This Authentic Instant Pot Sambar recipe is a delicious vegetable lentil stew recipe from the South Indian state of Kerala. This easy sambar is normally eaten with the South Indian staples of idli, dosa, vada, or rice but you could serve it as a soup or stew. Use your choice of vegetables for sambar.
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➡ If you’re new to Kerala cooking, start with my Kerala Cooking Basics guide for ingredient tips, shopping advice, and more authentic recipes.
If you’re tired of watery sambar that you get at many South Indian restaurants, this recipe is for you!
Sambar (pronounced ‘saam-baar’) is a boldly flavored South Indian vegetable lentil stew. What was originally a South Indian dish has become popular all over India and the world.
This authentic sambar recipe comes from the South Indian state of Kerala and it’s my mom’s recipe. She makes it every week and has two versions of sambar: with coconut (varutharacha sambar) and without coconut.
I love both recipes, but I prefer adding coconut to the sambar for its thick consistency and rich flavor. You can make this sambar in the Instant Pot without coconut if you’re short on time or if you don’t care for coconut.
Sambar is also an important part of the Kerala banana leaf feast called sadhya (especially Onam sadhya or Vishu sadhya). See image below.
➡ If you love masala dosa this sambar goes so well with dosa, red chutney, green chutney, and potato masala. Learn how to put it together with how to make masala dosa.
🧂 Instant Pot Sambar – Ingredients
💡 Instant Pot Sambar Tips
🫘 Dal: the dal should be soft and mashable. If it’s still firm, just pressure cook it for another 2-3 minutes. If the dal isn’t becoming soft, it could be that it’s been on the shelf for too long. Soaking for an hour might help.
Use non-oily toor dal (also called tuvar dal or split pigeon peas) and rinse it well until the water runs clear.
🍆 Sambar Vegetables: I use my mom’s favorite combo: okra, eggplant, and cucumber (she uses Indian cucumber, I use English). She also adds drumsticks (moringa), which are available frozen in Indian grocery stores.
Use whatever vegetables you like, just make sure they have similar cooking times so everything cooks evenly. You can also use Saute mode, instead of pressure cooking. Cook until soft and well-done.
Want more soupy sambar? Reduce the quantity of vegetables down to 1½ cups total.
🫙 Sambar Powder: The version of the Kerala sambar recipe my mom makes does not use sambar powder. Instead, she uses the following mix, dry roasted in a frying pan and powdered in a coffee grinder or using a mortar and pestle:
- 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- ¼ tsp asafoetida powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or to taste). You can also use 2 whole Kashmiri chilies (or more to taste)
Add these spices in place of the sambar powder. Asafoetida powder is a very pungent spice, so make sure you store it properly sealed.
🍬 Sugar: The addition of sugar in this recipe is recommended because it balances out the flavors: salty, sour, spicy, and sweet flavors make a perfect combination. However, you can omit the sugar or adjust the quantity.
🍋 Tamarind: The recipe uses homemade tamarind paste. But you can use tamarind pulp or tamarind concentrate. If using tamarind pulp, soak a 1-inch piece in ½ cup hot water for 15 minutes. Break up lumps with your hands, discard solids, and add the liquid when cooking the vegetables. Taste as you go. You may not need to add all the tamarind water. Reduce the quantity of water to cook the veggies accordingly.
If using tamarind concentrate, mix one teaspoon with one teaspoon hot water to start, then add more to taste.
🥥 Coconut: Adding coconut is optional – the sambar is flavorful without it. Skip it if you’re short on time since roasting takes 15 minutes. But, I recommend doing it because it makes the sambar thick and flavorful!
Grind the roasted coconut into a smooth paste using a mini blender. Add water one tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too thick to blend, but be careful not to add too much, or it won’t blend properly.
Find grated coconut in the frozen section of South Asian stores. No fresh or frozen coconut? Use desiccated coconut, but rehydrate it first. You can even steam it in the Instant Pot (keep steam release on VENTING!).
🥄Tempering: The final step in this recipe is the frying of the mustard seeds and curry leaves, which is known as ‘tempering’.
I give you the option of using either vegetable oil or coconut oil for tempering. Coconut oil is the more flavorful option.
Make sure you don’t burn the tempering ingredients!
🧂 Flavors: Finally, the flavors of this sambar should be balanced with no one flavor overpowering the others. So taste and adjust seasonings as you go.
❓ FAQS
You can double this recipe if you’re using a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot. Double all ingredients but keep the pressure cooking time.
It depends on your Instant Pot. If you have a 6 quart, you should be able to halve the recipe if you’re not prone to getting the Burn Message. I wouldn’t halve it in an 8 quart.
Eastern Brahmin sambar powder and MTR sambar powder are two good brands that I use. Please note that different sambar powders can vary in spiciness so adjust the quantity accordingly.
Reduce the sambar powder quantity to two teaspoons. If you wish, add two teaspoons of paprika to give the sambar a richer color without the spice.
Add one more tablespoon of sambar powder or add a sliced serrano pepper or jalapeno pepper.
You can substitute masoor dal or even moong dal for the toor dal. Some people use half toor dal and half masoor dal. The texture of the sambar can vary based on the type of dal you use.
Here are some vegetable options. Pick ones that have a similar pressure cooking time:
okra
eggplant
cucumber
zucchini
green beans
pearl onions
potato
plantain
sweet potato
radish
butternut squash
bottle gourd (instead of cucumber)
moringa
I frequently use frozen vegetables for sambar and tend to omit the second pressure cooking step. Instead, I cook the vegetables in Saute mode until they’re done.
It’s a question of taste. I find this to be a medium spicy recipe, but some readers find it spicy. If you’re worried about it, add a smaller quantity of sambar powder.
Sambar in some many restaurants can be really watery. I like the sambar to be fairly thick, but pourable. When refrigerated, sambar thickens quite a bit. Add a bit of hot water to thin it out while reheating.
Because of the coconut, the sambar won’t keep for long in the refrigerator. I use it up within a couple of days.
I freeze leftover sambar successfully. If I’m doing meal prep, I omit the tempering step and do that step when I’m reheating the sambar.
⏲️ How to Make Instant Pot Sambar
- Add water to Instant Pot inner pot. Add rinsed toor dal and turmeric. Stir to combine, pressure cook for 10 minutes and do a natural pressure release.
- Add water, eggplant, cucumber, okra, tomato, onion, salt, sambar powder, sugar and tamarind.
- Pressure cook for 1 minute and do a quick release, or cook vegetables in Saute mode. Stir to combine.
[Optional: Saute grated coconut until deep golden brown, blend with a bit of water, and stir into the sambar.] - Preheat a small frying pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cover with a splatter screen or lid. When the mustard seeds stop popping, remove the lid and add the curry leaves. Saute the curry leaves for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to the sambar and heat through in Saute mode. Press Cancel and add cilantro. Stir until combined.
➡ Looking for more South Indian recipes? Try my Kerala Egg Curry, Vegetable Stew, Kerala Fish Curry, Kerala Beef Stew, Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Korma, Kerala Parippu Curry, or Stovetop Kerala Chicken Curry. You’ll love them as much as I do!
Instant Pot Sambar
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups water
- ½ cup toor dal rinsed well, till water runs clear
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup eggplant (about ½ eggplant) cubed into ¾ inch pieces
- ½ cup English cucumber (about ¼ cucumber) peeled and cubed into ¾ inch pieces
- ½ cup okra frozen or fresh
- 2 cups tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste (I prefer 1 ¼ tsp)
- 1 tablespoon sambar powder or more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar or jaggery or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste or to taste [See Notes]
- ¼ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen (optional)
- water to blend coconut about 3 to 4 Tbsp
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 12 curry leaves fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Stir together 2 cups water, rinsed toor dal, and turmeric in the inner pot.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and allow for a natural pressure release. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Press Cancel and open the lid.
- Mash the dal with the back of a large spoon or potato masher.
- Stir in 1 ½ cups water, eggplant, cucumber, okra, tomato, onion, salt, sambar powder, sugar and tamarind.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 1 minute, open the lid and do a quick release of pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Press Cancel and open the lid.
- Optional: – Dry roast the coconut over medium heat in a small frying pan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when the coconut is a rich golden color. This can take about 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn! – Transfer the coconut into a mini blender bowl and add 3 tablespoon water. Blend the coconut and water into a smooth paste. If the coconut mixture does not move in the blender, add a bit more water, one tablespoon at a time. Don't add too much water. – Stir the coconut mixture into the sambar.
- Preheat a small frying pan and add oil.
- Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cover with a splatter screen or lid.
- When the mustard seeds stop popping, turn off the heat, remove the lid and add the curry leaves.
- Saute the curry leaves for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves with the oil into the sambar.
- Cook in Saute mode till heated through.
- Add in chopped cilantro and stir to combine.
Notes
- When adding tamarind paste, taste as you go. Don’t add it all at once.
- If using homemade tamarind paste, use about 2 teaspoons
- If using tamarind concentrate, start with 1 teaspoon mixed with 1 teaspoon hot water and add more to taste.
- If using tamarind pulp, soak a 1-inch piece in ½ cup of hot water for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, break up the lumps and squeeze with your hands. Discard the solids and use some or all of this liquid when cooking the vegetables. Reduce the vegetable cooking water by the same amount.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Tarun says
I liked how thick this recipe turned out. It was more like a vegetable stew and not runny, so much better than my local udipi restaurant! The secret is the Coconut. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
sumi says
awesom
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Sumi!
Jia says
Delicious, easy, and easy to understand recipe. Thanks again.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jia – I’m glad to hear you liked the recipe 🙂
Neetu says
Loved it. Used my IP for the first time yesterday since I could easily follow IP steps with pictures. Thanks so much!!
Neetu says
Thanks a lot Neena- your tips and pictures are super helpful! Yours is the first site to even mention how to use IP.. Much grateful 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
That’s so great to hear, Neetu! Always happy to help out. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Anju says
I had never made sambar with coconut so I wanted to try this and loved the flavor of the fried coconut. But I used potatoes, carrots and brinjal. Thanks for the detailed information.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks so much, Anju, for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe. Yes, I love the addition of coconut. It adds that extra oomph to the recipe!