Panchmel Dal (Rajasthani Panchratna Dal)

4.84 from 12 votes

Panchmel Dal (Rajasthani Panchratna Dal)

Panchmel Dal, also called Panchratna dal, is a comforting one-pot Indian mixed lentil soup which is high in protein, and fiber. With only a few basic pantry ingredients, you'll put a complete and tasty meal on the table.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten-free, Vegetarian

Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Servings:

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Meeta Arora

Equipment

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

¼ cup Split Gram Dal (Chana Dal)
¼ cup Split Black gram lentil (split black urad dal)
¼ cup Red lentils (Split Masoor Dal)
¼ cup Split Green moong lentils
¼ cup Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
2 tablespoon Ghee use oil for vegan*
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
6-7 Cloves (Laung)
3-4 Dry red chili
2 Green chili I used serrano peppers, adjust to taste
¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
1 cup Onion finely diced
1 tablespoon Ginger grated
1 ¼ cup Tomato finely diced
4 cups Water
½ Lime juice of
Cilantro to garnish

Spices

½ teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder adjust to taste
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
2 teaspoon Coriander powder
1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash the lentils with water and keep aside.

Instant Pot Method

Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the ghee/oil in it.
Add cumin seeds, cloves, dry whole red chilies, green chili and asafoetida. Allow them to cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly.
Then add diced onion and grated ginger. Saute until onions are translucent for about 3 minutes.
Now add tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add all the spices and give it a stir.
Add washed lentils and water. Press CANCEL and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK mode for 8 minutes and let the pressure release naturally (NPR)
Open the lid, add garam masala and lime juice.
Garnish with cilantro and serve. Enjoy!

Stovetop Method

Follow the same steps as above to cook the dal in a stovetop pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles until the dal is cooked and soft. Then let the pressure release naturally. Stir in garam masala and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve!

Video

Notes

Vegan Variation: Use your favorite plant based oil to make this dal vegan.

Ghee: For the authentic flavor, use ghee to make this dal. Ghee is used only in the traditional Panchmel dal preparation. However, this dal can be made with a mix of ghee and oil.

I have used 2 tablespoon in this recipe. But it is okay to reduce it down to 1 tablespoon of you prefer.

Spices: In this dish, I used both whole spices and garam masala powder. This is because panchmel dal is a spicy Rajasthani dish. If you don't want it to be overly spicy, you may cut back on the garam masala and red chili powder. You can also skip the green chili in the initial tempering.

Additional tempering when serving: In a small pan, heat ghee or oil. Add some cumin seeds and dry red chilies. Cook for about 30 seconds. Then take the pan off heat and add some mild red chili powder. When serving, drizzle the tempering over the dal for a beautiful splash of color.

Nutrition