Instant Pot Sambar is a richly spiced South Indian soup made easy. The lentils are blended smooth right in the Instant Pot and the vegetables are cooked just until tender. Homemade sambar powder brings extraordinary flavor to this healthy, one-pot vegan stew.
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⭐ Why it works
- Easy recipe cooks quickly and makes clean-up a breeze.
- Vegetables are added at the end to cook up tender, not mushy.
- Homemade masala from freshly toasted and ground spices.
- Traditional tadka - aromatic, buttery, roasted spice topping.
🏆 Top tip
Sambar cooked in a covered pressure cooker prevents the foaming over that is notorious when cooking dal in a pan on the stovetop.
🇮🇳 Origin of Sambar
Sambar, the spice blend and soup of the same name, is a South Indian specialty. In researching its origins, I came across varied opinions and some fun controversies.
The general consensus has an entertaining tale that starts with a dish called amti from Maharashtra in Western India. It just so happens the original recipe, made with moong dal and sour kokum, was the ruling king's favorite 400 hundred years ago.
Intrigued? Well, the story goes one day, the royal kitchen was out of kokum and moong dal. So by necessity, tamarind and toor dal were introduced as substitutions. Luckily, despite the nervous cooks, the first modified amti recipe was a big hit with the ruling king, Sambhaji.
In fact, it was so well received it went on to be named after him. Thus, thereafter it was called sambar.
Whatever its origins, I think you'll find this modern Instant Pot sambar made with fresh vegetables and homemade sambar powder incredible.
📋 Sambar soup ingredients
- Toor dal - also called tur dal, toovar dal, and arhar dal, split pigeon peas are a mild, nutty variety of yellow lentils available in Indian and Asian markets, larger grocery stores, and online at Organic Pantry.
- Sambar powder - homemade is absolutely the best, and instructions are in the recipe card, but 24 Mantra has a quality, organic masala if you want to buy ready-made.
- Tamarind puree - my favorite is Glory Bee seedless, organic puree.
- Curry leaves - fresh is preferred, but if you have to use packaged curry leaves or omit them, your Instant Pot sambar will still be delicious.
- Quick-cooking vegetables - You can use any fresh produce you have on hand. Slice harder vegetables like carrots thin. Some excellent choices are green beans, snow peas, sweet peppers, okra, and eggplant. Be sure to include chayote squash and traditional moringa "drumsticks" if they are available.
- Vegan ghee - is optional but recommended. Nutiva has an organic product.
🔪 Sambar steps
I used to cook sambar on the stovetop but now that I have discovered the secret to perfectly soft dal every time and avoiding foamy spill-overs by making Instant Pot sambar, I'll never go back.
I love making this come-again recipe because it's nourishing and elegant with very little effort. It makes an impressive company dish served with Tender Brown Rice Idli Dumplings.
Full instructions for making Instant Pot sambar are in the recipe card below. Here's a breakdown of the simple steps:
- Soak toor dal overnight or for 4 hours at room temperature.
- Saute onions and tomatoes with spices.
- Add water and soaked lentils to the Instant Pot and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.
- Blend sambar soup inside the pot with an immersion blender or heavy whisk.
- Finish the soup with quick-cooking vegetables of your choice and adjust the taste with tamarind puree, chili, and salt as desired.
💭 What is sambar powder?
It goes without saying that freshly toasted and ground spices make a world of difference. Sambar powder, also called sambar masala, or sambar podi is the essential spice blend that gives this South Indian lentil and vegetable soup its distinctive flavor.
Each household in India has its favorite mix, which can be more or less spicy, but the main ingredients include coriander seed, cumin seed, dry lentils, and curry leaves.
Like my Chai Masala Powder, Garam Masala, and Chinese Five-Spice Mix, this sambar masala makes a lovely gift to share with friends.
📋 Sambar powder ingredients
- Coriander, cumin, and black pepper - use fresh whole spices rather than powder.
- Dried red chili - Indian chili, chili arbol, or similarly sized chilis adjusted to the spicy level you enjoy.
- Toor dal - split yellow pigeon peas.
- Chana dal - split desi chickpeas.
- Curry leaves - fresh or dried if need be.
- Turmeric powder - powder is convenient; the fresher, the better.
- Fenugreek seed - a touch of welcome bitter-sweet flavor.
- Asafoetida - has a delicious, unique, savory taste with some similarities to onion and garlic. It adds depth to the masala but is optional if you can't buy it.
♨️ Make sambar powder
Toasting spices and grinding them fresh makes a world of difference in sambar. Plus, it's worth taking the time to toast groups of spices separately. This way, the perfume of each spice can be released without burning any of the spices.
Toast spices in batches
- Dals - toast chana dal and toor dal together until releasing aroma and lightly browned.
- Coriander and fenugreek - toast both seeds until you hear the first crackling sounds.
- Cumin, black pepper, and curry leaves - toast until curry leaves dry and curl.
- Chili peppers, turmeric, and asafoetida - toast until chilis are pliable.
Grind masala
- Cool toasted spices in a bowl and stir together.
- Grind cooled spices in batches to a uniform powder.
🥄 Serving
I like to serve sambar with a traditional Indian tadka tempering drizzled over the top. This recipe includes coriander, cumin, and black mustard seeds sizzled in plant-based ghee with fresh curry leaves.
The resulting crispy curry leaves and tiny, crunchy seeds in browned butter take Instant Pot sambar to a whole new level! A small spoonful swirled over this flavorful soup is divine.
Some of our favorite breads to serve with sambar are Soft Whole Wheat Roti, Vegan Pita Pocket Bread, and Tender Brown Rice Idli.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Make or buy sambar powder ahead of time.
- Dice tomatoes and onions small.
- Mash cooked tomatoes and onions before adding lentils and water.
- Let steam release naturally with the vent closed on the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
- Blend soup inside the Instant Pot with an immersion blender or whisk vigorously.
- Add vegetables after the lentils are cooked to keep them from getting mushy.
- Make tadka topping while the vegetables cook in the sambar.
- Fry spices for the tadka in vegan ghee until very fragrant and crackly but take care not to burn them.
💭 FAQ
Soaked dal cooks in 8-10 minutes in an Instant Pot. You'll want to allow some time to chop and cook vegetables as well as about 10 minutes for the pressure to release at the end of cooking, but you can have Instant Pot sambar ready from start to finish in 40 minutes.
The dal most frequently used for sambar is tur dal, also called toor dal, toovar dal, and arhar dal. It is made from split pigeon peas and has a mild, nutty flavor and creamy consistency when cooked.
Asafoetida, also spelled asafoetida is called hing, in Hindi. It's a dried and powdered gum obtained from a perennial herb in the celery family. It has a very pungent smell, but its unique savory flavor is considered indispensable in some Indian kitchens. It's a very useful substitute for people who don't eat garlic and onions.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Sambar
Ingredients
Sambar lentil soup
- 1 cup toor dal (tuvar dal, tur dal, arhar dal, split pigeon peas)
- 3 cups water plus ½ cup if needed at end
- 1 TB plant-based ghee optional, recommended
- 1 cup onion diced small
- 1 ½ cups tomatoes seeded, diced and packed
- 1 tsp. jalapeno seeded and minced
- 2 tsp. sambar powder homemade is preferred
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- ¼ tsp. asafoetida optional
- 1 cup vegetables quick cooking
- 1 tsp. red chili powder more or less to taste
- 1 tsp. salt adjust at end
- 1 TB tamarind paste more or less to taste
Homemade sambar powder
- 2 TB chana dal
- 2 TB toor dal
- ½ cup coriander seeds
- 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
- 1 TB black peppercorns
- 2 TB cumin seeds
- ¼ cup curry leaves
- 8 dry red chilies to taste
- 1 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. asafoetida, optional
Tempering for garnish
- 4 TB plant-based ghee optional
- 1 tsp. coriander seed
- 1 tsp. cumin seed
- 2 tsp. black mustard seeds
- 4 TB fresh curry leaves
- 2-4 small fresh red chilis optional, to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot sambar soup
- Soak dal for 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse and drain.
- Place ghee in an Instant Pot and set it to saute mode. Add onions and cook until softening.
- Add tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric, asafoetida, jalapeno, red chili, and salt to onions. Cook until the tomato breaks down. Use a large fork to mash the mixture together.
- Add 3 cups of water and the drained soaked dal to the Instant Pot. Set the cooker to high pressure for 10 minutes and close the steam valve.
- When cooking is finished, allow Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes with the steam valve closed. Release any remaining steam manually.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and whisk soup vigorously or blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add vegetables, turn the Instant Pot to soup mode, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of water if needed to make a thin but not watery soup.
- Add tamarind paste and adjust with salt and chili to taste.
Make tadka
- While vegetables cook, heat plant-based ghee in a small skillet. Add mustard seed, cumin seed, curry leaves, and fresh chili if using. Stir and cook until the seeds crackle, and the curry leaves curl and crisp.
Serve
- Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle tadka tempering over the top. Serve with steamed idli, fluffy rice, dosa, roti, naan, or tortillas as desired.
Homemade sambar powder
- Toast chana dal and toor dal together in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until aroma is released and the dal is lightly browned. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Place coriander and fenugreek seed in a skillet. Toast while stirring until seeds begin to crackle. Add to bowl with toasted dals.
- Place black peppercorn, cumin seed, and curry leaves in a skillet. Stir and toast until curry leaves dry and curl. Add to bowl with other toasted spices.
- Place red chilis, turmeric powder, and asafoetida, if using, in a skillet. Toast until chilis are pliable. Add to bowl with all the other spices. Cool completely to room temperature.
- Place spice mixture in a blender or grinder and process to a uniform powder. Transfer to a jar and store in a cupboard for a month, or freeze for 3 months.
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