If you’ve read my blog for a while or follow me on social media, you will know that I LOVE my Instant Pot. I especially love how easy it is to make more than one thing at the same time using the pot-in-pot method. This effectively cuts down my cooking time in half, and I have fun coming up with combinations for things that require the same cooking time!
Masoor daal and rice is our go-to for a quick, comforting weeknight meal that is made even quicker with the pot-in-pot method. Watch how I make it in the video below!
You will need:
- 2 tablespoons of ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon of ginger paste
- one medium sized tomato chopped
- 1 green chilli (chopped or whole – we leave ours whole because of the kids)
- 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder (this is optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala powder
- Salt, to your taste
- 1 cup of masoor daal (orange lentils)
- 2.25 cups of water
- 2 cups of basmati rice (2.5 cups of water to go with this)
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional – we love lemon!)
- Coriander leaves, chopped finely
Method:
- Switch the Instant Pot on to Sauté (on Normal not High) and add your ghee.
- When the oil is shimmering, sprinkle in your cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add in your chopped onion and stir until they are nice and golden brown (I let mine go a little too long in the video above) garlic and ginger pastes and let them get nice and golden brown – this is key to getting a really flavourful daal.
- Once you are happy with the colour, add in your ginger and garlic pastes.
- Give them a quick stir and add in your green chilli if you’re using it. Sprinkle over your powdered spices.
- Add in your chopped tomatoes and cook just until they soften. If the tomatoes are sticking, add a little water to deglaze the bottom – this is important.
- Once the tomatoes are nice and soft, add in your daal, salt and water. Stir until it is coated in the sauce.
- Put in your trivet. Place your bowl of washed (not soaked) rice onto the trivet. I added salt and a little oil to mine. I use the IKEA BLANDA BLANK bowl (20 cm). I’ve used Pyrex for pot-in-pot cooking and find stainless steel conducts heat much faster so I no longer use Pyrex or glass in the Instant Pot.
- Add your water to the rice and give it a quick stir. The ratio of water to rice is 1.25 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, so if you need to cook less than 2 cups of rice, adjust the water accordingly.
- Seal the pot, select the manual function and start a 10-minute cycle on High.
- When the cycle is complete, push the steam valve to vent for a quick release of the pressure.
- Once you’ve opened the lid, carefully remove your rice, and add lemon juice and coriander to the daal.
- Stir it through for a minute or two – if it’s too watery for your liking, put it on Saute to evaporate some of the water. If it’s too thick, add a little water.
- Garnish with coriander before serving – this is lovely over basmati rice or with naan.
Would you like to try whole masoor daal? I’ve got a recipe here.
If you’d like tips on how to make basmati rice on its own in the Instant Pot, watch my video here.
Have you tried the pot-in-pot method before? What are your go-to meals?
1 Comment
Ramadan Instant Pot Meals - Sumaira Z
May 4, 2018 at 4:06 pm[…] Also check out Iman’s daal recipe, Instant Pot Masoor Daal & Rice (Pot-in-pot method), that can be found on her blog, And Then She Said! I love that her recipe can be made in the Instant Pot with rice- at the same time! Click here for the recipe- MASOOR DAAL AND RICE. […]