- 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.
- Add Flavors – Add chopped ginger and garlic, along with slit green chili. (Image 2)
- Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir. (Image 3)
- High Pressure – Close the Instant Pot and HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Allow the dal to naturally release before opening. (Image 4)
- 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)
- 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)
- Next add asafoetida and dry red chilies. Saute for a minute. (Image 10)
- Now add Kashmiri chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell the aroma of the tadka. (Image 11)
- 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.