1. Once done, whisk the dal well. (Image 7) Yellow Dal Tadka is popular in Indian households, but honestly, I didn’t even know dal was supposed to be made with tadka. Lol. I know right? Once I discovered tadka, I fell in love with dal. It’s my comfort food on days when I don’t feel like cooking, after a vacation, or when I’m sick. Needless to say, nowadays, my mom only makes me dal with tadka. This Toor Dal recipe is an easy Instant Pot recipe inspired by my mother-in-law. When making dal, she cooks ginger, garlic, lentils, and water together. In addition to these ingredients, I also added one green chili and tomatoes. Cook the dal on high pressure and top off the cooked dal with a tempering of spices resulting in the most flavorful dal. Enjoy with Jeera Rice, papad, and achaar.
  2. Add Flavors – Add chopped ginger and garlic, along with slit green chili. (Image 2)
  3. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir. (Image 3)
  4. High Pressure – Close the Instant Pot and HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Allow the dal to naturally release before opening. (Image 4)
  5. Remove the saponins, a white foam that forms over the dal. You can use a spoon to remove them. (Image 6)

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)

  1. 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. (Image 9)
  2. Next add asafoetida and dry red chilies. Saute for a minute. (Image 10)
  3. Now add Kashmiri chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell the aroma of the tadka. (Image 11)
  4. Add lots of chopped cilantro. Adjust salt as needed. (Image 13) ✓ 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. ✓ Natural Release – Let the dal naturally release in the Instant Pot, there is no need for a manual release. ✓ 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. → Serve with roti and any dry sabzi such as Bhindi Fry, Jeera Aloo, Aloo Shimla Mirch, Kadai Aloo Baingan, or Aloo Palak. → For a healthier option, opt for brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice.

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