Toor Dal Tadka (Instant Pot)
Instant Pot Toor Dal Tadka is split pigeon peas cooked with ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and topped with a tempering of Indian spices. These lentils are quick & easy to make and provide a nourishing, healthy, and delicious weeknight meal.
Servings: 5 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR INSTANT POT DAL
- 1 1/2 cups toor dal
- 4 cups water
- 2 1/2 tbsp ginger chopped, about 2 inches
- 3 tbsp garlic chopped, about 6 large cloves
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 green chili slit in half
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
FOR TADKA (TEMPERING)
- 2 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida/hing
- 3 dry red chilies broken
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
FOR GARNISH
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
STEP 1 - COOK SOAKED DAL IN INSTANT POT
- Wash the dal several times and soak for 30 minutes. Add rinsed and drained dal to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups of water. Also add chopped ginger and garlic, slit green chili, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir.
- High Pressure - Close the Instant Pot and HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Allow the dal to naturally release before opening.
- Remove White Foam - Once dal is cooked, remove the saponins, a white foam that forms over the dal. You can use a spoon to remove them. Then whisk the dal well.
STEP 2 - PREPARE THE TADKA
- Prepare Tadka - Heat a tadka pot over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Then add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle as well. Next add asafoetida and dry red chilies. Saute for a minute. Now add Kashmiri chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell the aroma of the tadka.
- Add tadka to the dal. Mix well. Then add lots of chopped cilantro. Adjust salt as needed.
Video
Notes
This recipe was first published on September 24, 2019, and has been modified and updated since.
- Oil for Tadka - Use a high-heat oil such as avocado oil. Heat the oil until it's very hot before adding the spices. This results in a more flavorful dal.
- Dal Consistency - The longer the dal sits, the thicker it gets. Feel free to add more water as needed and press saute on the Instant Pot when ready to heat the dal.
- Remove White Foam from Dal - Once the dal is cooked, white foam may form which is referred to as saponins. Use a spoon to remove the white foam. This will help achieve a smoother consistency and cleaner taste. Then proceed to whisk the dal.
- More Spicy - You may add extra green chili to the uncooked dal for more spice. You may also increase the dry red chilies quantity as needed. Lastly, you may add red chili powder (cayenne) before cooking.
- Gluten-free Option - Use gluten-free asafoetida (hing) or skip it.
- Ghee instead of Oil - If you prefer ghee, substitute oil for ghee, you'll need 2 tablespoons of ghee for the tadka. This dish is no longer vegan if you use ghee.
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg