Gujarati Dal is a sweet, spicy and tangy lentil soup, made with pigeon peas (tuvar dal), lots of warming spices and the sweetness of jaggery. This staple dal from the Gujarat region of India can be enjoyed with rice, roti or as a soup!
Dal and Rice are the most comforting staple food of India, also called Dal Bhat. Dal is basically a lentil stew typically made with split pigeon peas (also called Daal, Dahl, or Dhal). And bhat is rice.
Every region (or even every home) has its own perfect recipe for dal. Dal is the main protein dish for many vegetarians, and hence a dish prepared almost every day in an Indian home.
You will also enjoy the North Indian Dal Fry and the South Indian Sambar recipe before.
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What is special about this Gujarati Dal?
This Gujarati dal is the khatti-meethi (sour-sweet) dal from the state of Gujarat in western India. It has thin consistency, but has lots of warming spices and the sweetness of jaggery. We completely love the addition of peanuts in this dal.
Oh, and this dal typically has no onion and garlic, which many people in the region prefer to avoid from their diet.
I will share the easy one-pot recipe made in the instant pot. It can also be made on the stovetop.
Traditionally, most people add the tempering separately after cooking the dal in the pressure cooker. However, I like to make it as a one-pot recipe. I have tried both ways and feel there is no difference in taste or texture of the dal. So the one-pot recipe wins in my opinion!
If you love Gujarati food, check out 20+ Best Gujarati Recipes you will enjoy!
How to make Instant Pot Gujarati Dal?
The ingredient list for this dal might be long, but they are all easy ingredients you might already have in your pantry.
This dal is made with Tuvar dal is also called as toor dal, arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils. Tuvar dal contains protein and dietary fiber. It also contains complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly by the body and are much better than simple carbohydrates.
I love that in the instant pot we can make both dal and rice at the same time with the pot-in-pot method. Making pot-in-pot rice while cooking this dal is completely optional.
Let’s see the steps to make this dal in the instant pot:
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the ghee/oil in it. Then add all the tempering ingredients and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Then add the ginger, tomato and spices. Sauté for a minute.
- Add the dal, water and peanuts. Stir well.
- Close the lid with vent in sealing position. Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for for 8 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Add the jaggery. Using a whisk mash the dal. (Hand blender is not required)
- Sprinkle the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or with roti.
Gujarati Dal with Pot-in-Pot 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.
After adding all the dal ingredients, place a trivet and then the bowl with the rice ingredients on it. The cooking time does not change for this dal whether rice is added or not.
Why you will love this Gujarati Dal?
√ It is easy to make one-pot recipe in the instant pot with very less active time needed
√ Healthy, nutritious & protein rich
√ It is sweet, spicy and tangy with a wonderful flavor profile
√ This dal be made ahead and freezes well
√ Vegan & Gluten free
√ You can make rice right along with the dal for a complete meal
We love Gujarati food. Some of the other instant pot Gujarati recipes are:
Gujarati Dal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor dal), rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit or chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger, grated
- 1 Tomato, chopped, about 3/4 cup
- 4.5 cups Water
- 2 tablespoon Peanuts
- 2 tablespoon Jaggery
- 1 teaspoon Lime juice, adjust to taste
- Cilantro leaves, to garnish
Tempering
- 1 inch Cinnamon (Dalchini)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- 1 Dried Red Chili Whole
- 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
- 7-8 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
- 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing), skip for gluten-free
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
(Optional) For basmati rice
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1.25 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the ghee/oil in it. Add all the tempering ingredients and green chili. Let them cook for 30 seconds.
- Then add the ginger and tomato. Saute for a minute.
- Then add the spices and stir.
- Add the dal, water and peanuts. Stir well.
- (Optional) 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 8 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- (Optional) Using tongs, carefully take out the bowl of basmati rice. Then take out the trivet.
- Add the jaggery. Using a whisk mash the dal. (Hand blender is not required)
- Sprinkle the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or with roti.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the same steps as above on the stovetop. Cook for 3 whistles on medium-high flame. Then let the pressure release naturally. Whisk the dal and follow the steps to add the jaggery, lime juice and cilantro.
Can I replace the peanuts with cashews or some other type of nut? I’m not a fan of peanuts.
Hi Kavita – sure, you can add cashews or skip the nuts completely.
Can I use the trivet that comes with the instant pot? Any recommendations on what size stainless steel pot to use on top of it?
The trivet that comes with the instant pot is very low in height, so the bowl with rice will be submerged in the dal. Hence I recommend to get a tall trivet when making pot-in-pot rice with a dal or curry.
I LOVE Gujarati daal! I haven’t tasted it, but just set the IP to pressure cook. It does seem similar to the Gujarati daal I had when eating at my neighbours’. However, you don’t say when we are to add the green chilli. I threw it in with the peanuts since I know it needs to boil with the daal for the flavour to come out. I’ll reserve final judgment for when I’ve eaten it…. Can’t wait!
Hi Jasmine – Hope you enjoyed the dal. Would love to hear how it turned out!
Just made this , wow! What a great ‘sweet n sour’combo.lovely consistency and beautiful colour,and a treat for the eyes and taste buds, really warming too.Will cook again for sure.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the dal. Thank you for sharing back!
Wonderful ! putting this on repeat . second time i added a bag of frozen spinach and it was the ost comforting thing i’ve eaten ina long time.
Thank you
Hi Alice – It’s wonderful to hear that. Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Hello – could you recommend any no-onion / no-garlic masala mix brands? I would love to cook delicious veg food for my strict visiting parents but find everything to be lacking in flavor without the use of onion and garlic! Thanks!
Hi Vi – Sorry, I have not used much store-bought mixes for cooking, hence cannot recommend one. I hope you find a brand you enjoy!
Tried this last night. Followed the recipe exactly except I added some onions that were already chopped from the other day when I made your coconut chick pea curry recipe. We really enjoyed both dishes. Your recipes are flavorful and easy to follow. They’re helping me to add more variety to nightly dinners. Thank you.
Hi Jaya – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Pressure cooked for 10 mins. Other than that, excellent recipe. Turned out beyond my expectations. Also, fyi, I made it for the 1st time ever. Thank you 👍👍
Hi Mayur – So glad to hear that 🙂
Tried this last night and it came out really amazing! Thanks Meeta, always looking forward to your recipes 🙂