Recipe - Instant pot mixed Vegetable Sambhar

 

If there is one sure shot way to add more veggies into a single meal, Sambhar is the way to go. Forgiving and accommodating as ever, the humble South Indian Sambhar is a delicious and wholesome meal in itself. It also helps that it is one of the easiest one pot dishes to make - be it in a pressure cooker or with an Instapot. So Brownie points for that! 

I took this dish one step further and made it all the more easier. Instead of cooking the rice/Quinoa separately, I added it to the sambhar to make it a one pot dish. It literally took 15 min prep time and the Instapot did all the magic! This dish is rich in proteins from the dals and the quinoa while the veggies provide for a host of other nutrients. 

Now just a quick disclaimer - There are many ways to make sambhar and this is a version I learnt from my mother who in turn learnt it from my grandma. It is more typical to the Karnataka style of sambhar with a copious amount of coconut in it. So without further delay, here goes the recipe! 

One pot Mixed Vegetable Sambhar Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup dal - I use a mix of Toor, Moong and Red Masoor dal

1/2 cup quinoa

Mixed vegetables - I used potatoes, Beans, Carrots, Peas, Brinjal and Drumsticks (above pic for reference)

Water - 3-4 cups

3 tablespoon Shredded/Chunks of coconut 

2 Tablespoon Sambhar powder

A pinch of turmeric powder

Handful coriander leaves chopped

Mustard seeds

Oil for tadka

A Pinch of hing

Salt and chilli powder to taste

Wash the dals and the quinoa in one pot and add 3 cups of water. Now chop all the veggies and add them into the instapot. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt and start the instapot on rice program. It should take about 10-12 min too cook. While the dal and quinoa cooks, add the coconut, sambhar powder, turmeric, salt as per taste into a mixer and grind to a fine paste. Once the Instapot program ends, release pressure manually and bring it to saute mode. Add the coconut paste into the pot and stir gently. Add more water as per the desired consistency. I made it like a thick stew. Now the final step is to add the tadka. In a small pan, add the oil and once it heats up, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add the hing. add this into the sambhar, sprinkle the coriander leaves and that's it! Delicious one pot Sambhar Quinoa is ready to be served. Serve hot with some papads. 

If you try this recipe out, I would love to hear your comments and feedback on it do drop in your comments below or on my Instagram page.