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Instant pot mullangi sambar served in a bowl
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Instant Pot Mullangi Sambar Recipe (Instant Pot Radish Sambar)

Quick, easy and flavorful South Indian style Instant Pot mullangi sambar (radish sambar) made in one pot with toor dal, shallots, tamarind and aromatic spices.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: lunch, Sambar, Side dish for rice
Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil nadu
Keyword: how to make sambar in instant pot, instant pot recipes, instant pot sambar recipe, instant pot vegetable sambar recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Chitra

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • ½ cup Toor dal / Split pigeon peas (approx. 100 g / 3.5 oz, soaked in water for 30 mins)
  • 1 cup Radish / Mullangi (cut into 1/4-inch thin roundels, approx. 120 g / 4.2 oz)
  • 10 nos Shallots / Small onions (peeled, or 1 medium red onion sliced)
  • 2 cups Tamarind extract (extracted from gooseberry-sized tamarind ball, approx. 480 ml / 16 fl oz)
  • 1 cup Water (approx. 240 ml / 8 fl oz, plus extra if needed to adjust thickness)

Spices & Seasonings

  • 1.5 tsp Sambar powder (homemade or store-bought)
  • ½ to 1 tsp Red chilli powder (adjust to spice preference)
  • ½ tsp Turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp Asafoetida / Hing
  • 1 ½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
  • ½ tsp Jaggery (optional, balances tanginess)
  • 2 tbsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped, to garnish)

To Temper

  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil (or sesame/gingelly oil)
  • ½ tsp Mustard seeds + Urad dal
  • ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds / Methi
  • ½ tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
  • 2 nos Dried red chillies (halved)
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves (a few fresh leaves)

Instructions

  • Rinse 1/2 cup toor dal in fresh water and soak in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Drain the soaking water and keep the dal ready.
    Soaking toor dal in water for 30 minutes
  • Turn on the Instant Pot and press SAUTE mode. Add 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let them splutter and release their aroma.
    Spluttering mustard, cumin, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves in oil
  • Add 10 peeled shallots (small onions) and saute for 1 minute until lightly translucent.
    Sauteing small onions until translucent in Instant Pot
  • Add 1 cup of thinly sliced radish (mullangi) roundels. Saute on Saute mode for 3 to 4 minutes. This brief sauteing removes the raw, pungent smell of radish.
    Sauteing sliced radish in the pot to remove raw smell
  • Add the soaked and drained toor dal into the pot over the vegetables.
    Adding soaked and drained toor dal into the Instant Pot
  • Pour in 1 cup of water and 2 cups of tamarind extract. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sambar powder, hing and salt. Mix everything well with a ladle.
    Adding tamarind extract, water, sambar powder, chilli powder, turmeric and salt
  • Press CANCEL on the Instant Pot. Close the lid tightly and turn the steam release valve to the SEALING position. Select PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer for 10 minutes.
    Instant Pot set to High Pressure cook for 10 minutes with valve sealed
  • Once cooking completes, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (10 mins NPR). Then carefully release any remaining steam by turning the valve to Venting and open the lid. Using the back of your ladle, gently mash the cooked toor dal against the side of the pot to thicken the gravy.
    Opening Instant Pot lid after natural release and mashing cooked dal with a ladle
  • Add 1/2 tsp jaggery and freshly chopped coriander leaves. Stir well. If the sambar is too thick, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water, press SAUTE mode, and let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve steaming hot with rice and ghee!
    Adding jaggery and freshly chopped coriander leaves to simmer the sambar

Notes

  • Always soak the toor dal for at least 30 minutes in warm water before cooking. This ensures the dal cooks soft, creamy and completely mashable along with tamarind juice.
  • Sauteing the sliced radish in oil for 3 to 4 minutes is an essential step to eliminate the pungent raw radish smell and enhance the overall aroma of the sambar.
  • You can use either white Daikon radish or red round radish for this recipe. Red radish gives a pleasant mild flavor and lovely color.
  • If you want to use mixed vegetables like drumstick, carrot, potato, beans, take them in a seperate box and keep it inside the cooker like Pot-in-Pot version otherwise vegetables will be mushy after cooking. You can mix the cooked vegetables in the sambar after releasing the pressure. 
  • Allow 10 minutes of Natural Pressure Release (NPR) before turning the valve to Venting. Quick-releasing immediately might cause the liquid dal to froth out of the steam valve.
  • If the sambar looks too thick after opening, add 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water, press Saute mode, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to reach your desired consistency.
  • A pinch of jaggery balances the tanginess of tamarind and the heat from sambar powder beautifully.