Vegan Spinach Dal made in the instant pot. Enjoy with comforting dal with boiled rice!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Entree, Vegetarian
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup toor dal (also known split pigeon peas lentil)
  • 1/4 cup masoor dal (also known as red lentil)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 1 green chili (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 large tomato (chopped)
  • 5 oz spinach (chopped [ around 1.5 cups finely chopped spinach])
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt (to taste)
  • cilantro (to garnish)

Method

  1. Wash and rinse the dals. Set aside. Press saute mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it's hot add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them crackle.
  2. Add chopped garlic, green chili and saute till the garlic starts turning golden brown in color.
  3. Add chopped tomato and mix. Cook for a minute.
  4. Then add chopped spinach and mix.
  5. Add salt, turmeric powder and cook the spinach-tomato mixture for 1-2 minutes.
  6. Now add the rinsed dal and give a stir.
  7. Add water, mix and close the lid of the Instant Pot.
  8. Cancel saute mode. Select manual and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes are up, wait few minutes (6-7 minutes) and then release the pressure.
  9. Adjust salt and add garam masala, cilantro and lemon juice. Also adjust consistency of the dal at this point.
  10. Serve spinach dal hot with boiled rice!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.