A flavorful lentil and vegetable curry stew full of plant protein, fiber, and tons of flavor. Comprised of toor dal, mingled with fresh zucchini, tomato, and onion, this creates a warm and satisfying traditional Indian stew. Serve with hot basmati rice, roti, naan, or idli.
I love this yellow dal. It has incredible flavor, provides nutrition, and is easy to make. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
What is Yellow Dal? Translated, dal means lentil. Yellow comes from the type of lentil, plus a smidgen of turmeric. And since there are lots of different kinds of lentils, I’ll explain.
Toor dal is a perennial legume in the fabaceae family. It’s also known as a pigeon pea or split pigeon pea, arhar dal, or red gram dal. Depending on where you’re from, it may also be called arhar dal, rahri dal, thogari bele, Tur, Turi, Turdalya, tuvar, kandulu, kandi pappu, thuvaram paruppu, or thuvara parippa.
Regardless of what we call the little power house, it’s incredibly nutritious and slightly beige with a yellow interior.
Generally speaking, lentils are a great source of folic acid, plant-powered proteins, fiber, and vital nutrients needed for our body’s growth, development, and tissue repair. I like incorporating a variety of grains and legumes in my diet and recipes for this very reason.
Split lentils makes a great curry because they cook quickly. This one is made even more simple and easy in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker; though you can also prepare it on the stovetop. See the Notes section in the recipe below.
This Instant Pot Yellow Dal recipe uses the sauté feature in your pressure cooker to sauté the onion, aromatics, and mustard seeds. Then you add in the toor dal, diced tomato, diced zucchini, seasonings, and Umami Vegetable Broth. Cook on High Pressure for ten minutes and allow for natural release for fifteen minutes, then quick release, if needed.
Seasonings include curry leaves, chilies, turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, and cumin. You can substitute two bay leaves for the curry leaves for a similar flavor. I recommend waiting until after the dal is cooked before adding salt and pepper to taste.
Once pressure is released, remove the lid, as well as the two red chilies, which can be discarded. Stir the lentil mixture until it comes together. The dal should be soft and lumpy. You can also mash it or blend it if you prefer a smoother consistency.
As this point, stir in the fresh lemon juice, minced cilantro, hing, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste, including salt and pepper. Since we’re not using canned tomatoes, I do find that this Instant Pot Yellow Dal needs a sprinkle of salt.
If you’re not familiar with hing, it is also known as asafoetida. You only need a teeny amount so do be careful. Similar to onion and garlic, hing’s pungent odor mellows akin to a more mild leek and garlic flavor when cooked. I think it also adds a bit of acidity.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, omit the hing unless you have a gluten-free version. Also, don’t fret if you don’t have hing or can’t find it. Simply add in a little more garlic or garlic powder.
Serve with hot basmati rice, roti, naan, or idli. Garnish with additional cilantro or freshly squeeze lemon juice, if desired.
Store any leftover Instant Pot Yellow Dal in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. After reheating, stir in a little water to achieve desired consistency. It has a tendency to thicken up overnight.
I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot Yellow Dal as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion (½ an onion)
- 1½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1½ Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
- 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas or split yellow lentils)
- 1 large tomato, diced
- ¾ cup diced zucchini (optional)
- 10 curry leaves (or 2 bay leaves)
- 2 dried red chilies (or 1 small serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri (red chili powder)
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 2½ cups Umami Vegetable Broth
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)*
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
- chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the dal in water; drain well.
- Using the Instant Pot’s sauté feature, sauté the onion, mustard seed, garlic, and ginger in a spritz of avocado oil (optional) for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press cancel.
- Stir in the split lentils (toor dal), tomato, zucchini, curry leaves, chilies, turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, cumin, and vegetable broth (or water).  Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release, if needed. Remove the lid. Remove the 2 red chilies and discard. Stir and mash the lentil mixture if you prefer a smoother consistency. The dal should be soft and lumpy.
- Add the fresh lemon juice, cilantro, hing, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Serve with hot basmati rice, roti, naan, or idli.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. After reheating, stir in a little water to achieve desired consistency.
NOTES
* If you follow a gluten-free diet, omit the hing unless you have a gluten-free version. If you don’t have hing, sub in a little garlic powder.
To make stovetop, sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, and mustard seed until onion is tender and mustard seeds start popping, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the split lentils, tomatoes, zucchini, turmeric, curry leaves, chilies, turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, cumin, and vegetable broth (or water). Bring to a low boil and cover with a lid. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. Remove the 2 red chilies and discard. Stir and mash the lentil mixture if you prefer a smoother consistency. The dal should be soft and lumpy. Add in the fresh lemon juice, cilantro, hing, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Serve with hot basmati rice, roti, naan, or idli.
Instant Pot Yellow Dal
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion ½ an onion
- 1½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1½ Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic 3-4 cloves
- 1 cup toor dal split pigeon peas or split yellow lentils
- 1 large tomato diced
- ¾ cup diced zucchini optional
- 10 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
- 2 dried red chilies or 1 small serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 2½ cups Umami Vegetable Broth
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon hing asafoetida
- salt and pepper to taste optional
- chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the dal in water; drain well.
- Using the Instant Pot’s sauté feature, sauté the onion, mustard seed, garlic, and ginger in a spritz of avocado oil (optional) for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press cancel.
- Stir in the split lentils (toor dal), tomato, zucchini, curry leaves, chilies, turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, cumin, and vegetable broth (or water). Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release, if needed. Remove the lid. Remove the 2 red chilies and discard. Stir and mash the lentil mixture if you prefer a smoother consistency. The dal should be soft and lumpy.
- Add the fresh lemon juice, cilantro, hing, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Serve with hot basmati rice, roti, naan, or idli.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. After reheating, stir in a little water to achieve desired consistency.