In a bowl, take 1 cup of rice, preferably small-grain rice, along with ½ cup of Toor dal and wash them nicely for 2 to 3 times. Then, pour fresh water. Keep the bowl aside.

Now, heat a pressure cooker on a medium flame. When it is hot, put 3 tbsp of cooking oil and 1 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) in it. When the ghee melts and mixes nicely with the oil, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds (rai), 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 2 pieces of dry red chilies, ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing) and a few curry leaves to it and let them fry for about 20 seconds.

At this stage, add 1 piece of medium-sized onion, cut in cubes in the pressure cooker. Sauté it for about a minute or two until the onion changes its color. Now, add 2 pieces of tomatoes to it, cut in big pieces. Sauté for just a minute.

Then, add 1 piece of potato (peeled, washed, cut in big pieces) to it. Follow it up with 10 pieces of beans and 1 piece of carrot, all cut in 1-inch pieces. Also, add 2 pieces of brinjal (eggplant, cut into large pieces). Mix all veggies nicely with the other ingredients in the pressure cooker and sauté for just one minute.

Now, add ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1.5 tsp of sambar powder, and 1.5 tsp of salt to the ingredients and mix them all nicely. Cook for another minute or so. Now, add ½ cup of green peas to the mixture, mix them and cook for a minute.

Now, add the soaked rice and Toor dal. Do not add the water. Mix them nicely with the ingredients.

Now, add 6 cups of water to it and mix it nicely. At this stage, check for salt and add some more if needed. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook on a low to medium flame for up to 2 whistles.

When done, switch off the gas stove and let the pressure cooker cool down. When the pressure is released completely, open the lid and mix the rice very gently and carefully so that you do not mash the vegetables. Then, switch on the gas stove and let the rice cook on a medium flame without the lid this time.

Now, quickly, take a bit of tamarind in a bowl, put some water and make a mixture of the pulp. Add ½ cup of this tamarind water to the sambar rice in the pressure cooker. Mix it nicely.

Now, add 2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and 3 tbsp of ghee to it. Give them a nice mix as well, but very gently.

Now, quickly heat 1 tbsp ghee in a separate pan. Take about 10 pieces of cashew nuts, slit them in half, and fry them until their color changes to light brown. Add these fried cashew nuts to the sambar rice in the pressure cooker. You may put some more ghee if you want at this final stage.

Your tasty and healthy homemade sambar rice is ready. Transfer it to a bowl and serve it hot with papadum and yogurt.