• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Piping Pot Curry logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Instant Pot
    • Air Fryer
    • Indian
    • Cooking 101
  • Resources
    • Amazon Store
    • Instant Pot 101
    • Air Fryer 101
    • Meal Plan
    • Holiday Gift Guide
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Instant Pot
  • Air Fryer
  • Indian
  • Shop
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Lentils & Beans

    Indian Dal Tadka / Dal Fry with Basmati Rice - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    September 7, 2022 . By Meeta Arora . 190 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe
    Dal Tadka / Dal Fry / Yellow Lentils Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Instant Pot Dal and Rice is the most delicious Indian comfort food. Toor dal or Yellow Split Pigeon Pea cooked with onions, tomatoes and flavorful spices, along with pot-in-pot basmati rice for a complete meal. This is a vegan & gluten free Dal Fry!

    Dal Tadka / Dal Fry / Yellow Lentils Instant Pot Pressure Cooker 3

    Dal and Rice are the staple food in many indian homes. It is basically a lentil stew made with split pigeon peas served with rice Also, known as Varan Bhaat in Marathi.

    What is Dal?

    Dal is basically dried pulses. These dried pulses can be whole or split. Dal is also used as a term for various soups prepared with these dried pulses. It is also called Daal, Dahl or Dhal.

    Dal is the main protein dish for many vegetarians, and hence a dish prepared almost everyday in an Indian home. Every region in Indian makes dal in different ways.  In North India, it is made by tempering with cumin, curry leaves, onion and tomato.  In South India, it is used to make sambar.

    You will find it interesting that all of over India, dal is prepared in a  stovetop pressure cooker. Hence it is a perfect dish to many in your electric pressure cooker or instant pot. Check out 10+ Instant Pot Lentils recipes.

    Lentils used for Pressure Cooker Dal Fry

    Toor dal or Yellow Split Pigeon Pea or Arhar Dal is the one of the most popular dal made in India. The cooked toor dal is also popularly called as Dal Tadka or Dal Fry. Dal tadka is very quick to prepare and can be ready in minutes. It is one of the easiest to make for a week night dinner.

    I have also shared a different slightly sweeter preparation of toor dal in this delicious Gujarati Dal recipe.

    Toor Dal Nutrition

    Toor dal is from the legume family, and has a number of health benefits.

    • It contains Folic acid, an important vitamin for all women.
    • Toor dal contains protein and dietary fiber.  Legumes such as toor dal are especially beneficial for vegetarians as they provide necessary protein.
    • Toor dal also contain carbohydrates, which our body needs to generate energy.  They contain complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly by the body and are much better than simple carbohydrates.

    How to make Indian Dal Fry in Instant Pot?

    This recipe shows how to make Dal Fry in Instant Pot. The main difference in this preparation is that I made it as a one-pot recipe.  Usually we boil the dal separately and then add the tadka in it.  In this recipe, I cook the tadka in the pot before adding the dal and cook the dal along with the tadka.

    Start with heating oil in the instant pot. Then add cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and garlic. Once the garlic is lightly browned, add chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Lightly brown the onions, then add chopped tomatoes and spices. Add toor dal and water.  No need to soak the dal for this recipe.

    Instant pot Toor dal fry steps

    The below steps show pot-in-pot basmati rice cooked along with the yellow lentils. More details about pot-in-pot below.

    Instant pot dal with rice steps

    Pressure Cook for 5 minutes and then release the pressure 5 minutes after the beep. Garnish with cilantro and additional garam masala if you like a spice kick. Don't worry if the dal does not look well mixed when you open the pot. Stir it well and it will be delicious.

    If you do soak the dal for 2 hours, you can reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes for toor dal.

    Toor dal fry steps in pressure cooker

    A note about consistency - In North India, dal is preferred such that each grain can be seen and not all mushed up. However I hear in South India, the preference is to cook dal to a the consistency of sambar, where each grain is not visible and it is more like a smooth soup. For this consistency, pressure cook for 8-10 minutes at high pressure.

    Indian Day Fry in a ladle on top of instant pot

    Dal Fry with Pot-in-Pot Basmati Rice

    One of the big advantages of the Instant Pot is – the option to do Pot-in-Pot Cooking or PIP. This means being able to cook multiple things at a time, by also cooking in a small pot inside the main pot. To do pot-in-pot cooking, you need a tall trivet and stainless steel containers that you can use within the main pot.

    Another important thing with pot-in-pot cooking is to consider the cooking time for the dishes you want to cook together. As an example, toor dal takes about 5 mins to cook at high pressure and basmati rice take about 4-6 mins at high pressure. Hence if I add rice pot-in-pot with these lentils, they would get cooked well. I would not cook brown rice along with these lentils, however they would work well with kidney beans that cook in 30 mins at high pressure.

    Learn more about the instant pot pot-in-pot method with this comprehensive guide!

    instant pot Dal Tadka (Yellow Lentils) in a pretty bowl with rice on the side

    Once you add all ingredients for Dal in the instant pot, place the trivet and then the bowl of rice with water. This way they will both cook together. See pictures above for reference.

    Enjoy dal served over basmati rice and some homemade ghee (this would make it non-vegan)!

    Why you will love this Instant Pot Dal & Rice:

    √ It is easy to make in the instant pot with very less active time needed.

    √ Healthy, nutritious & protein rich

    √ This dal be made ahead and freezes well.

    √ Vegan & Gluten free

    If you like this Dal Fry, you might like these below lentils too:

    • Green Moong Dal
    • Yellow Moong Dal Tadka
    • Madras Lentils
    • Brown Lentils (Whole Masoor Dal)
    Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
    Instant Pot Dal Fry

    Instant Pot Dal Tadka / Dal Fry with Basmati Rice

    Meeta Arora
    A simple yet flavorful yellow dal tempered with cumin, curry leaves and spices. This is an everyday lentil enjoyed with rice. 
    4.87 from 235 votes
    Print Save Saved! Pin
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 222
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Total Time: 25 mins

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    • Pot-in-Pot Stackable Contianers
    • Trivet

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
    • 1 Green Chili Pepper sliced into 2 pieces or chopped
    • 6 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
    • ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing) optional, skip for gluten-free
    • 3 cloves Garlic minced
    • ½ Onion finely chopped
    • 1 Tomato finely chopped
    • 1 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor dal) washed
    • 3 cup Water
    • Cilantro to garnish

    Spices

    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
    • ½ teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
    • ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder)
    • 1 teaspoon Salt

    For Basmati Rice

    • 1 cup Basmati Rice
    • 1.25 cup Water
    • 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon Salt (optional)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the oil in it. Add cumin seeds, green chili, curry leaves, garlic and asafoetida.
    • After the garlic turns light brown, add the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes until the onions turn golden brown.
    • Add tomato and spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
    • Add the washed dal and water. Stir it all up. 
    • Place the trivet. In a bowl, add all ingredients for basmati  rice and place it on top of the trivet. Close the lid with vent in sealing position. 
    • Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for for 5 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then release the pressure manually (5 minute NPR). 
    • Using tongs, carefully take out the bowl of basmati rice. Then take out the trivet. 
    • Garnish with cilantro and stir. Optionally, sprinkle the juice of half a lemon. Dal tadka is ready to be served.

    Video

    Notes

    Thick dal: If you like thick dal, reduce the amount of water to 2.5 cups.
    A note about consistency: Don't worry if the dal does not look well mixed when you open the pot. Stir it well and it will be delicious. I understand that some people like more cooked dal, you can also increase the pressure cooking time to 7-8 minutes. That will still work for pot-in-pot basmati rice.
    Vegan Variation: Skip ghee and use oil of your choice.
    Soaking: I did not soak the toor dal in this recipe. If you do soak the daal for 2 hours, you can reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes.  
    Green Chili Pepper: I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don't forget to adjust to your taste. 

    Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 13gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 602mgPotassium: 569mgFiber: 15gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 430IUVitamin C: 38.4mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 4.2mg
    Keyword instant pot lentils
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @PipingPotCurry or #pipingpotcurry

    More Lentil & Bean Recipes

    • Healthy lentil soup with spoon on the side
      Easy Instant Pot Lentil Soup
    • Vegetarian Taco Soup in a bowl garnished with jalapeños, avocado and cilantro.
      Vegetarian Taco Soup - Pressure Cooker
    • moong dal chilla with tea on the side
      Moong Dal Chilla
    • besan cheela (besan puda) in a white plate with chutney
      Besan Chilla (Savory Gram Flour Pancakes)
    4.6K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mimah says

      February 24, 2023 at 7:13 am

      I am in love with this recipe, i have used it nearly every week since i first tried it. The texture is perfect, it is so easy, its fun to use the pressure cooking setting and above all its a flavour sensation. I cook the rice separately because i actually find that to be easier, but apart form that i follow the recipe step by step and have now memorised it because it is that straight forward. 🙂
      Thank you so much for making this!

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        February 27, 2023 at 11:41 am

        Hi Mimah, Thanks a ton for sharing your feedback. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Connie says

      February 07, 2023 at 7:25 am

      I made this in a pot on top of my stove and it was wonderful but what is an instant pot? Is it better for cooking dal. I love Indian food and found many good recipes on this. The eggplant was fantastic.

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        February 07, 2023 at 4:57 pm

        Hi Connie - So glad you enjoyed the dal. Instant pot is an electric pressure cooker, which makes cooking lentils, beans or boiling potatoes faster. It is way safer than the old stovetop pressure cookers. Here are more details - https://pipingpotcurry.com/instant-pot-resources/

        Reply
    3. Erika says

      January 22, 2023 at 1:23 pm

      I'm looking forward to trying this! I love dal tadka. Can this be doubled at one time, or is that too much volume?

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        January 25, 2023 at 9:17 am

        Hi Erika - You can double this recipe if you are using a 6 or 8qt instant pot. Hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    4. Elizabeth says

      January 18, 2023 at 1:21 pm

      How can this be done in five minutes? Every other daal recipe I’ve seen takes at least 15 min at high pressure.

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        January 20, 2023 at 9:46 am

        Hi Elizabeth - This dal cooks very quickly. If you want the dal to be mashed completely like a smooth soup, then you can increase cooking time to over 10 minutes.

        Reply
    5. Sharon says

      January 10, 2023 at 7:28 am

      OMG- The only thing I have to say it that I love this recipe. I made it yesterday and my husband and I had it for lunch with naan. It was so good. I'm making it again today and double batching it.

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        January 12, 2023 at 11:52 am

        Hi Sharon - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂

        Reply
    6. Sarah Browne says

      December 08, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      This was the second thing I cooked in my Ninja! Thanks for the great recipe.

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        December 12, 2022 at 10:38 am

        Hi Sarah - So happy to hear that 🙂

        Reply
    7. Taruna says

      December 08, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      This is a staple in our home ! delicious !

      Reply
      • Piping Pot Curry says

        December 12, 2022 at 10:38 am

        Hi Taruna - So good to hear that 🙂

        Reply
    8. Renee says

      December 06, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      I love Indian (vegan) food, this recipe was simple and delicious. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        January 04, 2023 at 10:21 am

        Hi Renee - Glad you enjoyed the dal!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Meeta Arora of Piping Pot Curry

    I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. Here you will find easy & delicious recipes using Instant Pot & Air Fryer.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Roasted sweet potato pieces in a white plate
      Air Fryer Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Easy Coconut Curry chicken in a white bowl
      Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Curry
    • A crispy Kale Chip closeup in hand
      Crispy Air Fryer Kale Chips
    • Instant Pot Chana Masala served along with basmati rice.
      Instant Pot Chana Masala (Punjabi Chole Masala / Chickpea Curry)
    • Instant Pot Dal Fry
      Indian Dal Tadka / Dal Fry with Basmati Rice - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
    • Basmati Rice Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
      Perfect Basmati Rice - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    AS FEATURED ON

    Piping Pot Curry Featured on websites

    Footer

    AS FEATURED ON
    Piping pot curry Featured on sites

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Meeta
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Recipes

    • Instant Pot 101
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Indian Food Recipes
    • Cooking 101
    • Web Stories

    Resources

    • Shop
    • Gift Guide
    • How to start a blog?
    • Subscribe

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Piping Pot Curry