Sambar Rice - Sambar Sadam 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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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 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
• ⅕ 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

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:

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.

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.