Easy Instant pot dal

Name: Easy Instant pot dal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup split pigeon peas (Toor dal (you can use any lentils)); 3 cups water; 1/2 cup tomato (finely chopped); 1/2 cup onion (finely chopped); 1 tbsp oil; 1 green chili (optional, use it for spicier dal); 1 tsp ginger (grated); 1 tsp garlic (grated or smashed); 1/2 tsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp red chili powder; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 tsp cumin seeds; 1/4 tsp mustard; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 6 curry leaves (optional); Hing (pinch (optional)); 1 tsp Salt (adjust according to taste); Cilantro (for garnish)

Detailed Steps Jump to Recipe

Make this easy Instant pot dal recipe with staple pantry ingredients and enjoy a comfort meal at home in no time. This vegan and gluten-free Indian dal recipe is a keeper as you can make any dal using this.

What is dal

Dal is an Indian side dish with lentils as the main ingredient. Traditionally, lentils are cooked with water and tempered with basic spices.

This recipe uses an Instant pot to make the dal quickly, but it will taste delicious just like authentic dal.

Ingredients

Dal or lentils: I used split pigeon peas or toor dal in this recipe. This is the most common lentils used to make Indian dal. But you can also use other lentils like yellow lentils (moong dal), brown lentils (sabut masoor dal), and red lentils(masoor dal) to make this Instant pot dal. The only difference would be the cooking times. Please refer to the cooking times section for various lentils.

Spices: Dal is an everyday dish in most homes, so it just has the basic spices like cumin, ground coriander, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. I sometimes add garam masala powder or curry powder to flavor it more and change the taste.
Aromatics: This recipe uses finely chopped garlic, ginger and onion to flavor the dal. You can use either garlic, ginger, onion, or all of these to flavor the dal.

How to make Instant pot dal

Step 1: Start the Instant pot in saute mode and add oil.

Step 2: Once it is hot, add cumin, mustard, minced garlic, chopped ginger, slit green chili (optional), curry leaves, and asafoetida.

Step 3: I usually take some tempering and keep it aside for the garnish. So once the seeds splutter, carefully scoop out the tempering.

Step 4: Add finely chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Add the finely chopped tomatoes and spice powders - ground cumin, coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. And let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Step 6: Add rinsed lentils to the Instant pot inner pot.

Step 7: Add water and mix the dal well. Stop the Instant pot saute mode and Close the Instant pot with its lid. Seal the vent.

Step 8: Start the Instant pot in pressure cook or manual mode and cook it on high pressure for 6 minutes.

Once the Instant pot finishes cooking., wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure.

Step 9: If using leafy veggies, finely chop them and add them to the dal.

Step 10: Start the Instant Pot in saute mode and cook the dal for a couple of minutes. Add the tempering and serve the dal.

Cooking times for different lentils

Recipe Notes

While making this Instant pot dal, you can cook white basmati rice along with daal. Before pressure cooking the dal, place a trivet inside the pot. Place a bowl with basmati rice and water on the trivet and start the Instant pot.
For 1 cup of basmati rice, I use 1.25 cups of water.
Soaking lentils is optional. They cook very fast, even without soaking. I sometimes soak brown lentils, especially when they are aged.
I used coconut oil to make this dal. Traditionally, ghee is used to make the dal tempering. You can use oil or ghee or butter to make this dal.
In this recipe, I used green chili and red chili powder. You can use any one or both as per your liking. I sometimes even use whole red chili while making the tempering.
To make the dal spicier, you can also use red chili flakes or freshly ground black pepper.

Variations

Veggies - I like to add veggies to my dal, and it is easy to sneak more veggies into your meals. Veggies like calabash (bottle gourd), ridge gourd, zucchini, and carrot go well with the dal.
Leafy greens - Green leafy veggies are a great addition to the dal. And the dal taste and flavor will vary accordingly. You can use any leafy veggies like spinach, fenugreek leaves, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, amaranth greens, and sorrel leaves to make the dal nutrient-rich and tasty. I do not pressure cook the leafy greens and add them to the dal after the pressure release. The residual heat will usually cook the green leafy, but if you want to cook more, start the Instant pot in saute mode and simmer the dal for a couple of minutes.

instant pot dal with spinach in a plate — Split pigeon peas dal with spinach leaves

Aromatics - You can add garlic, ginger, and onion to flavor the dal. As dal is an everyday dish, use any of one or two or all, depending on the availability. If you do not have fresh garlic or ginger, you can add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder or ginger powder to make this Instant pot dal.
Spices - Apart from the spices mentioned in the recipe, you can use garam masala powder or curry powder for the dal.
Coconut milk - Usually, we do not use coconut milk in the Indian dal. But to make the dal creamy and rich, I sometimes add half or one cup of coconut milk to the dal at the end. Coconut milk makes dal earthy, especially the brown lentil dal.

brown lentils dal with coconut milk — Brown lentils dal with spinach and coconut milk

Herbs - Mainly, fresh cilantro is used to garnish the dal. But I sometimes use mint leaves, and dill leaves to flavor the day. They impart a different flavor but are worth trying.

Storage

Always reheat the frozen or refrigerated dal and use it immediately. And dal will change consistency when you refrigerate it. So add more water while reheating it.

Do not consume the dal if the color or odor changes.

Room temperature - Dal keeps well for about 8 to 10 hours at room temperature.
Refrigerator - You can store this in the fridge for about two days.
Freezer - Freeze the dal and use it within three months. And always freeze the dal in portion sizes so you can thaw the required amount. And always consume the thawed dal immediately and do not freeze it again.

instant pot dal in a bowl — Split pigeon peas dal with fresh fenugreek leaves

Serving suggestions

Instant pot dal goes best with basmati rice. But you can serve it with millet, quinoa, or any Indian flatbread like roti, paratha, and naan bread.

For a light dinner, thin out the dal with coconut milk and serve it as a soup with some sliced bread or crackers.

FAQ

What is the ratio of water to dal (lentils)?

I always use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of lentils. This ratio works perfectly for any lentils. However, if you like thicker dal, try using 2.5 cups water.

How long does it take for dal to cook in a pressure cooker?

Pressure cook time depends on the type of lentils. The most common lentils, split pigeon peas, will take 5 minutes of pressure cook time.

Do you need to soak lentils before pressure cooking?

No, we need not soak lentils before pressure cooking. They cook faster even without soaking, but soaking doesn't hurt.

Why do you need to rinse lentils before cooking?

Lentils will have an outer coating called saponins. Rinsing them will remove the saponins.

As you are here, you will like other dal recipes on this blog

Brown lentils dal with coconut milk

Spinach dal

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