Pressure Cooker Spinach Dal (Dal Palak Recipe)

dal palak recipe served in a kadai with a spoon and rice on the side

5 from 4 votes

Pressure Cooker Spinach Dal (Dal Palak Recipe)

Instant Pot Spinach Dal|Dal Palak is an easy, healthy one-pot pressure cooker recipe prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, spinach, assorted spices

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword dal palak, instant pot dal, spinach dal, spinach recipes

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 152kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup toor dal/split pigeon peas
1 tablespoon oil (or ghee)
½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
3 cloves garlic cloves minced
½ inch ginger minced
2 green chilies finely chopped
1 big pinch asafoetida (hing) optional
1 medium tomato finely chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder adjust to heat preference
salt to taste
2 cups spinach (palak)
2 cups water
¼-1/2 teaspoon garam masala optional
juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

Stovetop Method

Cook the Dal (Lentils)
Rinse the dal 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Then, pressure cook ½ cup of rinsed toor dal with 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot or traditional stovetop pressure cooker.
Instant Pot: Pressure cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 8 minutes with natural pressure release.
OR
Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook on high heat for 2-3 whistles and wait for natural pressure release.
Then mash the dal using a whisker or potato masher.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee) in a kadai (or Dutch oven), add cumin seeds, and let them crackle.
Next, add minced ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for a few seconds until the raw aroma goes away.
Then add finely chopped (or pureed) tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
Then add finely chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the spinach wilts.
Then, add the cooked and mashed toor dal, mix until well combined. Adjust the consistency of the dal by adding ½ to 1 cup of water according to your preference.
Simmer the dal palak for 2-3 minutes on medium-low flame.
Finally, add some garam masala and lemon juice, then mix well. Turn off the heat, taste, and adjust with more salt if required.
Serve this Spinach Dal fry hot with basmati rice, pickle, papad or roti, naan.

Instant Pot Method:

Firstly, wash and rinse the dal, and keep it aside. On the Instant Pot, Press SAUTE mode. Heat oil, and when it's hot, add cumin seeds. Allow them to crackle.
Add minced garlic, ginger, and green chilies, and saute till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
Next, add the rinsed dal, water, and give a stir.
Close the Instant Pot with a pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
Add chopped baby spinach, garam masala, and lemon juice. Stir well and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts to your preference. You can adjust the consistency of the palak dal at this point.
Pressure Cooker Spinach dal is ready.

Notes

Tips to Make the Best Dal Palak

Type of Dal (Lentils): Spinach Dal is typically made from toor dal/arhar dal (split pigeon peas). You can replace toor dal, with moong dal (yellow lentils) or masoor dal (red lentils) or use a combination of toor, and moong dal.
Soaking Lentils: You don't need to soak the dal for this recipe. To speed up the process, you can soak the toor dal in water for 30 mins, and Pressure Cook on High just for 6 minutes.
Dal Consistency: The preferred consistency of Dal Palak should be medium thick. If it's too thick, add little water to adjust the consistency. If your dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode and boil for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
Spices: Increase or decrease the spices according to your preference.

Variations

Don't have garam masala? No worries, replace it with half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
Other Greens: You can also replace spinach with kale or any greens.
Gluten-free: Skip asafoetida (hing) or use gluten-free asafoetida to make gluten-free dal fry.

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

Nutrition