Masala dal is flavorful, filling and easy enough to make on a weeknight!
You can probably tell by the name of this dish this instant pot masala dal is going to be really flavorful. Well, in addition to onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and spices – it’s also made using a combination of two different types of lentils: toor dal and chana dal. Toor dal melts right into the soup, making it a bit creamy. Chana dal keeps it’s shape, adds texture and has a really nice nutty flavor to it.
I don’t like to play favorites when it comes to recipes but… if I was going to choose my favorite dal here on the blog, it’d be a tie between my dal makhani and this masala dal, both equally good but in different ways. But um, try all of my dals because they’re all good. All my dals get a participation trophy!
The simplest nutritious meal: this dal + pea pulao or jeera rice or plain basmati rice. Look at me giving you three options for rice!
We have been having some rainy days here in Pittsburgh lately and it has me craving and making masala dal on repeat. This creamy spiced lentil soup is my go-to comfort food recipe year-round. It’s fresh and flavorful and perfect for when you’re feeling happy or sad. A dal for all feelings. A bowl of this soup on a gloomy day makes me feel a little bit brighter and a bowl of this on a sunny day makes me feel good about myself too (for making the healthy choice to eat dal over… well, something else).
I love the combination of chana dal and toor dal, but you can make this recipe with a different type of split lentil if you want to change things up (try masoor dal or moong dal – check out this post on Indian legumes and lentils to learn more about them).
If you love this recipe, I hope you’ll check out my cookbook, Indian Food Under Pressure, for more delicious electric pressure cooker Indian recipes.
Now go make yourself a bowl of this dal and then come back and tell me how much you love it. 🙂
Instant Pot Masala Dal
Instant Pot Masala Dal
Ingredients
- ½ cup split chickpeas chana dal, soaked for 1-2 hours – optional
- ½ cup split pigeon peas toor dal, soaked for 1-2 hours – optional
- 4 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 Serrano pepper or green chili minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 tomatoes chopped
Spices
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in cold water for 1-2 hours. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds to the pot. Once the cumin seeds brown and the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onion and Serrano pepper. Stir-fry for 6-7 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they completely break down.
- Add all of the spices except for the garam masala, stir, then add the lentils and water and mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 7 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure (or wait 15 minutes, then release remaining pressure).
- Stir in the garam masala and serve.
Russ Adams says
Made this using green lentils instead of the toor dal because I didn’t have any. Also, used your onion masala and chili paste. Served it with brown basmati from your IP recipe as well. It instantly became a go to meal. It was sooo good on a cold December night! Thank you Ashley!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Russ, that’s great to hear! Glad it turned out well for you 🙂
Archana says
Hi – My sister was recommending this recipe. I don’t have an instant pot. How can I make this in the slow cooker or on the stove?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Archana, I’ve only tested this in an IP but hopefully another reader will chime in!
Anna says
Can I use the Indian Onion Masala in this instead of the onions/tomatoes/ginger/garlic? If so, how much?
Sangeeta mangla says
Hi Ashley thank you 😊I started cooking on my instant pot by following your recipes and this was the first recipe I tried and it came out delicious everyone liked it so much that now it’s a regular in my home 😋
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sangeeta, that’s so nice to hear! I’m glad this is a regular at your house 🙂
Tanya says
Yet to try this out! Looks mouth watering already haha
Was wondering could I just make this with 1 cup toor dal since I don’t have chana dal
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Tanya! Yes, you can make this with toor dal, but it’ll be missing the texture and some of the nuttiness of chana dal. I’m sure it’ll still be good 🙂
sharon wanke says
Wow. So delicious. I made it as written and I think it’s fantastic. I’m not Indian, so I’m no expert but I have learned so much from the website and Facebook page.
My Heart Beets says
Sharon, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how much you’re enjoying my blog and group 🙂
Kim says
Love! Though I added 1.5 tsp curry powder simply because it’s my favorite dal spice…aside from garam masala! Added a tiiiiiny pinch of cardamom too. Yummy!
My Heart Beets says
Kim, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Cathy says
Its been awhile since I made this, so made it the other day for a change… Oh oh oh it was so good!! I don’t think I had toor dal when I made it before (it was some time ago) but I do now. I love the texture of it. I leave out the pepper to decrease the heat, (plus can only get jalapeños in our area and I detest them lol) and increased the spices a bit. I will be making this more often if I can find more toor dal. Hard to get these ingredients in my area at the best of times, but with Coronavirus its getting even harder. Thanks for all you do Ashley and stay safe!
My Heart Beets says
Cathy, I’m so glad you were able to find toor dal 🙂 Hope you’re staying safe as well!
Kim says
Are you on IG or YouTube?
My Heart Beets says
hi Kim! I’m on both but always try to reply to comments first (though I’ve been a little slow lately, sorry about that!).
Amy says
We like our food less soupy so I used only two cups of water. Still I’m going to have to drain it. Very watery
My Heart Beets says
Amy, please don’t drain it – you’ll lose flavor! Just press the sauté button and boil off liquid until it’s as thick as you’d like. Also, please know that the dal will thicken as it sits – toor dal thickens (chana dal, not as much). In fact, you’ll likely want to add water when you reheat this.