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.