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Instant Pot Langar Dal (Amritsari Dal)

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This delicious Punjabi dal is made with a few humble ingredients, yet it is full of flavor.

Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

This lentil soup has a few different names: langar wali dal (or langar dal for short), Amritsari dal, and maa chole di dal. Or you can call it what I used to call it as a child – when I’d ask my mom to make me some “gurudwara dal.”

State: Punjab

This is the dal that you’ll find served at any gurudwara, a place of worship for those who practice the Sikh religion. Every gurudwara has a langar hall, a place where volunteers serve free vegetarian meals to anyone who visits, regardless of race, religion, economic status, etc. Everyone sits together on the floor to eat, as equals. It’s a beautiful concept and my favorite thing about the religion. You may have heard of the most well-known gurudwara: The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. I have been there several times and hope to take my toddler Tony there one day soon.

Langar dal is typically simmered over low heat. Today, I’m sharing my instant pot version, which has the same flavor but is made in a fraction of the time. To make the whole process even easier, I’m making this dal with my pre-made onion masala. Having this onion and tomato masala on hand makes this dal an almost “dump and go” type of recipe. You need to brown the cumin seeds in some ghee for extra flavor, then add everything to the pot and cook.

An onion masala recipe:

This recipe is part of my Indian Onion Masala Series, where I share recipes that call for exact amounts of onion masala. Click the graphic below to find out how to make onion masala, store it, and find other recipes that call for it.

Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

Langar dal is made with two types of lentils: whole urad dal (whole black lentils) and chana dal (split yellow chickpeas). I wrote a blog post explaining the different types of Indian lentils if you want to read more about them.

This dal contains a good amount of ghee, which adds a delicious and creamy flavor to the dal. I also like to top the dal with a bit of heavy cream before serving, but you don’t have to do this! The dal will taste amazing with or without a touch of cream.

Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

This recipe is similar to my dal makhani recipe but also a bit different. If you like my dal makhani, then you’ll also love this recipe.

Serve this dal with fresh roti (or another Indian flatbread) or basmati rice. I also love pairing it with raita (to make raita: mix yogurt with a bit of water, salt, and roasted cumin powder).

And remember, like most dals, this dish will thicken a bit as it cools. If you warm it up the next day, you can always stir a bit of water into the soup to thin it out if needed.

I hope you love this! Let me know what you think of it! 🙂

Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

Instant Pot Langar Dal (Amritsari Dal)

Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

Instant Pot Langar Dal (Amritsari Dal)

5 from 18 reviews
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Ingredients
 

 

  • optional garnish: a light drizzle of heavy cream and cilantro leaves

Instructions
 

  • Press the sautĂ© button, add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the pot and once that melts add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
  • Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
  • Naturally release pressure.
  • Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee and garnish with a drizzle of heavy cream and cilantro if desired. The dal will continue to thicken as it cools.

Notes

  • This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
  • If you have frozen cubes of onion masala, just toss those in – no need to thaw them first.
  • This dal will thicken as it cools. When you warm up leftovers, you may need to add water or stock to thin it out on the stovetop.
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Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)
Instant Pot Amritsari Dal (Langar Dal)

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Hi, I’m Ashley. Thanks for being here! I truly believe that food brings us closer together. Gather around a table with good food and good people, and you’ll have the ingredients you need to create some happy memories. My hope is that you find recipes here that you can’t wait to share with family and friends.

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Comments

  1. Shlp says

    5 stars
    I love making this recipe, it is creamy and delicious every time and my kids eat it up. Thanks for this easy to follow recipe!!

    Reply

  3. poonam kirpalani says

    Hi Ashley
    I love all your recipes …for this recipe do we need to add jeera powder and dhaniya powder
    Since i do not put any of these dry masalas when I’m making my onion / tomato masala to freeze
    Thanks

    Reply

  4. Eda Birch says

    5 stars
    Excellent flavor. I was surprised I didn’t need to pre soak the Channa Dal, but it is so creamy.

    I used vegetable ghee. If you use coconut cream, for garnish, it makes a savory vegan dish.

    Reply

  5. Alasdair says

    I have another Langar ki Dal recipe I prefer on a regular basis, but I needed to make this nightshade-free for a pod-mate who has an allergy. With your nomato onion masala, it turns out rather sweeter than I had expected (must be all the beets), but a little extra salt and tamarind paste balanced that out. Thanks!

    Reply

  8. Manasa says

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for yet another Great Fool Proof Recipe!! Everyone at home enjoyed it. I wanted to find out if I can double the recipe and freeze a portion of it for a later day. Would you say this is a freezer friendly recipe?

    Reply

  9. Manasa says

    5 stars
    Tried this recipe last night and everyone at home loved it.. Thank you so much for another fool proof recipe. Just had a quick question. Does this dal freeze well?

    Reply

  10. Gitali says

    5 stars
    Love love love! I had onion masala ( which btw I always keep in my freezer now), and I wanted to cook some delicious daal. So I thought to make this. I doubled the recipe because I like to have left overs for next day. I just changed ghee to veg. oil, & I came out so perfect. And if you are trying this, don’t leave out heavy cream at the end. It makes it perfect.

    Reply

  13. Allese says

    5 stars
    This is so delicious and easy! What a great way to get my family to eat more meatless meals. My family and I are loving the meals made with the onion masala. We’ve already gone through one batch of onion masala and had to make another.

    Reply

  15. Nick says

    5 stars
    I made this today having searched up Gurdwara dal recipes because I always enjoy the dal when I visit a Gurdwara – this is exactly what I was looking for – absolutely beautiful straight out of the Instant Pot – I am looking forward to seeing what it is like tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this.

    Reply

  16. Sheetal says

    I hope this is not a silly question. But I want to try to make this recipe but use 3cups urad. Does the IP 30 mins still oki, or should cook for longer, since it’s more quantity?

    Reply

  17. Eddie zia says

    I saw your onion masala recipe. In the above recipe you state that one cup onion masala. I am not sure I understand that? Do you mean 1 cube of Onion masala from the silicon mold or do you mean measure the onion masala one cup? I think one cup onion masala will be too excessive for this. Please advise.

    I suggest to be very specific with onion masala content as it may ruin otherwise a perfect recipe if the reader is obtuse like me who does not quite understand the above

    The recipes are great. Keep up the good work.

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Eddie, so each cube from the silicone mold is 1/4 cup — this recipe calls for 4 of those cubes which equals to 1 cup. Hope that helps! Let me know if you make it – this is one of my fav dals!

      Reply

  18. Raghavi says

    5 stars
    Simple ingredient list but so tasty. Also super easy to make. I didn’t have urad dal so I used all channa and it turned out great.

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      I’m sure the flavor would be just fine but I haven’t tried doubling or tripling the recipe – my only concern would be whether it’d all fit in a 6 quart instant pot… if you try, please let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  20. Alison says

    5 stars
    I made this for my family and then had to go out. When I got home it was completely gone and had rave reviews from my husband and two small boys. My only disappointment was that I didn’t get to taste it! Thanks for making me look like a good cook Ashley!

    Reply

  23. Bala says

    this needs 30minutes to cook in high pressure? most of the variety of lentils gets mushy even if I cook for 8-9minutes… is it because of urad dhal?

    Reply

  24. Chhaya Rao says

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! I used your onion masala, a total of 2 Tbl ghee + 1 Tbl olive oil, and unsoaked urad dal. Increased cooking time to 40 min to account for the unsoaked . I’m really enjoying your blog and cookbook. 🙂

    Reply

  25. Erin Libby says

    Hi Ashley! I have really been enjoying your recipes and am making this daal tonight. However, I bought the urad daal that is white. I realize now that is because they do not have the skins on. Will they still work for this recipe? Do I need to make any adjustments? Thank you so much for your guidance!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Erin! So glad you are liking my recipes 🙂 I have never tried it this way but I’m sure it’ll work – the color might look a little different is all. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  26. Juhi says

    Hi Ashley ,
    Can u please post a recipe without using the premade onion masala .
    Also in ur onion masala is it ok if I blend the onions and tomato before cooking?? I don hv an immersion blender ..

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Juhi, you can try making my dal makhani which is similar and doesn’t call for onion masala! Just use a combination of whole urad and chana dal. And you don’t need an immersion blender – you can use a regular blender! One the masala is done, just pour it all in the blender 🙂

      Reply

  27. Rachel says

    5 stars
    This was so, so, so good. I didn’t even add ghee or cream at the end, just some (IP!) yogurt. Thanks for sharing this and your other awesome recipes!

    Reply

    • Puja says

      Hi.. Thank you for sharing these recipes. I tried sambar and chole Masala and both came out awesome. I usually do my cooking before I leave for work.. At 6am. Is it okay to leave all the ingredients including the frozen onion masala in the instant pot and set it to cook at 6pm?

      Reply

  29. Jes says

    Hey Ashley, always love your recipes! Especially biryani (chicken version) and saag are my favorites. I definitely want to try this one too. Any chance of trying it without the pre-prepped onion masala?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Thank you, Jes! So happy to hear that 🙂 I haven’t tested it without the onion masala but my guess is you’d just want to cook an onion until brown then add a couple tomatoes and cook those down as well along with a couple cloves of garlic and an inch of ginger. You’ll also want to add some coriander, turmeric, paprika and cumin. Sorry I don’t have exact proportions for this!

      Reply

  30. Maneesha says

    5 stars
    What a tasty recipe! I love trying cuisines from different parts of India; I usually make Gujarati food, so this was such a great new style of cooking daal! We loved it! It paired very well with rice

    Reply
instant pot pour and cook chicken biryani

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