Instant pot toor dal

This Instant pot toor dal is an easy and delicious recipe you can make in under 30 minutes. This vegan and gluten-free dal make a perfect side dish for rice or naan bread, a comfort meal with staple pantry ingredients.

Toor dal, Tuvar dal, or Arhar dal are split pigeon peas lentils. And this is the most used lentil in any Indian household.

These lentils take time to cook using the open pot method, so a pressure cooker is usually used for cooking the dal. And Instant pot makes the perfect toor dal.

Ingredients

Toor dal (Split pigeon peas): Soak the dal for about 30 minutes if you have time. And you can use the soaked water, so measure the water before soaking and use the same water for cooking the dal.

Tomato: I used fresh tomato in this recipe. You can use canned tomatoes or tomato puree as well. I sometimes skip the tomatoes and temper the dal with only spices.

Spices: Simple spices like ground cumin, coriander powder, and red chili powder are used in this everyday dal. You can use garam masala powder or curry powder to change the taste of the dal. To make the spicy dal, add one green chili, jalapeno, or red chili.

Aromatics: In this recipe, I used only garlic. You can use finely chopped onions, ginger, or all these aromatics to flavor the dal.

If you do not have fresh ginger or garlic, you can use frozen or powdered garlic or ginger.

Instructions

Prep the dal

• Split pigeon peas or toor dal takes a little more time to cook when compared to other lentils like red or yellow ones. So I prefer soaking the dal for around 30 minutes. 
•  Rinse the dal in plain water one or two times and keep it aside. 
• If you plan to soak the dal, do it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You need not discard the soaking water. So use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dal to soak it.

Make the seasoning

• Start the Instant pot in saute mode.
• Add oil, cumin, mustard, red chili, and chopped garlic.

• Once the garlic turns little brown, carefully take some tempering into a small bowl and keep it aside. This step is optional, and we will add this tempering to the dal at the end.

•  Now add chopped tomatoes and let them cook for a couple of minutes.

• Add rinsed dal, water, and spice powders - turmeric powder, ground cumin, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt. If you have soaked dal, add lentils along with the soaked water.

• Stop the Instant pot saute mode. Mix everything well and deglaze the pot if needed.

Pressure cook the dal

• Close the Instant pot with its lid and seal the vent.
• Select Manual or Pressure cook mode and cook the toor dal for 6 minutes on HIGH pressure.
• Once the Instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and carefully release the pressure. You can wait for the natural pressure release as well.

• Mix the dal, and Instant pot toor dal is ready to serve.
• Garnish the dal with the tempering and cilantro leaves. Serve the toor dal with naan bread or basmati rice and enjoy the delicious meal.

How to cook plain toor dal

• Wash the lentils and add them to the instant pot inner pot.

• Add water to the inner pot and close the lid.

• Seal the vent and select the manual or pressure cook option. Cook it for 6 minutes under high pressure.
• Once the Instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure.
• The plain cooked toor dal is ready to use. 

How to cook toor dal using pot in pot method

• Add 1 cup of water to the Instant pot inner bowl.

• Rinse the lentils and add to a bowl that will fit into your instant pot inner pot.

• Add water to the bowl and place it inside the instant pot inner bowl.

• Close the Instant pot with its lid and seal the vent. Next, start the Instant pot in manual or pressure cook mode and cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. 
• Once the instant pot finishes cooking, wait 10 minutes and manually release the pressure.

• Perfectly cooked plain dal is ready to use. If dal doesn't cook properly (if lentils are old, it will take more time to cook), then close the Instant pot and pressure cook for ten more minutes.

Recipe notes and variations

• I like to add leafy greens to this toor dal. If you are using tender leaves like baby spinach or baby kale leaves, you need not cook them. Add these tender leaves at the end and close the Instant pot for about 10 minutes. The residual heat will cook the greens. If using other greens, start the Instant pot in saute mode after the pressure cooking step and cook the dal with leafy greens for about 3 to 4 minutes.
• You can add veggies like zucchini, squash, beans, carrot, and pumpkin to the dal while pressure cooking.
• You can skip the tomatoes to make the dal and add a tablespoon of lemon juice.
• I used coconut oil to make this toor dal recipe. You can also use butter, ghee, or other oils to make this dal.
• If your lentils are sitting in the cupboard for many days, it's better to soak them for an hour or so. Or pressure cook the lentils for extra 5 minutes.

Serving suggestions

Toor dal and rice is a perfect combo, but you can serve this dal with any Indian flatbread like naan bread, chapati, and paratha.

Serve the dal with quinoa or millet to make a gluten-free meal.

Storage and leftovers

This dal keeps well for about 8 to 10 hours at room temperature. And you can store the dal for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Also, you can keep it for around three months in the freezer.

If you are cooking the dal for meal prep, I suggest cooking the plain toor dal and freezing the dal in ¼th cup of ½ cup portion sizes. And when needed, thaw the required quantity and use it.

FAQs

As you are here, you will like my other lentil recipes.

Chickpea and lentil curry

Kitchari (Rice and lentil porridge)

Spinach lentil curry

Potato lentil soup

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