Instant Pot Dal

This Instant Pot Dal is packed with Kale! It is full of flavor, cozy, nourishing and immensely satisfying. It is fantastic way to incorporate a lot of kale; even kale haters won't mind eating it. Swap kale for spinach or make it on the stovetop.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Keyword indian dal recipe, indian kale recipes, instant pot dal, kale dal

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Servings Servings

Calories 165kcal

Author Maria Doss

Equipment

instant pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ cup chopped onion
1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped
½ jalapeno optional
½ to ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste divided
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (Indian chili powder)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup dal of choice I used an equal mix of moong and toor dal
1 bunch kale
1 to 2 tablespoons ghee
2 tablespoons freshly grated coconut optional

Instructions

Prep work

Chop kale - Wash kale leaves. Working with one leaf at a time, remove the mid rib and then chop the tender leaf into small pieces.
Wash and drain the daals.

Cook

Heat instant pot to saute mode. Add vegetable oil when hot and give a minute for the oil to heat up.
Add cumin seeds and let toast for few seconds. Stir in chopped onion, garlic, green chili and some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent, 2 to 4 minutes.
Stir in coriander, cayenne and turmeric powders, and cook, stirring continously for a 20 to 30 seconds to toast the spices.
Press cancel, add daal, chopped kale, tomato and 1 ½ cups of water. Give a good stir. Close and lock lid, making sure that valve is set to sealing. Select manual setting (or pressure cooker) for 12 minutes. Open lid after a natural pressure release.
Stir in some ghee, coconut (if using) and salt, as needed. Using a heavy ladle, mix the cooked daal for a few times to mash it well and give a thick and creamy consistency.
👉 My mom always added freshly grated coconut at the end when cooking dal with greens — it instantly elevates the flavor and makes it so delicious!
Tip: If using chopped spinach instead of kale, add it at this stage, give it a good stir and cook in saute mode for 2 to 4 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

Video

Notes

Adjust the spice level to suit your taste — add more green chilies or a pinch of cayenne powder if you prefer extra heat.

To make this recipe vegan, simply use vegan butter instead of ghee. The rest of the dal in instant pot recipe is naturally vegan.

You can use only toor dal or only moong dal instead of combining the two.

Adjust the amount of kale based on your preference, or substitute spinach.

Nutrition