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    Home » Recipes » Course & Meal Type » Lentils & Beans Recipes

    Posted on: Sep 24, 2019 · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Instant Pot Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Peas

    33 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    A warm and comforting bowl of Instant Pot Toor Dal or Split Pigeon Peas topped with tadka or a tempering of Indian spices. It's perfect with a Basmati rice, papad, and achaar.

    Growing up I hated dal. We had dal once a week on average. I found it flavorless, but it wasn't until years later I figured out why I despised dal so much. Ready for this? My mom never added tadka (tempering of spices) to the lentils for health reasons, and y'all know tadka makes all the difference.

    Instant Pot Toor Dal

    Once I discovered dal tadka, I learned to love dal. Now, it's my comfort food on days I don't feel like cooking, after coming home from vacation, and when I'm sick. Needless to say, my hubby still hates dal and I'm working on him, but he did enjoy a bowl of my toor dal with rice. Hope you guys try my "lazy" dal with rice... it has no ginger, garlic, tomatoes, or onions. It's perfect with a side of papad, yogurt, and achaar (pickle). A dollop of ghee/butter would be delectable on top. Enjoy!

    Instant Pot Toor Dal

    this instant pot toor dal is:

    Vegan
    Gluten-Free
    Healthy-ish (use less oil)
    Comforting
    Soothing
    Perfect for Fall & Winter
    Great for Meal Prepping

    Instant Pot Toor Dal

    how to make instant pot toor dal step by step?

    for the dal / lentils

    1. Soak split piegon pea lentils in warm water for 15 minutes.
    2. Combine the toor dal ingredients... lentils, water, turmeric powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in the Instant Pot.
    3. Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 8 minutes.
    4. Once done.
    Instant Pot Toor Dal

    Prepare the tadka / tempering.

    1. Set aside all the spices.
    2. Heat up a small pot, add oil once hot, once the oil is hot, add all the spices and temper for about 30-45 seconds.
    3. Pour the tadka over the dal. Mix well.

    Garnish

    1. Add another ½ teaspoon of salt if need be, mango powder, and fresh cilantro leaves.
    2. Serve with brown rice, white rice, or quinoa. I also love it with a side of papar, achaar, and yogurt.

    Amazon Recommendations

    More Dal Recipes!

    • Tomato Dal / Tomato Pappu
    • Spinach Dal Fry
    • Dal Makhani
    • Papad wali Dal
    • Instant Pot Toor Dal Tadka
    • Green Moong Dal (Sabut Moong Dal)

    Instant Pot Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Peas

    Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free
    A warm and comforting bowl of Instant Pot Toor Dal or Split Pigeon Peas topped with tadka or a tempering of Indian spices. It's perfect with a Basmati rice, papad, and achaar.

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 5 servings
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes
    Calories: 238kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients

    for Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Peas

    • 1 ½ cups toor dal / split pigeon peas
    • 4 ½ cups water, you can add more later
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    for the tadka / tempering

    • 3 tbsp avocado oil, you can use less oil, try 2 tbsp
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon hing, for gluten-free, use gf hing
    • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1 ½ teaspoon ajwain / carom seeds
    • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 4 dry red chilies, split in half
    • ¼ tsp red chili powder
    • 1 tsp amchoor / mango powder

    for garnish

    • ½ tsp salt, if need be
    • ½ tsp amchoor / mango powder
    • small handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

    Instructions

    for the Dal / Lentils

    • Soak split piegon pea lentils in warm water for 15 minutes.
    • Combine the toor dal ingredients... lentils, water, turmeric powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in the Instant Pot.
    • Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 8 minutes.
    • Once done.

    for the tadka / tempering

    • Set aside all the spices.
    • Heat up a small pot, add oil once hot, once the oil is hot, add all the spices and temper for about 30-45 seconds.
    • Pour the tadka over the dal. Mix well.

    Garnish

    • Add salt if need be, mango powder, and fresh cilantro leaves.
    • Serve with brown rice, white rice, or quinoa. I also love it with a side of papar, achaar, and yogurt.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 10gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 515mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 9gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Lentils
    Tried this recipe?Mention @honeywhatscooking or tag #honeywhatscooking!
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    33 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Ritesh Sharma says

      October 03, 2019 at 1:29 am

      You have thoroughly explained to make this dish, will try to make this dish according to your method.
      Thanks for sharing this with us.

      Reply
      • honeywhatscooking says

        October 07, 2019 at 2:41 am

        HI Ritesh. So glad to hear that. Send me a picture on Instagram once you make it, would love to share. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ria says

      October 14, 2019 at 3:33 pm

      how can we make this without an instant pot?

      Reply
      • honeywhatscooking says

        October 15, 2019 at 12:25 am

        Hi Ria. If you have a pressure cooker, you can use that. I'm not sure how many whistles you need. If you don't have a pressure cooker, I would Google to find out how to make dal in a regular pot. Once that's done, you can add this tadka on top. Hope that helps.

        Reply
    3. Shebag holding says

      November 05, 2019 at 12:23 am

      Thanx for the useful and authentic recipee you have share with this article
      it will be surely Delicious.

      Reply
      • honeywhatscooking says

        November 06, 2019 at 1:04 am

        Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

        Reply
    4. Gauri says

      July 25, 2022 at 6:04 pm

      Do we do a quick release on IP once 8 minutes are done?

      Reply
      • honeywhatscooking says

        July 26, 2022 at 1:45 pm

        HI Gauri. No. I don't so the dal gets nice and soft. I wait about 15 minutes once the IP starts the timer.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Nisha! I'm a foodie who is passionate about healthy-ish living and mindful eating. You'll find a little bit of everything here. I use mostly organic real ingredients and incorporate seasonal produce in my cooking. I believe food is medicine. Come join me on this soul-searching journey as I share my love for good food, and I hope somewhere along the way, I inspire you to eat better.

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