Creamy split pigeon peas lentils aka Toor Dal or Arhar Dal is one of the most popular and delicious dal recipe. Absolute comfort food when served with rice, papad and pickles. Naturally gluten-free, can be easily Vegan and made under 30 mins using Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Toor Dal, Dal Tadka, Dal Fry - A staple dal cooked almost everyday in most Indian homes. Also known as Arhar Dal, Split Pigeon Peas when cooked and tempered with cumin and mustard seeds becomes a comforting one pot meal with rice or roti.
In Southern part of India, Tuvar Dal or Thuvaram Paruppu is used in making "Sambar" (popular lentil and vegetable dish). It is served with fluffy Idli and crispy Dosa as well as rice.
Dal-Rice is soul satisfying. It is nourishing, effortless to cook and satisfies your mind, body and soul. It makes a perfect meal when you are too tired to cook or have an almost empty refrigerator.
Dal and Rice can be consumed after a long tiring day at work, travel fatigue, when feeling under the weather or homesick. Just a piping hot bowl of dal-rice with a dollop of ghee makes everything seem right!
I have used Instant Pot to cook Toor Dal but included instructions to cook dal on stove top - dutch oven and pressure cooker in the recipe card at the end of the post.
The fastest way to cook dal is hands down the Instant Pot method (which is what I am most partial to) followed by pressure cooker.
While this is the basic recipe, please refer to "Variations" if you are planning to include this dal in your weekly menu.
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Ingredients
Toor Dal / Arhar Dal / Split Pigeon Peas / Thuvaram Paruppu (Tamil)
The benefit of using Instant Pot is that lentils need not be soaked. High Pressure cooking softens the lentils and results in creamy texture.
However, as a thumb rule, I prefer soaking lentils, beans, legumes before cooking. The health benefits are immense.
For Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker, 15-20 mins soaking is enough. Once you soak, you will also notice how the lentils double in size by soaking up all the water.
Note - Always discard the water used for soaking, rinse and pressure cook using fresh water.
Stove Top Cooking will require 30 mins or more soaking time to speed up the cooking process.
Onion-Tomato-Ginger-Garlic - The base for a good dal-Period!
In India, some communities also cook dal without onion and garlic.
Spices - Turmeric for that signature yellow color, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (substitute with paprika or use fresh green chilies), Ground Coriander and Garam Masala.
These spices are basically taste enhancers and some of it are extremely healthy to include as part of daily diet. For Eg, Turmeric.
Tadka or Tempering - This is what takes things up a notch!
The number one choice of fat used for tempering, when it comes to Indian cuisine, is Ghee or Clarified butter. If you follow a plant based diet and/or are allergic to dairy, please use vegetable oil.
You can skip this step (tempering) but what is Dal Tadka without some sizzling oil on top, Agree?
How to make Instant Pot Toor Dal
Step 1 & 2 - Sautéing finely chopped onions, ginger garlic paste with cumin seeds in vegetable oil.
Step 3 - Add finely chopped tomatoes and sauté
Step 4 - Add the soaked and drained toor dal, spices and salt to taste.
Step 5 & 6 - Add water to cook, Cover the Instant Pot and pressure cook until lentils have cooked.
Variations
Leafy Greens - We love adding Kale OR Spinach to Dal. Not only does the greens amp up the nutritional value, it tastes absolutely delicious, almost like a hearty soup.
For Instant Pot, add the greens only after the pressure cooking is complete. The residual heat is enough to cook and wilt the greens.
Vegetables - Add vegetables like peas, potato cubes, beans, carrot, summer squash, zucchini, lauki or bottle gourd. Pumpkin, Butternut squash, turnip are other options.
Tip - Quick cooking Vegetables should be cut into thick chunks. It prevents vegetables from disintegrating completely while pressure cooking.
Beans - Add chickpeas or cannellini beans to the dal. If using canned beans, drain the water, rinse once before adding to the instant pot.
Serving Suggestions
Rice - Basmati Rice (plain), Cumin Rice (Jeera Rice), Brown Rice, Quinoa, Green Peas Pulao or Vegetable Pulao.
Indian Breads - Chapati / Roti, Naan (homemade or store bought), Plain paratha, Methi Thepla (Fenugreek flatbreads) or Lauki thepla (bottle gourd / doodhi) are few options.
Vegetable Sides to serve with Dal-Rice - Aloo Gobi, Bhindi Masala, Aloo Methi, Aloo Matar and Paneer Bhurji.
Leftover Dal can be added to whole wheat flour and rolled into parathas for breakfast. This is one of the best ways to repurpose dal and getting some protein in your diet.
Recipe FAQ's
It is not required to soak toor dal but soaking has few health benefits. Apart from easing digestion, soaking helps in speeding up the cooking process.
One of the key reasons for uncooked toor dal is the quality of lentils. Old or poor quality lentils take longer to cook. Not enough water to cook lentils is another reason.
Soaking toor dal for atleast 20-30 minutes reduces the cooking time. If you have sudden guests at home or are in a rush to prepare meals, soak the dal in some hot water for 10-15 mins.
Toor dal when held between your fingers should smash easily and disintegrate.
Adding Hing or asafoetida (even in small quantity) helps in reducing flatulence or gas discomfort. Also, eating in moderation helps.
More Dal / Lentil Recipes
Chana Dal (Bengal Gram Dal)
Moong Dal (Yellow Lentils)
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Instant Pot Toor Dal | Dal Tadka Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 Onions medium or 3/4 cup finely chopped
- 1 Tomato or 1/2 cup finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ cup Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas, Arhar Dal)
- 1 ½ cups Water Read Notes below
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- finely chopped coriander or cilantro
- Salt to taste
For Tadka or Tempering
- 2 teaspoon Ghee or Clarified Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon Hing or Asafoetida Read notes below
- a pinch of kashmiri red chili powder optional
Instructions
- Wash / Rinse the toor dal under running tap water for 2-3 times.
- Soak the toor dal for 15-20 mins. After 20 mins, drain the water used for soaking.
- Switch on the Instant Pot, Press Saute Mode. Once it displays On or Hot, add oil and cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin appears roasted, add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute until the onions are translucent.
- To this, add finely chopped tomatoes. Sauté until the tomatoes are slightly mushy.
- Now add the soaked and drained toor dal, spices and salt to taste. Add Water, mix and Cancel Saute Mode.
- Cover the instant pot with lid and pressure cook on High for 8 minutes. Allow Natural Pressure release (approximately 15-18 mins). Release any leftover pressure manually and wait for the pin to drop before opening the lid.
- Open the instant pot lid, use a ladle to mix the lentils. Prepare for tempering.
- Heat a small tempering pan, add ghee, cumin and mustard. Once mustard crackles, add hing, red chili powder and switch off flame.
- Add the tempering to the dal, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves or cilantro. Mix and serve with rice or roti.
Notes
- Spices - Feel free to modify the quantity based on personal preference. Kashmiri red chili powder can be substituted with paprika or skipped entirely. You can use fresh green chilies too.
- Instant Pot Toor Dal recipe is Gluten Free. It can be easily made Vegan by skipping the tempering or using oil instead of ghee.
- Don't let the chili powder sit in the hot oil (for tempering) as it will burn and spoil the taste of the dal. Add it towards the end, just when you are ready to mix the tempering with the dal.
- I would also advise you to check for 100% additives free hing or asafoetida if you are gluten sensitive. This ingredient is added in the tempering to enhance taste and ease digestion.
- While serving, you can squeeze fresh lime juice over the dal.
- Unsoaked Toor Dal - 1/2 cup Dal : 2 cups water, HP for 12 mins followed by Natural Pressure Release.
- Soaked Dal - 1/2 cup toor dal : 1 & 1/2 cups water, HP for 8 mins followed by Natural Pressure Release.
- 1/2 cup Toor Dal can easily serve 4-5 adults. The dal stays fresh in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It will thicken with time so adjust consistency by re-heating on stove-top or microwave by adding hot water.
- You can freeze the dal as well for over a month. I recommend freezing the cooked Toor dal (without the spices and onion-tomato mix).
- The water to lentil ratio remains unchanged.
- Also, freeze in small portions which can be easily thawed and used (Check Variations / Ideas in the main post).
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
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