Instant Pot Masoor Daal

Masoor daal is one of my absolute favourite daals – it’s richer and more filling than the split version, is inexpensive and with my Instant Pot, it’s a dream to cook and ready in minutes.

Here’s a step by step guide that will hopefully eliminate the guesswork to give you a great result even if you’re new to Instant-Potting!

You will need: 

• Oil (enough to thinly cover the base)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon of ginger paste
• 225 grams of crushed tomatoes or two medium sized tomatoes 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, we used to add this before the kids ate with us, we don’t now)
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder
• Salt, to your taste
• 1 cup of whole masoor dal
• 3 cups of water
• 3 tablespoons of cream (optional – we use Oatly cream for a lighter but creamy finish)
• Coriander leaves, chopped finely

Method:

1. Before you begin to chop your onion, switch on the Instant Pot to Sauté (on Normal not High) – this will bring the pot to temperature and it helps to get things going so you’re not wasting time.
2. Add a thin layer of oil – enough to cover the bottom of the pan and when the oil is shimmering, sprinkle in your cumin seeds.
3. When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add in your chopped onion, garlic and ginger pastes and let them get nice and golden brown – this is key to getting a really flavourful daal.
4. Once you are happy with the colour (I let it brown for a little longer than photographed below), add in your crushed tomatoes. My husband hates bits of tomatoes and the skin etc, so I always blitz tomatoes before using them. Pop in your green chilli now too.
5. When some of the water has evaporated and you have a nice thick tomato paste, add in your powdered spices; chilli (if you’re using it), turmeric, garam masala and salt.
6. Whilst that is incorporating, rinse your masoor daal in a colander (ensure you use warm or hot water, adding in cold food brings down the temperature of the pot and it takes longer to come to pressure).
7. Add your drained masoor daal into the pot and stir until it is coated in the spicy sauce.
8. Add 3 cups of water to this – ideally this should be three cups of boiling or very hot water – for the same reasons stated above.
9. Seal the pot, select the manual function and start a 18 minute cycle on High. If you have soaked your masoor daal prior, you can probably cook this for a shorter period. I am usually in a hurry and prefer to just cook from the bag without having to soak.
10. When the cycle is complete, push the steam valve to venting for a quick release of the pressure.
11. Once you’ve opened the lid, put the pot back on Sauté and add your cream if you’re using it. Just stir it through for a minute or two and then switch off the pot or leave it on Keep Warm.
12. Garnish with coriander before serving – this is lovely over basmati rice or with naan.

 

If you try this, I’d love to hear how you get on! You can always amend the recipe to suit your tastes; i.e. remove certain spices or add more of others. If you do try it, please tag me on Instagram @imanblogs so I can take a look!