli
- 3/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Split black gram
- 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida powder
Instructions
Prep Work
- Soak Toor dal / split pigeon pea in enough water for 30 minutes. Soaking helps to cook the dal evenly and also helps with digestion.
- Soak little tamarind in water and extract the pulp.
- Chop all the veggies,
To cook Dal & Veggies
- Rinse the soaked dal and drain all the water. Add this to the inner pot.
- Add a pinch of turmeric and pour water to cover.
- Place a trivet or steaming rack for the veggies. Take the mixed veggies in a steel insert pan or any regular pan that fits in the pot. Place it over the trivet.
- Cover with lid and seal the vent.
- Select PRESSURE COOK MODE and cook for 15 minutes over High Pressure.
- Do NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE for fresh veggies. Do QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE if using frozen veggies.
- When done, carefully set remove the steamed veggies and set aside.
- Remove the trivet and mash the cooked dal. Set this aside.
- If using traditional pressure cooker, just follow the same procedure using pressure pan and cook for 2 to 3 whistles over high flame.
To make sambar
- Select SAUTE MODE. Heat oil and ghee in the inner pot.
- Temper with dry red chilies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, split black gram, cumin seeds, asafoetida and some curry leaves.
- Saute shallots with green chilies for few minutes and then add tomatoes. Cook until it turns soft.
- Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, sambar powder and salt. Saute till the raw smell goes.
- Pour the tamarind extract along with water and stir to combine.
- At this stage, add cooked dal along with steam veggies.
- Bring it to a rolling boil adding little jaggery.
- Garnish with curry and coriander leaves.
- Simmer for few minutes until desired thickness and turn off!
- Serve hot with piping hot rice and curries!
Video
Notes
Learn how to cook TOOR DAL IN AN INSTANT POT
To start with always soak your dal. I have soaked for 30 minutes, this step is optional as i always say… soaking dal is good for your tummy, easy digestion!
Place the soaked dal with water along with turmeric powder.
You may also use a little pan insert for your veggies or trivet. I just a small steel cup with all my veggies.
Put the lid, bring the pressure release handle to sealing position. Press pressure cooker mode and give about 15 minutes. (You can adjust pressure cooking time with that + & – )
After 15 minutes… you may do a natural pressure release or do a quick release. You dal cooks perfectly and the veggies cook to tender. (You may use any veggie of your choice)
Use kitchen tongs to get the insert cup off the pot. Keep that aside.
Whisk the dal to soft consistency. DRUMSTICK SAMBAR
Perfectly blended. Now tansfer it to another bowl. Clean the pot for the next step.
Go back to saute mode.
Heat oil and ghee in the pot. MOONG DAL SAMBAR
Get the tempering ingredients ready.
Temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, fennel seeds, cumin seeds,dry red chili, asafoetida and curry leaves.
Now followed by onions, green chilies and garlic. (yes we do add garlic in sambar!)
Followed by tomatoes, saute till they get mushy. SORAKKAI SAMBAR
Add in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, sambar powder and salt.
Saute the masala well… it will start to stick to the bottom as your saute.
Time to add water. TIFFIN SAMBAR
The tamarind extract.
Followed by the cooked dal.
Add the cooked veggies too.
A tiny piece of jaggery can make your sambar taste really good… add in!
When your sambar start to boil throw in chopped coriander and curry leaves
Bring it a rolling boil…
Let it boil until it thickens a bit or desired consistency that you wish.
Switch off! Its all ready to be served.
Notes
- Sambar powder, jaggery are all kind of optional. Your sambar will still taste good without these. These just to enhance the taste.
- You can choose any veggie that you like, 3 are more veggies will be really good for sambar.
- Choose few naatu kaikarigal / country vegetables for better taste.
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