How long does Sambar Rice take?

30 minutes from start to finish. That is 10 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.

How many people does Sambar Rice serve?

4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.

Is Sambar Rice vegetarian?

Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.

Is Sambar Rice spicy?

It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.

What do I need to make Sambar Rice?

1¼ cup Raw Rice, 1½ tbsp Sambar Powder, ¾ cup Toor Dal, 2 tbsp Tamarind, 4 Dry Red Chilli, 20 Small Onion (Shallots), and a few more listed on this page.

Do I need a pressure cooker for Sambar Rice?

Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.

How many calories are in Sambar Rice?

About 617 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Sambar RiceCook

Sambar Rice

Name: Sambar Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Tamarind; 1¼ cup Raw Rice; ¾ cup Toor Dal; 4½ cup Water; ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Mustard Seeds; 6 to 8 cloves Garlic; 4 Dry Red Chilli; 1 sprigs Curry leaves; 20 Small Onion (Shallots); 2 Carrot, Diced; 2 Drumstick, Batons; 1½ tbsp Sambar Powder; 2½ cup Water; 3 Brinjal, Diced; 2 tbsp Ghee; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves

30 min
medium
Serves 4
92% liked
43 people cooked this

Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min

Start cooking

10 steps, each one filmed. A short video for every step, so your hands never have to leave the pan.

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Also known as sambar sadam, sambar saadam · Veg · Rice dishes, Curries & Gravies

Rice dishes Curries & Gravies Kuzhambu, Sambar & Rasam Dal One-pot meals

Sambar rice from Tamil Nadu: pressure-cooked rice and dal in a tamarind sambar with drumstick. Medium-spicy, serves 4, 30 minutes plus soaking, with video.

You’ll need: Pressure Cooker

Good for: Lunchbox, Rainy Day

Ingredients

18 items

4 people

Tamarind2 tbsp
Raw Rice1¼ cup
Toor Dal¾ cup
Water7 cup
Turmeric Powder¼ tsp
Salt1 tsp
Oil2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Garlic6 to 8 cloves
Dry Red Chilli4
Curry leaves1 sprigs
Small Onion (Shallots)20
Carrot, Diced2
Drumstick, Batons2
Sambar Powder1½ tbsp
Brinjal, Diced3
Ghee2 tbsp
Coriander Leaves2 tbsp

Contains: milk, wheat.

Nutrition

Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.

Nutrient	Per 1 person	All 4 people
Energy	617kcal	2468kcal
Protein	17g	68g
Carbohydrate	101g	402g
Fat	18g	72g
Fibre	14g	56g
Sugar	11g	42g

Cookd masalas for raw rice

Method

1
Soak tamarind in hot water and keep it aside.
Tamarind
2
Wash and soak the rice and dal for 30 minutes. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked rice and dal. Add water and salt, mix it and let it cook for 4 whistles. Turn off the flame and let the steam reduce gradually.
Raw RiceToor DalWaterTurmeric PowderSalt
3
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, garlic, dry red chillies and curry leaves and let it crackle.
OilMustard SeedsGarlicDry Red ChilliCurry leaves
4
Add the shallots and saute till they turn translucent
Small Onion (Shallots)
5
Add the carrot, drumstick and saute for 2 minutes
CarrotDrumstick
6
Add sambar powder and mix it well for 2 minutes
Sambar Powder
7
Add water and mix it till the masala dissolves in the water. Add the brinjal and mix it well
WaterBrinjal
8
Add the tamarind water and mix. Keep it aside.
9
Add the vegetable mixture to the cooked rice and dal, mix it till all the ingredients combine evenly.
10
Add ghee, mix it well. Serve it hot along with pickle and chips/vadams/appalam.
GheeCoriander Leaves

Before you start

How long does Sambar Rice take?: 30 minutes from start to finish. That is 10 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.
How many people does Sambar Rice serve?: 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
Is Sambar Rice vegetarian?: Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
Is Sambar Rice spicy?: It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
What do I need to make Sambar Rice?: 1¼ cup Raw Rice, 1½ tbsp Sambar Powder, ¾ cup Toor Dal, 2 tbsp Tamarind, 4 Dry Red Chilli, 20 Small Onion (Shallots), and a few more listed on this page.
Do I need a pressure cooker for Sambar Rice?: Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
How many calories are in Sambar Rice?: About 617 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Tips from other cooks

7 notes

A
ArunMay 2023
Very simple and tasty recipe… must try . Salt is less make sure you add salt in the gravy part .
S
Sushmitha NagarajanFebruary 2023
Good recipe Note: 2 Tsps of Salt to the vegetable mix while you leave it to boil. Much Much needed.
C
A Cookd cookOctober 2026
It came out amazing 🤩😄 add salt on veggie gravy
K
Kavitha ReddyJuly 2025
Did I miss ‘cook/ boil vegetables’ or do they cook while sautéing? Mine didn’t cook while sautéing.
DikshithaMarch 2025
Yet another banger. Loved it ❤️
J
JebittaMarch 2023
loved it. just like restaurant.
C
A Cookd cookMarch 2023
😋