Instant pot is great for making easy One pot recipes and this Instant pot Sambar sadham is an all time favorite at home. This millet sambar rice is a recipe you want to make when you want to eat something comforting, spicy and effortless. They are great for lunch boxes and go perfectly with some potato fry, papad or raita. This popular dish from Tamil Nadu is not only delicious, but also healthy because you get a good serving of veggies and fiber from millets.
A lot of people confuse sambar sadham (sadham – meaning rice in Tamil) with Bisi bela bath.
No, they are not the same!
While they both look similar, bisi bela bath has slight sweetness and uses extra exotic Indian spices like cinammon, poppy seeds, nutmeg etc which is not required in this simpler version (ie) sambar sadham. But both these recipes use tamarind, lentils (toor dal) and spices like coriander, fenugreek, curry leaves. Bisi Bela bath is from karnataka while sambar sadham is from Tamil Nadu (different states)
You go to any South Indian restaurant in Tamil Nadu, you will find sambar sadam rice in the menu for lunch! It is something that I grew up eating. Sometimes, it would be a one pot meal like this one and other times, mom would make sambar and rice separately. Just the sambar alone for lunch with rice and again use the same sambar with idlis/ dosas at night. That was the routine back then. Since it is something I ate (and still eat) almost everyday, the flavors from this dish – the scent of the fragrant curry leaves, the sweetness from chinna vengayam (pearl onions), aroma of the roasted coriander seeds is just so close to my heart. I can never get bored of eating this anytime of the day.
I have used some freshly ground sambar powder along with mom’s sambar powder in this Instant pot millet sadam rice recipe. Freshly ground spices gives an amazing fragrance to the dish, and mom’s spice powder to remind you of home. For people who are used to cooking Indian food on an every day basis, most of these ingredients would be easy to find. But if you don’t, I would suggest using store bought sambar powder
. But I have to tell you, there’s nothing like making some fresh spice mix and using it in this dish!
The ingredients list is not too long, so it should be easy to find them in most Indian grocery stores.
Points to note before making this recipe –
- You could substitute the millets with quinoa, or rice, or even oats.
- If you end up using brown rice, I would recommend cooking it for a longer time, because the dish is supposed to be mushy and creamy (with a little texture). So the settings given in the recipe might not work for brown rice.
- Substitute the freshly ground powder with 11/2 tsp of store bought sambar powder
. - You can use veggies of your choice to make this recipe. Good options would be carrots, drumstick, pearl onions, green peppers, potatoes, white pumpkin, squash.
Millets /Rice cooked with tamarind, coriander, fenugreek, chillies and toor dal in the instant pot to make this Tamil Nadu style Sambar sadham.
- 1/2 cup Fox tail Millets / Quinoa / Rice
- 1/4 cup Toor dal
- 11/2 cups chopped veggies ( drumstick, eggplant, pumpkin, carrots, squash, potato)
- 1/2 cup peeled pearl onions (Or substitute it with 1/4 red onion chopped finely)
- 1 lime size tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water
- 1 tomato cut in quarters
- 1 tsp jaggery
- salt to taste
- 21/2 cups water
- 1 tsp store bought sambar powder (optional - can just use the spoce powder you make below)
- 11/2 tsp oil / ghee
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 7 to 8 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp chana dal (kadala paruppu)
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 4 to 5 dried red chillies (use less or more as per spice levels)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
- 2 tbsp coconut grated (optional)
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Wash the millets and lentils and set it aside.
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Extract the juice from the soaked tamarind. (you will get about 3/4 cup of tamarind water since you soaked them in 1 cup water)
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Now let's make the spice powder. Dry roast the ingredients given under spice powder (except coconut) until the chana dal and coriander seeds turn golden brown and give out a nice aroma. Set it aside.
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If adding coconut, dry roast them until they turn slightly golden. Grind the coconut and the roasted spices to a somewhat coarse powder and set it aside.
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Switch on the saute mode in your instant pot and add the oil/ghee. Add the items under temper and let the mustard seeds splutter.
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Now add the onions, chopped veggies, tomatoes, saute for a minute.
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Add the washed millet (or rice), lentils, juice extracted from the tamarind, 21/2 cups water, salt, store bought sambar powder, 1/2 of the freshly ground spice powder, jaggery and mix well.
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Cook on manual high for 15 minutes. Release pressure naturally. Add the rest of the freshly ground spice powder and mix it with the rice.
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Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with potato sabji or papad.
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Wash the millets and dal and set it aside. Extract the juice from the soaked tamarind. (you will get about 3/4 cup of tamarind water since you soaked them in 1 cup water)
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Now let's make the spice powder. Dry roast the ingredients given under spice powder (except coconut) until the chana dal and coriander seeds turn golden brown and give out a nice aroma. Set it aside.
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If adding coconut, dry roast them until they turn slightly golden. Grind the coconut and the roasted spices to a somewhat coarse powder and set it aside.
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Heat your pressure cooker and add the oil/ghee. Add the items under temper and let the mustard seeds splutter. Then add onions, chopped veggies, tomatoes, saute for a minute.
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Add the washed millet (or rice), lentils, juice extracted from the tamarind, 21/2 cups water, salt, store bought sambar powder, 1/2 of the freshly ground spice powder, jaggery and mix well.
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Cook on medium flame for 3 to 4 whsitles and release pressure naturally. Add the rest of the freshly ground spice powder and mix it with the rice.
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Garnish your Instant pot Millet Sambar Rice with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with potato sabji or papad.
- If using tamarind paste, use a tbsp of the paste and dilute it in water so that you get 3 cups of liquid. (no need to add extra water)
- Can substitute millets with white rice / quinoa to cook them in the same settings mentioned. If using brown rice, increase the cook timings accordingly.
- Let the pressure release naturally for the toor dal (lentils) to get cooked properly.
- Substitute the freshly ground spice powder with ready made sambar masala
If you would like to try similar Rice / millet recipes specific to Southern part of India, then check out Rasam sadham (another favorite recipe of mine) Puliyodharai, Kovakkai rice , Green apple rice
Like this recipe? Rate it by clicking on the stars near the comments section! If you do try making this, do click a picture and share it on Facebook, Instagram with the hashtag #cookingwithpree. Give me a follow in Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest to know more about what I cook on a daily basis and for recipe insporations 🙂
Came out dry because recipe showed 2 1/2 cups water for 8 servings, 🙁 Will try again sometime.
Hi Srikanth, Sorry it came out dry. There seems to a problem with the servings calculator. 2 1/2cups of water is for the 1/2 cup millets mentioned in the recipe.
You will have to increase the amount of water propotionately. I will try to get that feature fixed. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Tried this today, came out really really well…loved it !
Oh thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked it 🙂
Looks like the water quantity is not increasing with the serving size. its always at ’21/2 cups water’.
Will be trying out the recipe today 🙂
Please increase the water qty propotionately to the rice/ millets used. Must be some problem with the recipe card. will try to rectify it soon. Would love to know how you liked it 🙂
This is so delicious that I make it every other week in the IP. I love the idea of using millets and think of you as I eat it :).
Millets is defenitely a healthier choice. Glad you liked it 🙂
I really intended to try this with millets, but then, I chickened out and made it with white rice. It was a super easy recipe to follow and turned out great! Super hearty on a cold Sunday afternoon with applam and yogurt. Will definitely make this again – hopefully I do try it with millets this time.
Glad you liked it Deepti 🙂 Appalam and yogurt go perfectly with this!!
WOW, such a comforting meal !!! Love the use of millets here, very nice detailed post you have shared here dear.
Thank you so much!!
I love food enveloped in nostalgia. I can imagine when you were savoring each spoonful of this sadam, priceless memories must have come flooding. This looks so hearty & is absolutely delicious.
Oh yes!! Even better if it is made by mom! Even though we follow the same recipe, it tastes so much more delicious! Thank you 🙂
I am a huge fan of one-pot meal and low carb dishes, this sambar sadham recipe sounds so tempting and interesting. Bookmarking it.
Thank you so much!! I hope you like it as much as we do!
Sambar rice is simply superb and it making hungry after seeing your pictures. Beautiful presented.
Thank you 🙂
I need to make it with millets, always make it with rice. Millets are healthier. Lovely share of using the instant pot.
Yes, millets are a healthier and they taste almost exactly like rice 🙂
Great recipe!! Love the instant pot versions, so convenient. Bookmarking to try for later 🙂
Hope you like it 🙂
Sambar sadham, while reading the name of the dish itself my mouth is watering here. Instant pot version rocks. What a wholesome, comforting and satisfying one pot mela na. Inviting to the core.
Yes, it is a really healthy and hearty one pot dish! Instant pot just makes the cooking easier as you don’t have to baby sit it! 🙂 Thank you!
I simply love one pot wholesome meals.This one is really healthy with added millet. Its nice getting to know what distinguishes sadham from the bisi bela bhat.
Yes, I have been trying to include millets regularly and they are perfect in such one pot meals 🙂 Thank you so much!
Sambar sadam looks so inviting. Loved the recipe Bookmaking it to try soon. Lovely share. :
Thank you! Hope u like it 🙂
We love Sambar sadam and will be making at least once in two weeks…after getting my electric pressure cooker,yet to make it in it…this looks lip smacking
Oh you will love using your electric cooker for this recipe 🙂 We make this quite often too! It is comfort food, isn’t it?!
I am indeed loving the instatpot and this sambhar sadam looks perfect. thank you for the recipe
Thank you so much 🙂
Sambar sadam using millets!! Yessssssss.
Where do you buy millet? Or which brand and type?
Hey!! I buy them in the local Indian grocery store. Sometimes I get some from India too. 🙂 I use fox tail, kudo and little millet. I grab whatever I find in the stores 🙂
With so many steps apart from a cooker, how can this fit in with OPOS?
Hi Chandra, for opos i think you would layer everything and cook in high pressure. I havent done this in opos yet. But I can update you after trying it.
Sambar sadam looks so appetising. This is one of a kind soul food and one pot meal too. You have made this more nutritious by adding millets to it.
Lovely share
Thank you so much Lata! 🙂 It is one of my favorite one pot dishes too!
I love Sambhar Sadham.. such a comforting meal.I make it with rice, shall try with millets too!! Very nice detailed post.
Thank you swati! It is comfort food indeed 🙂 I love substituting millets for rice. Im sure you will like it too:)
I used to love sambar sadam during my hostel days… I love the idea of substituting it with millets…
They taste great with millets and you can hardly tell the difference 🙂