Nourishing Instant Pot Daal

Daal, Dal, Dhal? 

Whichever way you put it, Daal is a nourishing soup usually eaten over a bed of rice. It can be made slightly sour and spicy as my family likes it or thicker and milder as others prefer. Daal is usually made low and slow on a pot over the stove, but can be made in a speedy 7 minutes using an instant pot. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of lentils 

4 cups of water 

1 tomato - chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tbsp. of lemon juice 

1 small onion 

Cilantro 

Salt 

1 tsp turmeric 

5 cloves of garlic 

1 tsp of garam masala 

1 chili pepper

1 bunch of spinach - Optional 

Method: 

1. Wash lentils thoroughly, combine with water in instant pot and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes 

2. Release steam carefully and check the texture of lentils. At this point, the lentils should be halfway cooked (split easily but not mushy) Add chopped tomatoes, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and chili pepper. Pressure cook on high for an additional 2 minutes.

3. Once again, release steam carefully and check the doneness of lentils. They should easily squish between your fingers and dissolve in the pot when stirred.

4. Stir lentils until they become homogeneous with water then turn on sauté mode.

5. Reduce until consistency is to your liking. 

6. In a separate small sauté pan,  heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil or ghee to prepare your tadka (the tempering of spices). Add in sliced onions, crushed garlic, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. Fry until onions are dark brown and give off a toasted aroma.

7. Add in fried onion/garlic blend to Dal. Add lemon juice and adjust salt and spice level as needed.  

Serve over a bed of rice, quinoa, or on it's own.