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3.60 from 5 votes

Madras Lentils in Instant Pot & Gas Top Pressure Cooker

Madras Lentils is a delicious & simple Recipe. It's a classic Lentil recipe from Northern India. Dal goes well with Rice, Roti, and Naan.
Prep Time6 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time7 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: costco madras lentils, dal maharani, dal makhani, instant pot madras lentils, madras lentils, trader joes lentils
Servings: 6
Calories: 132kcal
Author: simplyvegetarian777

Ingredients

  • 1&1/2 cups Whole Urad Dal or Black Gram Lentils
  • 1/4 cup Rajma / Red Kidney Beans
  • 1/4 cup Chana Dal / Split Bengal Gram
  • 1 medium or 1/2 cup Red Onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
  • 3 medium or 1 cup Tomatoes Chopped fine
  • 1-2 Green Chili chopped fine
  • 1 tsp Ginger chopped fine
  • 6-7 cups Water for Instant Pot and 8 cups water for Pressure cooker
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Oils & Spices

  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil Use Ghee if you want
  • 1 Bay Leaf dry
  • 1 Black Cardamom
  • 1 small piece Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 Red Chili Whole Dry
  • 1 tbsp Coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp Red Chili powder use less for mild dal and more for spicier dal
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri Lal Mirch optional, though adds to the color
  • 1&1/2 to 2 tsp Garam Masala use as per your taste
  • 1/2 tbsp Kasuri Methi
  • To taste or 2 tsp Salt

Garnish

  • 2 tbsp Cilantro / Coriander leaves
  • 2 tbsp Butter if want richer dal

Instructions

Preparing & Soaking the Beans

  • Wash the urad, red kidney beans, and chana dal thoroughly. Soak them in 4 cups clean water for 4-6 hrs. If you can soak them overnight then that is the best. When ready to cook, drain the soaked dals and set aside.

Cooking in Instant Pot

    SAUTE MODE

    • Place inner pot inside the Instant Pot and plug it in. Press SAUTE MODE and set on HIGH for 10 minutes. Once the screen displays HOT, add olive oil to the inner pot. After 5 seconds add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon stick, and whole red chili. Saute for few seconds. Once the cumin seeds crackle, lower the heat and add onions, garlic, green chilies, and ginger to it.
    • Cook for 8 minutes on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp water to it if onions start sticking to the bottom of the pot. Now add chopped tomatoes and then add all the spices as mentioned above and mix. Cook (covered with a glass lid) further for 5 more minutes, till the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Now add the soaked beans plus 6 cups water to the instant pot. Give a good stir. Cancel the SAUTE MODE.

    PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL MODE

    • Place the lid of the Instant Pot. Set the floating valve to SEALING. Press the MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK MODE and set for 45 minutes on HIGH/MORE.
    • After the timer beeps, follow NPR (natural pressure release). Once the safety valve drops down, open the lid carefully. Give a good stir and mash the cooked beans a little with ladle or potato masher. Add heavy cream at this point. Stir. Check the taste for Salt & Garam Masala. Adjust accordingly. Add little more of olive oil on the top if desired. 
    • Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with rice and naan.

    Cooking in Gas Top Pressure Cooker Method

    • Take the Pressure cooker and heat oil in it on the medium-high heat. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add cumin seeds to it. Add bay leaf, black cardamom, whole red chili, and cinnamon stick to the oil. Once the cumin seeds crackle, lower the heat and add onions, garlic, green chilies, and ginger to it.
    • Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat and then add tomatoes and all the spices as mentioned above and cook (covered with a glass lid) further for 5 more minutes, till the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Now add the soaked beans plus 8 cups water to the cooker. Give a good stir. CLose the lid of the pressure cooker. Put the weight on and let it cook on high heat.
    • As the weight blows off for the first time, lower the weight and lower the heat to simmer. Let it cook for 35-40 minutes. After 30 minutes, close the heat. When the safety valve drops down, open the lid carefully. Add whipped yogurt or heavy cream at this point. Mix well. Check for salt and garam masala and adjust if required more. Mash the dal with the back of your ladle or potato masher few times. It will add bulk and creaminess to the dal.
    • Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with rice and naan.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8People | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg