By Preethi 43 Comments
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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.
4.6 from 15 votes
Instant pot Millet Sambar Rice
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Millets /Rice cooked with tamarind, coriander, fenugreek, chillies and toor dal in the instant pot to make this Tamil Nadu style Sambar sadham.
Course:lunch, Main Course
Cuisine:South Indian
Keyword:instant pot, Millets
Servings: 2
Author: Preethi
Ingredients
- 1/2cupFox tail Millets / Quinoa / Rice
- 1/4cupToor dal
- 11/2cupschopped veggies ( drumstick, eggplant, pumpkin, carrots, squash, potato)
- 1/2cuppeeled pearl onions (Or substitute it with 1/4 red onion chopped finely)
- 1lime size tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water
- 1 tomato cut in quarters
- 1tspjaggery
- salt to taste
- 21/2 cups water
- 1tsp store bought sambar powder(optional - can just use the spoce powder you make below)
For tadka
- 11/2tspoil / ghee
- 1tspmustard seeds
- 7 to 8curry leaves
- 1/2tspturmeric powder
- 1/8tspasafoetida
For Fresh spice powder
- 1tbspcoriander seeds
- 1tbspchana dal (kadala paruppu)
- 1/2tspfenugreek seeds
- 4 to 5dried red chillies (use less or more as per spice levels)
- 1sprig curry leaves(optional)
- 2tbspcoconut grated(optional)
Instructions
INSTANT POT RECIPE
Wash the millets and lentils 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)
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.
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.
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.
Now add the onions, chopped veggies, tomatoes, saute for a minute.
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.
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.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with potato sabji or papad.
PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Garnish your Instant pot Millet Sambar Rice with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with potato sabji or papad.
Recipe Notes
- 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
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