Moong Dal Tadka or Split Yellow Lentil Soup made in Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. This is another popular dal similar to Toor Dal Fry that is used for everyday cooking in India. It is a quick, easy and low-calorie nutritious lentil soup.
Moong dal used to be my mom's go to dal for a quick meal. It can be prepared very quickly in just 15 minutes. It is also a great source of proteins for vegetarians. For all the fitness pals, this lentil is very low in calories. It is also extremely light and healthy. That is the reason this is a preferred lentil when someone is sick and recovering, as it is very easy to digest. This dal is also considered a great starter food for babies. Moong dal is also used to make Khichdi, which is a great comfort food for Indians.
Check out other popular lentil recipes - Red Masoor Dal, Green Moong Dal and Dal Makhani.
How to cook Moong Dal in Instant Pot?
One thing important to note is that these split yellow lentils cook very quickly, so you want to be careful that it does not get too mushy. I prefer the grainy consistency where you can really taste the dal.
There are 2 ways to make any lentils. Traditionally lentils were first boiled separately in water and the tadka (tempering) prepared separately and mixed into the boiled lentils. The second way is to make the tadka and then add the lentils and pressure cook along with the tadka.
I prefer the latter as it is a simpler one-pot recipe. Hence I will show the method latter method in this recipe. The ingredients needed for this recipe are the very basic onions, tomatoes and garlic. Some people even skip the onions and tomatoes in this lentils, and temper just with cumin and garlic.
Start with heating ghee/oil in the instant pot. Then add cumin seeds, asafoetida, onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions are lightly cooked. Then add chopped tomatoes and spices. Add rinsed lentils and water. No need to soak the lentils for this recipe. Pressure Cook for 4 minutes and then release the pressure 5 minutes after the beep. Garnish with cilantro and additional garam masala if you like a spice kick.
You can enjoy this as a soup or with basmati rice or roti. In the picture below, I added a little ghee tempered with cumin and red chili powder, which is completely optional. It just helps to make the dal look gorgeous, and ghee always enhances the taste.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot Recipes? Here are 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes for you to try!
Instant Pot Moong Daal Fry / Split Yellow Lentils Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida (Hing) optional, skip for gluten-free
- ½ Onion medium, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic diced
- ½ Tomato medium, diced
- 1 cup Split Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal) rinsed
- 3 cups Water
- Cilantro to garnish, optional
Spices
- ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- ½ tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
- Once the cumin seeds start to change color, add the onions, garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Stir and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the washed dal and water. Stir it all up while making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel and close the lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 4 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then release the pressure manually (5 minute NPR).
- Garnish with cilantro and stir. Optionally, sprinkle the juice of half a lemon and some garam masala. Moong Dal is ready to be served.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
4 min on high pressure is too much time.. I put it for 2 min on high pressure and it cooked till nearly mushy.
Hi Neha - You are right. This recipe works great with 2 minutes pressure cooking and 10 minutes of pressure release too. So either method will give good results.
I love all your recipes and follow your Instagram. I'm so grateful, thank you.
Whenever I make this recipe I get a burn message on my instapot. Do you have any thoughts on how to prevent that?
Hi - So sorry to hear you have been getting a burn with this recipe. Are you using an 8qt by any chance? I would suggest that after adding the lentils and water, scrape the bottom of the pot well making sure nothing is stuck. Also, you can add 1/2 cup extra liquid if using an 8qt instant pot. Thank you for trying my recipes ❤️
If I wanted to make this so that it was a little thinner (more broth) could I just add an extra cup of water? thank you
Hi Rachel - Sure, before pressure cooking you can add an extra cup of water to the dal. If you have already cooked the dal, you can still make it thinner by adding a cup of hot water. Hope you enjoy it!
I have made this recipe probably 25+ times over the past two years. I eat this at least once a month, sometimes when I'm too busy I just eat it for lunch and dinner. I live mostly plant based and this awesome recipe helps me get my protein and fibre in, the most tasty way possible. Thanks so much for this recipe, I love Indian food and have tried many recipes for dishes like this. After a few failed attempts at other recipes, I was ecstatic when I tasted this dish.
Hi Missy - So glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Do you have tips for making this recipe without an Instant Pot? Thanks.
Hi Marilyn - To make this without the instant pot, I would suggest to add the lentils with about 4 cups of water to a pot, and heat it on medium flame. Once they come to a boil, reduce the flame to low and cook until the lentils are soft (about 15 minutes total).
In a separate pan, prepare the tempering as mentioned at the start of the recipe with onions, tomatoes, garlic and spices. Then add this tempering to the cooked lentils. Mix well. Adjust the consistency of the dal if needed. Hope you enjoy the dal!
What do you mean by pressure cancel ? Did you mean press cancel ? Thanks
hi Priyanka - Sorry for the confusion. You are right, It is press cancel. I have updated the instructions.