Looking for a simple and delicious sambar recipe to go with rice , idlis/ dosas? This Instant pot Sambar made with small pearl onions, lentils and spices is for you!
You have probably tried a lot of sambar recipes. Some with coconut, some without. You grind fresh spices for some, whereas other versions uses store bought masalas…
Yes, we south Indians have a variety of sambars and like any other South Indian foodie, I like to eat tiffin sambar with tiffin items and arachuvitta sambar with rice. But this Instant pot sambar or paruppu kuzhambu as we call it in our family, tastes pretty great with everything and the best part is, it is so simple to make!
Of all the vegetables we make sambar with, this chinna vengayam sambar, meaning pearl onions sambar has to be my favorite. The slight sweetness from the soft onions, sourness from the tamarind, flavor of curry leaves all makes this vengayam sambar recipe so delicious. And if you helped peel the chinna vengayam skin ( pearl onion skin) then you will know it’s all worth it when you eat this sambar.
How to make the best tasting sambar?
Wonder why your sambar doesn’t taste as good as the one you tasted in your friend’s house or in your favorite restaurant? Worry not! I am going to share some tips and tricks to make the best tasting sambar.
Sambar masala -The quality of sambar masala / powder is very important for good sambar. Homemade powder is always better than store bought. Sambar masala that’s under 2 or 3 months old have a better fragrance. It is always important to store them in air tight container so they don’t lose their aroma.
Tamarind – Not all tamarind have the same quality. If you are using dried tamarind, make sure they are not old stock. The old ones don’t have the slight sweetness that elevates most dishes. If using paste, each brand has a different concentration. While the recipes may provide a measurement, always make sure the amount you add depends on how sour your tamarind paste is.
Lentils– The sambar you eat with rice generally use toor dal, whereas the sambar for tiffin uses a combination of toor and moong dal or just moong dal. So choose your lentils accordingly.
Vegetables – The vegetables you use will naturally affect the taste of the dish. Veggies like pumpkin, pearl onions, drumstick tend to have a nice aroma and a mildly sweet flavor which is excellent in a sambar. Whereas veggies like radish, eggplant, okra etc give the dish an earthy taste and are great with rice.
Sourness – If you are making the sambar to serve with idlis/ dosa, your sambar should be not too tangy! So use more lentils, sweetish veggies like small onions, pumpkin etc for a tiffin sambar and more tomatoes than tamarind. If you are serving it with rice, then you will add a bit more tamarind and any veggie would work.
Cilantro – Sorry but if you are a cilantro hater, then you might not get the best tasting sambar. While you can definitely omit it, you fresh cilantro for that amazing flavor.
Ghee – Yes a small amount of ghee makes a lot of difference in taste. But you can always omit it for a vegan version!
Fenugreek and asafoetida – The secret spices that is paramount for the authentic sambar taste. If you haven’t been using it, try it and see the difference. Both have to be used in very less quantity. But the sambar will taste amazing.
Jaggery – Always good to balance all the sourness and saltiness with some jaggery!! Don’t have it? Substitute with some normal sugar / coconut sugar. But use jaggery if you can.
Substitutions for the ingredients :
While I suggest you use the ingredients in the recipe as mentioned for authentic taste, there are some variations/ substitutions you can do and still have a really good tasting sambar.
Tamarind – Unfortunately no substitute for that. You will need to use either dried tamarind or tamarind extract. While some people might say you can use kokum, amchur etc.. I wouldn’t call them sambar. You can increase the amount of tomato used and use a small amount of tamarind. But tamarind is a must. Without it, it’s a dal.
Curry leaves – Skip it, if you don’t have it. But it really elevates the dish.
Asafoetida and fenugreek – Again skip if you can’t find it.
Pearl onions – substitute with any other onion or even any other veggie like pumpkin, butternut squash, drumstick, okra, baby eggplants etc..
Sambar masala – No substitute
Turmeric – Most sambar masala powder have turmeric in them. So you can skip it if you wish.
This Instant pot Vengayam sambar recipe or as my mom calls it paruppu kuzhambu (meaning lentils kuzhambu) is good both with rice and tiffin items. I use a mix of toor dal and moong dal so it tastes good with everything. The slight sweetness works great in this dish. Moreover, there’s not grinding involved. If you want to make a sambar with fresh ground masala and coconut , check out my arachuvitta sambar recipe
Let’s see how to make this easy Instant pot Vengayam sambar Recipe
South Indian style sambar recipe made with lentils, tamarind, onions and spices served as a side with rice, idli, dosas.
- 10 to 15 peeled pearl onions ( 1/3rd cup chopped onions)
- 1/3 cup Moong dal
- 1/3 cup Toor dal
- 1 small lemon sized tamarind (approximately 1 tbsp tamarind paste)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 tbsp sambar powder
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- A fat pinch of asafoetida
- 1 tsp jaggery (or as needed to balance sourness)
- 11/2 tsp oil / ghee
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
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Soak the moong dal and toor dal together for minimum 1 hour. Moong dal cooks very fast, so it is okay if you don't soak the moong dal. But Toor dal needs to be soaked to cook properly in the instant pot.
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Soak the tamarind in 2 cups boiling hot water for 20 minutes. Then extract the juice from it and set it aside. If using paste, dissolve the paste in 2 cups hot water.
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Switch on the saute mode in your instant pot. When it becomes hot, add the oil/ ghee and add the mustard sees, curry leaves, asafoetida, fenugreek powder, and let the mustard seeds pop.
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Then add the onions and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
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Now add the turmeric powder, sambar powder, tomato and saute for another 2 minutes.
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Add the tamarind extract, soaked lentils (toor dal and moong dal), 11/2 cups water, salt to taste, jaggery, and cook on manual high for 10 minutes. Release pressure naturally.
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Serve hot topped with chopped cilantro and a dollop of ghee ( can omit if vegan)
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Optional – You can make a tadka by heating some ghee/ oil and adding 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1 dried red chilly. Let the mustard seeds pop. Add the tadka to the sambar in the end and mix.
- You can add other vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, butternut squash, bell peppers along with the onions.
- You can make this with just moong dal or only toor dal too.
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A truly lovely recipe, well presented – as usual 🙏
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