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You are going to love this Punjabi Dhaba Daal Instant Pot Recipe. It is finger licking delish and every bite is worth devouring. Creamy and Decadent and what not. It tastes best with Tandoori Roti in my opinion. But goes very well with Rice and Naan too. Stove top instructions + small video included too. #instantpotrecipes #instantpotlentils #instantpotindianrecipes #instantpotdaal #instantpotbeans #dhaabadaal
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5 from 4 votes

Punjabi Dhaab Daal Instant Pot Recipe

You are going to love this Punjabi Dhaba Daal Instant Pot Recipe. It is finger licking delish and every bite is worth devouring. Creamy and Decadent and what not. It tastes best with Tandoori Roti in my opinion. But goes very well with Rice and Naan too.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: costco madras lentils, instant pot beans and lentils, instant pot beans stew, instant pot daal, instant pot dahl, instant pot indian recipes, instant pot punjabi daal, instant pot vegetarian recipes, punjabi dhaba daal
Servings: 8
Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

Daals (Beans & Legumes)

  • 1&1/2 cups Whole Urad (Whole Black Gram Lentils)
  • 1/2 cup Rajma (Red Kidney Beans)
  • 1/2 cup Chana Daal (Split Gram Beans)

Fresh Produce

  • 1 large Onion finely chopped
  • 3 large or 5 small Tomatoes finely chopped
  • 1 large piece Ginger finely chopped
  • 1-2 Green Chillies (skip it if you want mild curry) finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic (optional) finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Oil & Spices

  • 1 tbsp Ghee or Cooking Oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp Coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp Red Chili powder (use less for mild curry)
  • 2&1/2 tsp or to taste Salt
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala

5 cups of WATER

If you do not want the long list of spices mentioned above, then use 1 tbsp or to taste Curry Spice Mix. I recommend MDH or Shaan spices. Or you may use Daal Spice mix bought from the Indian Store or Amazon.

Daal Tempering (optional)

  • 1/2 tbsp Ghee or Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Red chili powder

Instructions

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING.

    Soaking The Beans

    • Take Whole Urad (black lentils grams), Rajma (red kidney beans), Chana Daal (split gram). Wash all the daals and soak them together for atleast 6 hours. If you can soak overnight then better. When ready to cook, drain the daal and set aside.

    SAUTE MODE on INSTANT POT

    • Place the Inner Pot inside the Instant Pot and Plug it in. Press SAUTE MODE and set on HIGH.
    • Once the screen displays HOT, add 1 tbsp ghee or oil. Wait for 2-3 seconds and then add cumin seeds. Once these start sizzling in few seconds, add finely chopped onions, ginger and green chilies to it. Saute for few seconds. Cover with a glass lid and Cook till onions are soft and pink. It will take about 5 minutes. Keep stiring in between to avoid any burning at the bottom.  On a side note - I use any glass lid of my large stove top pans.
    • Open the glass lid. Add finely chopped tomatoes and all the spices mentioned above or 1 tbsp of Daal Masala or MDH Daal Makhani  Masala. Give it a good stir. Cover again with glass lid and cook. Saute in between. It will take about another 5 minutes for tomatoes to cook well with onions. Take off the lid and give it a good stir. Add all the SOAKED DAALS and 5 cups of WATER. Stir and Mix. CANCEL THE SAUTE MODE.

    MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK MODE

    • Place the lid of the Instant Pot and place the vent to SEALING. Press the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK Button and set it on MORE/HIGH for 30 minutes.
    • Once the timer goes off and it beeps indicating the cooking is done, let it sit. Follow NPR (natural pressure release). Add 1 tbsp Butter & 1/2 cup Heavy Cream to it. Give it a good stir. Taste test it and adjust salt to your liking. If it is too thick for you then add the desired amount of water and let it simmer on High Saute Mode for about 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring though.
    • The Daal is practically ready. But if you want to enjoy authentic daal, then Tadka or Tempering is a must.

    How to make TEMPERING or TADKA

    • Take a small pan and heat ghee or oil in it. Ghee is the authentic way to do it. My vegan friends or the folks trying for the first time, go with cooking oil. Okay now, After you heat the ghee/oil in a pan, lower the heat to medium and add cumin seeds to it. Once they start crackling, add red chili powder and switch off the heat.
    • Add this hot tempering to the Punjabi Dhaba Daal.  For garnish, you may add chopped cilantro/coriander leaves or even fresh mint leaves. 

    Serving Suggestion

    • Serve it hot with tandoori roti or naan or rice. It tastes divine. It tastes the best the next day since it absorbs all the flavors so nicely.

    Traditional Pressure Cooker Method for Punjabi Dhaaba Daal

    • You will follow all the instructions as mentioned in SAUTE MODE as is. Place the large pressure cooker on stove and heat ghee/oil and then follow the above instructions. The Water quantity will be 6 cups. When you come to Manual / Pressure Cook Mode, you will place the cooker lid with its weight on. Lock it.
    • Let the pressure build on high heat. Once the whistle or weight of the cooker goes off the first time, lower the heat to medium-low. Let it cook on that heat for about 25-30 minutes. Then switch off the gas stove. Let the pressure escape naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid. Stir and add Tadka or Tempering.