How To Make Dal In Instant Pot

What To Serve Black Dal With

Black dal Makhani is a nutritious dish full of plant-based protein, fibre and minerals. To achieve a complete protein profile , lentils and beans are best paired with grains so you can serve this dal with Basmati or brown rice or chapati or naan bread. You can also try our turmeric rice recipe here.

It can also be served as part of a larger Indian feast alongside other curry dishes. Being so rich, hearty and full of flavor, black dal is always a favorite both with vegetarians and omnivores so its a great dinner party dish.

• Total Time:1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield:6-81x

What Is Dal Tadka

Creamy Lentil dahl is prepared by cooking split yellow lentils with popular Indian herbs and spices. To enhance the flavors, creamy and smooth dal is tempered with warm oil.

Dal Tadka is also called dal fry. You often see it spelled Dhal, daal or dal. Dal is common term used for dried and split pulses. Most popular pulses are mung dal, masoor dal and toor dal or arhar dal. With variety of seasoning options, you can make several different meals.

Dal Recipe Instant Pot

Making dal is so simple, and can easily be made vegan by swapping the gee for coconut oil or vegan butter. .

And if it wasnt already easy, doing it in the Instant Pot just made it even simpler! The pressure cooker speeds up the cooking time so that you can have your recipe completely finished in 20 minutes! . I like to serve mine with naan bread or basmati rice.

I felt thoroughly inspired to try my hand and cooking dal in the instant pot after seeing Bon Appetits Instant Pot Dal Formula. They made it look all too easy. Certainly, they were right.

This Instant Pot Dal is:

• quick and easy to make
• deeply spiced, full of flavour, and aromatic
• creamy and luxurious
• stew-like or porridge-like in consistency
• healthy, protein packed and fibre fuelled
• wholesome and satiating

You wont believe that a recipe so easy can achieve so much depth and flavour. In fact, youd think you had to slave over the pot for the entire day just achieve its perfect taste. This is the miracle of dal. Its so simple yet so luxurious.

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What Is Tadka Indian Cooking Technique Of Oil Tempering

The term tadka or tarka simply means warm spiced oil. The tempered oil adds zestful of flavors to anything you add it to. No dish will ever be boring if you add sizzling tadka to it.

There are several herbs and spices that go in making tempered oil . Most common ones are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves and turmeric powder. You can add all or skip few if you dont have them handy. You can also add more veggies besides onion and tomato if you so prefer.

More Instant Pot Indian Recipes To Try

• To begin with, as I shared in this post here, it takes 6 minutes to cook white rice in a pot on a raised trivet. However 6 minutes is not enough to cook dal properly. Dal requires 8-10 minutes of pressure cooking time.
• 8 minutes if you dont mind the soft dal chunks in your dal, the kind of chunky dal that is popular in northern India, and 10 minutes if you want a more smoother dal.
• I personally prefer a super smooth dal, which almost has the consistency of sambar, which is tricky to get even after 10 minutes of pressure cooking. So I give dal a headstart by soaking it in warm water for 30 minutes before adding it to the Instant Pot, and that does the trick for me.
• If you are wondering whether the rice will get overcooked in the 4 extra minutes, trust me, it will not. A few additional minutes will not matter.
• Mostly because, after 10 minutes of pressure cooking, I let the pressure release naturally only for 10 minutes, and then manually release all the pressure from the pot. As opposed to when I am cooking the rice for 6 minutes, I let all the pressure release from the pot naturally, which can take longer than 10 minutes.
• Also, since the rice is raised on a trivet, further away from the source of heat, it doesnt cook as fast as the dal does. And needless to say, I dont pre-soak rice before cooking. You can also cover the rice pot with a lid to further slow down the cooking.

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How To Make Instant Pot Black Dal

There are three parts to this simplified dal recipe:

• Pressure cooking the lentils this is pretty hands-free and quick with the Instant Pot.
• Braising the pre-cooked lentils in the spiced buttery sauce requires more attention as you need to stir the dal frequently while its cooking down on Saute function. However, this is only 15-20 minutes versus 2-3 hours in the original stovetop method.
• Final thickening with cream you have to continue to stir frequently so this last part also requires your presence but only for 5 more minutes.

You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional profile for this dish in the recipe below. Here is a handy video showing how to make dal in the Instant Pot.

Did You Make This Recipe

Tag on Instagram and hashtag it #FromMyBowl

Stovetop Instructions:

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What Are The Pro Tips And Variations To Make The Best Instant Pot Toor Dal Tadka

Instant Pot Dal Recipe

Hiya friends! I am so excited to be sharing this Instant Pot Dal recipe with you! I cannot believe just how easy it was to make like literally one of the easiest recipes Ive ever done, and its so so yummy. I made it twice last week and we have thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers for lunch.

Lucky me, I received an Instant Pot for Christmas, and its totally speeding up my cooking game. I hope to share more Instant pot recipes with you as I create new and exciting recipes, as I am so very pleased with how this one turned out!

All-in-all this is an ultra-fast and luxurious dal recipe that will take you 20 minutes to make. Its full of flavour and is so warm and hearty. I know youre going to L.O.V.E it as much as we do!

So, let me tell you exactly how to make it so that you can enjoy it pronto!

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Which Type Of Urad Dal Is Needed For Instant Pot Dal Makhani

You need a particular kind of dal for this called Urad Dal. To add to the confusion, Urad dal can be either split or whole. You need the whole kind. Here’s what it looks like.

And here’s why you can’t just tell me “Oh I love dal” or “I hate dal” Because I’m going to ask you which KIND of dal do you love/hate? These are just a FEW of the dals I have at home.

So the one to the left, labeled Urad ? . The creamy white one? It’s this same black Urad I have up there, except split and the skin has been peeled off .

Hard to believe they’re the same right?

This is one of those dals that’s quite thick, but it gets its thickness, not from the typical onion masala that thickens many Indian dishes, but rather from some of the dal itself breaking down and adding a thickness to the finished product.

There are many complicated recipes for this dal on the internet, but I like to keep it simple, yet authentic. Most of us with jobs, families, children just really don’t have the time to do all the steps most of the recipes call for.

For more info on how to cook beans and lentils in your pressure cooker, check out my guide on How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Dal Instant Pot Dal Tadka Recipe

Fingerlicking good Instant Pot Dal Instant Pot Dal Tadka recipe thats ready in 15 minutes and made using a mix of 3 lentils with tadka on top. Serve with rice, roti, quinoa or choice of grain.

Instant Pot Dal or Instant Pot Dal Tadka is my favorite everyday dal that we make at home and I especially like it with a bowl of steaming rice!!

heaven on a plate

Dal is an inseparable part of Indian cuisine and literally, All Indians have grown up eating it.

Whether its the simple combination of Dal-Roti or Dal-Chawal or even our most humble offering Khichdi.

And if you like eating at an Indian restaurant, then you can literally see a whole sub-heading in the menu dedicated to Various Indian Dal, like Dal Makhani, Dal Fry, Dal Tadka, Yellow Dal, etc.

As common yet important Dal is, every household in India has a different Dal recipe

Yes, you heard it right! There is no hard and fast rules or MUST-haves in cooking it, you would come across numerous versions.

And that my friend is the BEST part about Dals. They can be 100% customized to your taste/needs.

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How To Make Mixed Dal In Instant Pot

Making dal in the instant pot is easy and more of dump and go process. First turn the instant pot on saute mode on normal and add ghee.

Once ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add the red whole chilies, cloves followed by onions and ginger garlic paste.

Saute the onions until translucent and then add chopped tomatoes along with turmeric, red chili powder and salt to taste. Saute it for a few minutes until tomatoes are well cooked.

Add water and deglaze the bottom of the instant pot with a spatula. Discard and water in dal and add to the instant pot container.

Give it a mix, select cancel to come out of saute mode, close the lid with the pressure release valve in sealing position.

Select high-pressure mode for 15 minutes followed by a natural pressure release. If you soak dals for about 30 minutes, you will need to cook for 12 minutes.

If you do not have or use chana dal then the time required to cook will reduce. Whichever dal takes maximum time to cook is the amount of time you need to pressure cook, else it can remain uncooked while other dals get cooked well.

How To Make Toor Dal Tadka In A Stove Top Pressure Cooker

In India, most of the dals are cooked in a Stove top pressure cooker. There are two ways of making dal In Stove top pressure cooker.

First way: Here you only boil the dal with salt, turmeric, and water. And you prepare onion tomato masala separately and add it to the cooked dal.

Second way: Onion tomato masala is prepared in the pressure cooker and then dal is boiled with this onion tomato masala.

In this recipe, I am showing you the second way.

This is how to Make Toor Dal Tadka in Stove Top Pressure Cooker is done in simple 5 steps:

Step 1: Add ghee bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamon to a stovetop pressure cooker and saute.

Step 2: Add onion and green chili, and saute 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Add tomato, ginger, and garlic and cook.

Step 4: Add dry spices, water, and pressure cook for 3 whistles on high heat. Let the pressure cool off before opening the lid.

Step 5: Open the lid and add cilantro leaves and garam masala. Mix well and boil for 5 minutes. Toor Dal fry is ready.

Add tadka to make Toor Dal Tadka. Done!

You will find the detailed recipe in the recipe box on this page.

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Recipe With Pantry Ingredients

This recipe is on our routine weekly menu planning. It uses all pantry ingredients. The golden hues of turmeric, subtle spice mix and creamy delicious texture of cooked dal. This is comfort food classic.

This wholesome and nutritious dahl recipe is loaded with plant protein and fiber. It also freezes well so you can make a big batch and take care lunch preps along the way.

How To Make Dal Makhani With Pot

It is very easy to make a one-pot meal, in which you can cook Dal Makhani and brown rice in one pot, all at the same time.

Brown rice take anywhere from 22-25 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker. During pot-in-pot cooking, since they’re in a separate pot, away from direct heat, adding another 5 minutes doesn’t make a huge difference.

I wouldn’t combine white rice with this recipe, since the rice will be a complete mush in 30 minutes.

If you’re into PIP cooking, here are some more recipe combinations for PIP.

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Can I Used Canned Beans Instead Of Dried

Ive only tested this recipe using dried beans as I always keep dried beans in my pantry. Canned beans take up too much space in my little pantry and dried beans are also much more affordable. That said, Im sure you can use canned beans but youll need to adjust the amount of water used in the recipe as canned beans are already cooked and wont absorb water the way that dried beans will. My guess would be to start with two cans of beans. If you experiment, let us know how it goes! And if I get around to testing this recipe with canned beans I will be sure to update the post.

What Should I Serve This With

This tastes great when served with a side of rice. One of our favorite combinations is to serve this with our jeera rice, roti / chapatti or when making this for a special occassion, serve it with naan. If you dont have jeera rice, any rice will work well with this recipe.

You can also serve this recipe with a side of vegetables.

A good dinner roll or bread is also great to dip into the dal too.

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What Is The Difference Between Dal Fry And Dal Tadka

Dal fry is a lentil dish prepared by boiling dal, either with onion tomato masala, or the masala is added to the hot boiled dal and then they are cooked together.

Dal Tadka is a bit different from Dal Fry. In dal tadka, a sizzling hot tempering is added to the hot dal fry. So basically it has double tempering.

Tadka dal is richer and more fragrant due to the nice addition of hot sizzling tadka.

Instant Pot Yellow Dal

This Yellow Dal recipe is a cozy and satisfying Instant Pot vegetarian recipe. A family favourite where we mix up the dal, rice, and yogurt for a nourishing and fulfilling meal.

We have a few vegetarian dishes we adore and use on repeat for a reprise from the daily regular meat proteins and this Instant Pot Dal is definitely one of those dishes. A few spices and onion give the dish so much flavour that our entire family loves.

As far as instant pot vegetarian recipes go, this one is at the top of our list for a cozy and satisfying meal.

I always serve this Instant Pot Dal with rice. I still use my rice cooker as I only have one Instant Pot Im 100% not into washing it and then making something else in it. Stove top, instant pot, or rice cooker any way the rice gets made still results in a delicious meal. My rice cooker is ancient and is one of the very inexpensive kinds that dont have a lot of options. BUT, its small, making it easy to store .

If rice runs out and I make Instant Pot Dal then I usually serve the Dal with naan bread. And yes, pantry staples often go not replenished around here because there are too many actual important things to be concerned about.

I switch up the vegetables every time I make this Instant Pot vegetarian recipe, although crispy cauliflower usually ranks high for us since it goes so well with the dal, rice, and yogurt.

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