Sambar Sadam, also known as Sambar Rice, is a popular South Indian dish that combines cooked rice with sambar, a flavorful and aromatic lentil-based vegetable stew. It’s a wholesome and nutritious one-pot meal commonly enjoyed in South India.
When I feel like having something simple, mildly spicy and comforting, my first choice is Sambar Rice. Especially during winter, sambar rice is something that I often crave. This is an absolute comfort dish!
Sambar Sadam is a popular, wholesome South Indian dish where Rice, lentils and vegetables are cooked with tamarind extract. Sambar Rice is a great option for a lunch box too. It tastes so good with some incredibly delicious potato fry and chips. Does this make you hungry already? Then, don’t miss to try this Instant Pot Sambar Rice.
Cooking Sambar Rice in Instant Pot
Instant Pot sambar rice is a simplified and efficient version of the traditional South Indian dish “sambar rice,” made using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. It combines the flavours of sambar, a lentil and vegetable stew, with rice in a one-pot meal.
Instant Pot sambar rice offers a time-saving approach to a beloved South Indian dish. It captures the essence of traditional sambar rice while leveraging the efficiency of modern kitchen technology. The dish is a comforting, balanced meal that embodies the flavours of South India’s culinary heritage.
About this Sambar Sadam Recipe
South Indian cuisine is a treasure trove of flavours, and one dish that stands out for its unique blend of tastes is the beloved “Sambar Sadam.” This comforting one-pot meal beautifully combines the wholesome goodness of rice, lentils, and vegetables with the aromatic spices of sambar.
The combination of short-grain or medium-grain rice with toor dal (pigeon peas) creates a wholesome and satisfying base.
Diced vegetables like carrots, beans, potatoes, and drumsticks add colour and texture and infuse the dish with essential nutrients.
What truly sets Sambar Sadam apart is the symphony of spices that dance together to create a delightful melody of flavours. The aromatic sambar powder, typically a mix of coriander, cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, and more, infuses the dish with its distinct taste.
Tamarind pulp or tamarind concentrate is added to lend a tangy and slightly sour note, balancing the earthiness of the lentils and spices.
While both sambar sadam and bisi bele bath are South Indian rice dishes that combine lentils and vegetables with rice, they differ in terms of their flavor profiles, spice blends, and unique ingredients. Sambar sadam is known for its balance of sambar flavors, while bisi bele bath stands out for its rich and spiced taste, largely due to the unique spice blend used in its preparation.
South Indian Sambar Sadam is not merely a dish; it’s an ode to the rich culinary heritage of the region. It reflects the artistry of balancing flavors, textures, and spices that South Indian cuisine is celebrated for. Whether enjoyed on a lazy Sunday afternoon or shared with loved ones, Sambar Sadam is a testament to the timeless tradition of creating food that warms both the body and the soul.
So, next time you’re in the mood for an authentic South Indian experience, let your taste buds embark on a journey through the delightful flavors of Sambar Sadam.
Why I love Sambar Sadam
Talking about Sambar Sadam, I still remember the one we used to get in our college canteen. We used to rush to the canteen before classes started, just for a hot plate of Sambar Sadam. They used to serve it with some appalam. What bliss!
Sambar Rice is one dish that I grew up eating a lot. While there are many variations of sambar rice, what I am sharing here is the one that is most enjoyed in our household.
The specialty of this recipe
The specialty of this particular recipe is the freshly made spice paste that is added to the rice. Homemade or Readymade Sambar powder can also be used in its place. But I feel this freshly ground paste elevates the recipe to another level.
Also, this recipe is Vegan and Gluten-Free. It is a wholesome dish with a bunch of vegetables included. With lentils, rice and vegetables together, nothing more is needed to have a filling meal. With basic ingredients in hand, this delicious one-pot meal can be put together in 30 mins. Isn’t that fantastic?
How to make Sambar Rice
First, take ¾ cup rice and ½ cup dal together in a bowl. Wash and soak them for 30 minutes. This ensures the rice and dal get cooked well.
Meanwhile, soak gooseberry sized tamarind in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Take extract and keep aside. In a pressure cooker add onion, tomato, dal, rice, turmeric powder, kashmiri chilli powder ( just for the colour ) and salt. Add 3 cups water and cook for 3 whistles. This amount of water and cooking time is enough for the rice since we have soaked it in water for 30 mins. Once cooked, allow the pressure to release naturally. Slightly mash and keep it aside.
Dice the vegetables in medium size and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
In a pan, add sesame oil. Once hot, add 1 & ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, 4 red chillies, 1 teaspoon chana dal, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ cup shredded coconut, ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, ¼ teaspoon peppercorn. Saute on a medium flame till a nice aroma comes. Make sure you don’t burn the spices. Once done, let it cool. Add a little water and make a fine paste out of these spices.
In a kadai, add ghee or sesame oil. Try to use either one of these for a nice aroma and flavour. Once hot, add shallots and saute till it turns light brown.
Once shallots turn light brown, add the cooked vegetables and saute for a minute. Now, add this tamarind water, turmeric powder and salt to the kadai. Let it boil till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.
Add the freshly ground masala paste and cook for a couple of minutes. If using sambar powder, add it now and cook till the raw smell of the powder leaves.
Add the cooked rice and dal mixture. Stir well and taste for salt.
Temper with mustard, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and cashews. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve. Use ghee/sesame oil for tempering.
Suggestions
- To make this Sambar Rice, I have used white rice. Millets, Quinoa or Brown Rice can be used in place of white raw rice. I like using foxtail millet in this recipe. Tastes really good when cooked along with dal and masala.
- Store-bought sambar powder or even homemade sambar powder can be used in this recipe. But, the freshly made sambar masala paste is the star of this dish. So, I would insist on using the same for the best possible result.
- I have used kashmiri chilli powder to get a slightly darker colour. You can either skip it or add whole kashmiri chilli along with the regular red chillies while making spice paste.
- Apart from the vegetables I have used in this recipe, Radish, Turnip, Brinjals, Bell Pepper can also be used.
- This is not the quickest sambar rice recipe out there as it is not a one-pot dish. At the same time, it is not very time consuming either. To put together a wholesome dish in 30 minutes is a great choice. Also, it’s a perfect meal when you have guests at home.
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Recipe Card
Sambar Rice
Ingredients
For the masala paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 & ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 4 red chillies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon pepper corn
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
For the Rice
- 2 cups Carrot, French Beans, Peas, Potato, Drumstick
- 1 cup tamarind extract
- 10 shallots
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt as needed
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- ¾ cup raw rice
- ½ cup toor dal
To Temper and Garnish
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 10 cashews
- asafoetida a pinch
- curry leaves few
- 2 red chillies
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice and dal together for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, soak gooseberry sized tamarind in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Take extract and keep aside.
- In a pressure cooker, add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped tomato, rice , toor dal, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, kashmiri chilli powder, little salt and 3 cups water. Cook for 4 whistles. Once pressure releases naturally, mash and keep aside.
- Dice 2 cups veggies and pressure cook for 2 whistles and keep aside. I have used potato, carrot, beans, peas, drumstick.
- In a pan, add sesame oil and add all the ingredient under " for masala paste". Saute on medium to low flame till a nice aroma comes. Don't let it burn. Switch off. Cool and make a paste by adding littlre water to it.
- In a pan, add ghee/sesame oil. Once hot, add shallots. Saute till it turns light brown.
- Add the cooked vegetables. saute for a minute.
- Add tamarind extract, turmeric powder and salt as needed.
- Let the tamarind extract boil till raw smell goes.
- Add the ground paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the cooked rice and dal mixture to this pan and give a good mix. Taste for salt and add if needed.
- Adjust consistency by adding little boiling hot water if needed. This is to loosen the rice and dal.
- Switch off. In a tempering kadai, add ghee. Once hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, broken cashews and red chillies. Once the mustard splutters and cashews turn light golden in colour, add it to the sambar rice.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve .