Panchmel Dal (Rajasthani Panchratna Dal) - Instant Pot

5 from 2 votes

Panchmel dal is Indian dal prepared with five varieties of lentils or dals and is a great accompaniment for Indian flatbreads, rice.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, North Indian

Keyword instant pot panchmel dal, pancharatna dal recipe, panchmel dal, rajasthani panchmel dal

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 175kcal

Wash and rinse the dal, keep aside. Press saute mode on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Add chopped green chili, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
Then add chopped onion, and minced ginger. Saute till the onions turn light brown in color.
Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft, takes 2-3 minutes.
Then add rinsed lentils or dal, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, water and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes
Remove the lid away from you, add coriander leaves and lemon juice. Also, adjust the consistency of the dal at this point.
If it's too dry, turn on SAUTE mode, add some water, and boil for 2 minutes.
Panchmel dal is ready, add extra tempering (tadka) and serve hot with boiled rice, quinoa, or roti.

Combine all the 5 dals in equal proportion and soak in water for atleast 30 mins
Pressure cook the dals adding 2 cups of water for 4-5 whistles.
Heat oil or ghee in a kadai and add the cumin and let them splutter.
Then add hing, curry leaves, grated ginger, green chillies and saute for another 20 secs.
Next add the onions and saute till onions turn light brown in color.
Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft, takes 2-3 minutes.
Add all the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and fry for a minute.
Now add the cooked and mashed dal, stir well. Add water to adjust consistency and salt to taste.
Boil dal for 2-3 minutes on a medium-low flame. Finally, add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.
Panchmel dal is ready and serve hot with boiled rice, quinoa or roti.

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT

If your dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode and cook for another 2-3 minutes in the end.

For a variation, you can also make this dal by skipping onion, ginger, and tomatoes.

If you prefer soft, mashed dal, pressure cook on High Pressure for 12–14 minutes. However, I like my dal to have a bit of texture, so I set it to 10 minutes on Manual/Pressure Cook (High Pressure) mode.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.