One-pot pressure cooker sambar

This one-pot pressure cooker sambar is my go-to recipe. It couldn't be more simple. I cook everything in the pressure cooker, and leave it to do its thing! You only have to bear a few things in mind and you will have a delicious veggie lentil dish to enjoy with vada, idlis or dosas. I love to add aubergines, carrots, beans and tomatoes to my sambar. I have another recipe on my blog for a more traditional sambar (cooking the veggies & lentils seperately). I also explain there what all the components of a good sambar should be - check it out here!

As we cook the lentils and veggies together in the pressure cooker, we also want to make sure that they cook at the same rate. As lentils take longer to cook than the veggies, the chance of the veggies becoming mushy is quite high. This is why it is important to soak the toor beforehand for at least 1hr. This means that the lentils cook at the same rate as the veggies. This result is beautifully cooked veggies and soft lentils! Furthermore, you can use fresh tamarind pulp or tamarind paste for this recipe. I use tamarind paste to make this recipe even quicker. I do finish off the recipe though with a delicious tadka of ghee!

Ingredients 
Serves 4-5

1/2 cup / 100g toor dal soaked for 1hr in warm water
1/2 large aubergine cut into chunks 
Handful beans (around 10) cut into pieces 
1 large red onion sliced 
2 medium carrots cut into bitesize chunks
2 tomatoes cut into quarters 
1 heaped tsp tamarind paste

Small piece of jaggery or 2 tsp powdered jaggery

Water, as required 
Salt to taste 

Ghee, as required 
Vegetable oil, as required 
Coriander leaves, to garnish

You'll need these spices 
1 tbsp sambar powder 
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
Small handful curry leaves 
2 broken dried red chillies or dried kashmiri chillies

Method 

• In a large pressure cooker on medium heat, add a splash vegetable oil. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
   
• Next, add the onion and saute until translucent. 
  
  
• Next, add the beans, aubergine, carrots and tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes until softened (don't cook them too much, otherwise they will overcook during the pressure cooking). You just want to cook them enough so they take on a bit of flavour. 
  
  
• Add the soaked toor dal and mix. Top up with water (around 2.5 cups / 625 ml) and mix well. Season with salt to taste. 
  
  
• Let the come to the boil and bubble on a medium heat. Seal the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 4 whistles. 
  
  
• Let the pressure release naturally and then check the consistency of the sambar. I added around another 1/2 cup (125ml) - 3/4 cup of water to adjust it to my preferences. 
  
  
• Put the heat to low and let the sambar simmer. Add the sambar powder and kashmiri red chilli powder and mix well. Next, add the tamarind paste and jaggery and mix well. 
  
  
• To finish of the sambar, make the tadka. Take a small pan and heat around 1/2 tbsp of ghee. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the curry leaves and red chillies and fry for a minute. 
  
  
• Pour the hot tadka into the simmering sambar and mix well. Finish of the sambar with some coriander leaves. 
  
  
• Serve sambar hot with dosas, idlis or vadas!