Instant Pot Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)

Masoor Dal or Red Lentil curry recipe is a simple, extremely delicious, comforting dal cooked in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker with pot-in-pot basmati rice for under 30 minutes. This red lentil dal recipe is vegan and gluten-free and pairs well with rice, quinoa, and roti. You can also enjoy it as a soup.

What is Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)

Red lentils are known as Masoor dal in Hindi. These lentils are a versatile food that provides a good source of protein, fiber, B-complex vitamins, iron, and zinc.

These red lentils are available in split and whole forms in the market. These are used to make traditional dal, soups, or curries. Check out the Whole Masoor Dal recipe.

Ingredients for making Masoor Dal

Firstly let's gather the ingredients to make the Masoor Dal recipe

• Masoor dal (Red lentils): The main ingredient for this dal recipe, and they are great sources of protein and iron. It's easily available in local & Indian grocery stores in the USA.
• provide plenty of protein and fiber. You can use red lentils if you prefer, but I find that green lentils hold their shape better in soup.
• Ghee (or oil): for cooking. I used ghee for this recipe, you can use oil if you are a vegan.
• Onion: I used red onion, but white or yellow will also work if that’s what you have.
• Tomato: I used fresh Roma tomatoes. You may also use canned diced or crushed tomatoes if that's what you have in hand.
• Ginger & Garlic: use freshly minced for the best flavors.
• Herbs: use fresh herbs like curry leaves & coriander leaves for great flavors.
• Lime juice: freshly squeezed lime juice adds a really great taste to the dish.
• Spices: Cumin seeds (jeera), turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your preferences.

How to make Masoor Dal (Red Lentils) in Instant Pot

This recipe shows how to make Masoor Dal in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. The main difference with traditional dal preparation is that this is a one-pot recipe. We cook the dal separately and then add the tadka (tempering) in the traditional method.

Firstly Wash and rinse the dal, keep it aside. Press Saute mode on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Add asafetida, minced ginger-garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, and saute for 15 secs. Then add chopped onion. Saute till onions turn light brown.

Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.

Then add rinsed lentils or dal, salt, water, and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage—no need to soak the dal for this recipe.

Once you add all ingredients for masoor dal in the instant pot, place the trivet and then the rice bowl with water. This way, they will both cook together.

The big advantage of the Instant Pot is the option to do Pot-in-Pot Cooking or PIP. It means you can cook multiple things at the same time. See the pictures below for reference.

Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and increase the timer to 5 minutes.

Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.

Instant Pot Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are ready. Add some lemon juice and cilantro, mix well and serve hot with boiled rice, quinoa, or roti.

Note on the Consistency

If one wants soft mashed dal, 6 minutes manual/pressure cook (High Pressure) is probably the ideal setting in manual mode.

But I like dals (lentils) to be a little firm, so I selected 5 minutes Manual/Pressure Cooker (high pressure) option.

If you want a firmer dal, choose 3 minutes Manual/Pressure Cooker (high pressure).

Accessories needed for this Red Lentil Dal and Rice Pot-in-pot Recipe

1. Tall Trivet
2. Stackable Steamer Insert Pans, or any oven-safe bowl

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Instructions

• Pressure cook the masoor dal adding 3 cups of water for 3-4 whistles.
• Heat oil or ghee in a Kadai and add the cumin, and let them splutter.
• Then add asafetida, minced ginger-garlic, chopped green chili, curry leaves, and saute for 15 secs.
• Next, add the onions and saute till the onions turn light brown in color.
• Add tomatoes and all the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder and cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.
• Now add the cooked and mashed dal (lentils), and stir well. Add water to adjust consistency and salt to taste. Boil dal for 2-3 minutes on a medium-low flame. Finally, add chopped coriander leaves.
• The Red Lentil dal recipe is ready, add some lemon juice and cilantro, mix well and serve hot with boiled rice, quinoa, or roti.

How to Serve Red Lentil Curry

Serve Masoor Dal with roti, chapati,  jeera rice, or basmati rice. However, you can also serve it with quinoa, brown rice, or be eaten as a lentil soup.

Tips & Variations

1. No need to soak the dal in water.
2. If your dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode and cook for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
3. For a variation, you can also make this dal by skipping onion, ginger, and tomatoes.
4. Note on the consistency: If one wants really soft mashed dal, 6 minutes manual/pressure cook (High Pressure) is probably the ideal setting in manual mode. But I like dals (lentils) to be a little firm, so I selected 5 minutes Manual/Pressure Cooker (high pressure) option. If you want a firmer dal, then choose 3 minutes Manual/Pressure Cooker (high pressure).
5. Vegan Variation: Skip ghee and use the oil of your choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Lentil Recipes

• Dal Tadka - Dal prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, and assorted spices.
• Green Lentil Soup - lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and Indian spices.
• Whole green moong dal– Dal cooked with whole mung beans.
• Spinach Dal / Palak Dal – Dhal cooked with spinach leaves.
• Panchmel dal – dal prepared with five varieties of lentils.
• Zucchini Dal - Dal prepared with zucchini and lentils.

More Instant Pot Curry Recipes

• Lauki Ki Subji
• Black Eye Pea Curry (Lobia curry)
• Rajma Masala
• Chickpea Coconut Curry
• Potato Peas Curry

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