• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Tasty Curry
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Lunch and Dinner
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Indian Recipes
      • Indian Chinese Recipes
      • Indian Cooking Basics
      • Indian desserts
      • Indian Main Course
      • Breads
      • Chutneys Pickles and Condiments
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • One Pot Meals
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Sandwich Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • International Recipes
      • Dessert Recipes
      • Italian Recipes
      • Mediterranean Recipes
  • About Rekha
  • Meal Plans
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Lunch and Dinner
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Indian Recipes
      • Indian Chinese Recipes
      • Indian Cooking Basics
      • Indian desserts
      • Indian Main Course
      • Breads
      • Chutneys Pickles and Condiments
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • One Pot Meals
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Sandwich Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • International Recipes
      • Dessert Recipes
      • Italian Recipes
      • Mediterranean Recipes
  • About Rekha
  • Meal Plans
  • connect with me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes
      • Appetizers and Snacks
      • Lunch and Dinner
      • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
      • Indian Recipes
        • Indian Chinese Recipes
        • Indian Cooking Basics
        • Indian desserts
        • Indian Main Course
        • Breads
        • Chutneys Pickles and Condiments
      • Air Fryer Recipes
      • One Pot Meals
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • Salad Recipes
      • Sandwich Recipes
      • Soup Recipes
      • International Recipes
        • Dessert Recipes
        • Italian Recipes
        • Mediterranean Recipes
    • About Rekha
    • Meal Plans
  • connect with me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Threaded Comments

    Sambar Rice - Sambar Sadam Recipe

    May 19, 2021 Modified: Feb 10, 2022 by Rekha Kakkar This post may contain affiliate links ·

    1023 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • WhatsApp
    Jump to Recipe

    Sambar rice, also known as sambar sadam is one pot dish made with lentil, rice and spices. You can prepare this flavourful South Indian dish in a pressure cooker or instant pot with my simple and easy recipe. 

    <Creamy and spicy Lentil rice cooked in Pressure cooker. 30 Minutes recipe of gluten-free One pot rice meal #30MinutesRecipes #onepotmeal #ricebowl #Glutenfree via @rekhakakkar

    Tamilnadu style traditional sambar madam is my absolute favorite. With fresh flavour of ground masala this aromatic sambar madam is aromatic and delicious. But when In hurry I make a quick version of sambhar rice with sambar masala. This delicious and protein packed meal is quite healthy wholesome and quick to make.

    Incredibly easy and delicious sambar rice recipe that is vegan, gluten-free weeknight dinner on the table in 30 Minutes.

    If you love south Indian dishes like we do, sambar sadam is one recipe you should be making. If you have already not made it till now. It is one of most incredibly delicious one-pot lentil and rice pressure cooker meal.

    Jump to:
    • About Sambar Sadam
    • Ingredients in Sambar Sadam
    • How to Make Sambar Rice
    • Recipe Notes for Making Sambar Rice/Sambar Sadam
    • More Such Recipes To Try 
    • 📖 Recipe
    • How to make sambar rice - Step by Step

    About Sambar Sadam

    Sambar rice recipe is a Tamil Iyer recipe from Tamil cuisine of South India. Rice is cooked with vegetables, lentils, herbs and spices for a delicious comfort meal. Instead of making sambar and rice separately, it is made as a one pot meal.

    The taste of Sambar rice is closer to Bisi belle bath from Karnataka cuisine. It is quite similar to that in looks but prepared slightly differently and has a different taste. North Indian khichdi is also a lentil and rice preparation but sambar sadam taste is different from khichdi.

    Sambar Sadam is lentil and rice one pot spicy meal you can easily cook in a pressure cooker or an instant pot. Learn to prepare South Indian Sambhar rice

    I make sambar rice in pressure cooker most of the times, but you can make it in a deep pan as well. When time permits I cook this South Indian delicacy in traditional way. ln this sambhar sadam recipe I cook vegetables separately with the lentils and lentil and rice separately.

    But cooking it in a pressure cooker is very convenient so I cook the recipe this way these days.

    Ingredients in Sambar Sadam

    Rice- You can use any medium grain rice. I prefer to use Sona masuri rice making this but basmati or parmal rice also works.

    Lentils- Yellow pigeon peas also known as arhar dal, tuvar dal or toor dal.

    Spices & Seasonings: Asafoetida, skinned urad dal(white), Whole dried red chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, fresh coconut, salt, mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds. 

    Vegetables: I have used carrots, beans, onions, eggplant in this recipe. But pumpkin, brinjal, drumsticks etc. 

    Fats: Ghee or coconut oil as per your preference.

    How to Make Sambar Rice

    Though I am not a South Indian, there are certain South Indian dishes (apart from dosa, idli) that I often make at home. A variety of Sambhar and poriyals are two most favourite dishes from South India that I regularly make.

    For making this you can use freshly ground sambhar masala. If you do not have time You can use store-bought sambhar powder.  I have shown the step by step processes of making sambar rice in the end of this post. 

    Sambhar rice sadam

     

    Recipe Notes for Making Sambar Rice/Sambar Sadam

    1. I have used white rice for making the recipe, you can use brown rice or a mix of white rice and brown rice.
    2. You can change the vegetables used as per taste or availability. Avoid strong tasting ones.
    3. Freshly made sambar powder always taste best, but when in a pinch you can store-bought sambar powder.
    4. To make this vegan substitute ghee with coconut oil.

    More Such Recipes To Try 

    • Hotel Sambar Recipe

    • Lemon Rice Recipe

    • Instant Pot Lentil Curry

    • Masale Bhaat

    • Masala Khichadi 

    • Chana Sundal 

    📖 Recipe

    Sambhar rice sadam

    Sambhar Sadam Recipe - Lentil and Rice One Pot Meal

    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: entree, Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian, indian cuisine
    Keyword: brahmin style sambar sadam, sambar, sambar rice, south indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 345kcal
    Author: Rekha Kakkar

    Equipment

    • pressure cooker

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups Raw rice -¾ cup
    • 1 cup pigeon peas toor dal/Tuvar dal
    • salt as per taste
    • 1 tablespoons tamarind paste
    • ¼ teaspoons turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
    • 1 tablespoons ghee
    • 1 Onion (medium sliced)
    • 100 grams carrots chopped
    • 100 grams pumpkin chopped
    • 70 grams Tomato chopped
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 2-3 red chilli
    • â…• teaspoon Hing/Asafoetida
    • 30 curry leaves

    For Fresh Sambhar Masala

    • 2 Tablespoons Coconut nariyal
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds jeera
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds sarso/ rai
    • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds dhania
    • ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds methi dana

    Instructions

    Cooking rice and dal in Pressure Cooker

    • Wash rice and dal separately till water comes out clean.
    • In a pressure cooker add toor dal/ split pigeon peas, rice with salt and 3.5 cups of water. Cover with pressure cooker lid and cook for 3-4 whistles and allow the pressure to release naturally.
    • If you do not have traditional pressure cooker you can use instant Pot as described below.

    Cooking Rice and Lentils In Instant Pot

    • Wash rice and dal separately till water comes out clean.
    • In the Inner pot of Instant pot add lentils, rice with salt and 3.5 cups of water. Cover with the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally.

    Making Fresh Sambar Masala

    • While lentil and rice are cooking you can prepare fresh sambar masala. This step is optional. Use it if you want to make freshly ground sambar powder otherwise you can skip it and use store bought sambar masala.
    • Add in a pan dry roast 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 1teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼teaspoon methi dana, 1teaspoon skinned Urad dal and few red Kashmiri chillies. 
    • Roast them on slow heat for 2 minutes. Now add grated coconut and roast for 2 more minutes.
    • Coconut is optional but tastes very nice so highly recommended.
    • Allow to cool a bit and then make sambar powder.

    Cooking Vegetables

    • First in a heat a pan and add 1tbsp ghee and then add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and white urad dal. 
    • Add chopped vegetables in the pan and saute them along for 3-4 minutes.
    • Tip in salt, turmeric powder, red chilli and freshly ground sambar masala. 
    • Mix everything together and add 2 cups of water.
    • Cover with a lid and cook for 7-8 minutes so that vegetables are cooked through. Add tamarind paste and mix.

    Assemble Sambar Rice

    • Open the pressure cooker lid after releasing the pressure.
    • Mix in cooked vegetables with cooked lentils and rice in the pressure cooker.
    • Mix it gently and serve hot with a side of yogurt papad and a pickle for a perfect comfort meal.
    • You can do one additional step to enhance the taste.
    • Heat one more tablespoon of ghee, in the pan add mustard seeds and curry leaves along with dried red chillies.
    • Allow the mustard seeds to pop for few seconds and pour over tadka.

    Notes

    1. I have used white rice for making the recipe, you can use brown rice or a mix of white rice and brown rice.
    2. You can change the vegetables used as per taste or availability. Avoid strong tasting ones.
    3. Freshly made sambar powder always taste best, but when in a pinch you can store-bought sambar powder.
    4. To make this vegan substitute ghee with coconut oil.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 458mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4738IU | Vitamin C: 128mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg

    How to make sambar rice - Step by Step

    Fresh ground sambar masala

    A) Making Fresh Masala

    1. In the mean time you can prepare fresh sambar masala for making sambar sadam.
    2. Add in a pan dry roast 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 1teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼teaspoon methi dana, 1teaspoon skinned Urad dal and few red Kashmiri chillies.
    3. Roast them on slow heat for 2 minutes. Now add grated coconut and roast for 2 more minutes.
    4. Coconut is optional but tastes very nice so highly recommended.
    5. Allow to cool a bit and then make sambar powder.

    B) cooking rice and dal:

    cooking vegetables for sambar sadam  step by step

    1. Rinse 1 cup arhar dal/tuvar dal and 2 cup rice  a couple of times in water. Drain out the water and add both rice and dal in a pressure cooker.
    2. Add 1 teaspoon salt in the pressure cooker along with 3.5 cups of water.
    3. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles in the pressure cooker.

    C) To cook Vegetables

    1. First in a heat a pan and add 1tbsp ghee and then add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and white urad dal.
    2. Add chopped vegetables in the pan and saute them along for 3-4 minutes.
    3. Tip in salt, turmeric powder, red chilli and freshly ground sambar masala.
    4. Mix everything together and add 2 cups of water.
    5. Cover with a lid and cook for 7-8 minutes so that vegetables are cooked through.

    Making sambar sadam or sambar rice

    1. Now after pressure release open the lid of the pressure cooker and add the entire content of this pan in the pressure cooker.
    2. Mix well and enjoy!
    3. For the enhanced taste heat one more tablespoon of ghee, in the pan add mustard seeds and curry leaves along with dried red chillies.
    4. Allow the mustard seeds to pop for few seconds and pour over tadka.
    5. Enjoy a warm bowl of sambar sadam.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Methi Paratha Recipe
    • Methi Aloo Recipe
    • Palak Chole
    • Veggie Rice Recipe for Diabetics
    1023 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • WhatsApp

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave me your feedback here please Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Annamma Thomas

      June 11, 2018 at 10:38 am

      5 stars
      Good recipe

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        June 11, 2018 at 12:54 pm

        Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    2. Raghavendra Gajanan Nayak

      June 11, 2018 at 12:37 pm

      A nice recipe , simple to make,tasty and enjoyable

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        June 11, 2018 at 12:55 pm

        Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    3. Thomas Rajan

      June 11, 2018 at 1:09 pm

      Nice, filling and convenient. Nutritious too.

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        June 11, 2018 at 6:25 pm

        Yes 🙂 Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Nasir Khan

      June 11, 2018 at 4:25 pm

      5 stars
      Dear ms.kakar.
      Thanks for your delicious recipes.
      Keep posting. It's really very good recepes.

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        June 11, 2018 at 6:23 pm

        I am so glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    5. Ravi

      June 11, 2018 at 5:48 pm

      Hey, it just a regular South Indian dish. No Tamil Ayers or anybody has a monopoly on it. Various communities including dalits prepare and relish it.

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        June 11, 2018 at 6:22 pm

        It may be the case, I am not a food historian to comment on that. I read it on various resources so thought to mention it. FYI i first ate that in a hotel.

        Reply
      • J.A.PADMANABHAN,

        June 11, 2018 at 8:52 pm

        Don't bring in communities. Typical way of insulting for which none can sue you...

        Reply
    6. Sundararaman R

      June 11, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      Sambar Sadam made simple and easy. Hope tastes like traditionally made one.

      Reply
    7. Sri

      June 12, 2018 at 6:09 am

      5 stars
      Good for tummy. I like the presentations. Looks yummy.

      Reply
    8. Atika

      June 16, 2018 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      so flavourful and tempting

      Reply
    9. Warren

      February 12, 2021 at 3:34 pm

      5 stars
      "Sambar rice recipe is a Tamil Iyer recipe from Tamil cuisine of South India".

      Thank you for the recipe and thank you again for crediting Saambaar properly to Tamil cuisine. However, just for information, Saambaar is common to all Tamils, yet there are different types, including Brahminical (minus onion, garlic etc) but Saambaar in itself is NOT brahminical. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Rekha Kakkar

        February 12, 2021 at 10:59 pm

        Of course!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Looking For Something?

    HI! THIS IS REKHA KAKKAR

    Life is complicated so let’s keep our food simple! No this is not a quote from someone else 🙂 this actually sums up my food philosophy and why I started this food blog.

    I am Rekha, I am the Cook, writer, and photographer behind this food blog. Now a YouTuber 

    More about me →

    Popular Today

    • Mizeria Salad Recipe 
    • Shirazi Salad Recipe
    • Orange and Pomegranate Salad
    • High Protein Quinoa Salad Recipe

    Soup Recipes

    • Borscht Recipe
    • Vegetable Weight Loss Soup Recipe - Pressure Cooker
    • Instant Pot Veggie and Quinoa Soup - Pressure Cooker Recipe
    • Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup 

    Immunity Boosting Teas

    • CFC Tea Recipe - Cumin Coriander Fennel Tea
    • Kadha Recipe|Indian Herbal Drink
    • Cinnamon Tea Recipe
    • Kahwa Tea Recipe - Kashmiri Tea

    Recent Posts

    • Methi Paratha Recipe
    • Methi Aloo Recipe
    • Palak Chole
    • Veggie Rice Recipe for Diabetics
    • Mizeria Salad Recipe 

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Rekha
    • Work With Me

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Follow Along

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    ↑ back to top

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.