Dal Makhani or Buttery Lentil: Instant Pot Recipe

When I make dal makhani or buttery lentil, I make sure to cook a big batch. It’s great to freeze! The spices soak in the flavors and I find that it’s even better frozen.  And with the Instant Pot, making this recipe is a breeze.

A traditional vegetarian North Indian dish, I make this version vegan. The plant-based version requires a simple swap: from dairy cream to cashew cream. When I first started cooking Indian food, the different types of lentils and beans confused me. The good news, you can buy most of these different types of ingredients online.

This recipe uses black urad dal or black gram in English. This is different from the black beans most western grocery stores carry, which one traditionally finds in Mexican or Central American dishes. You can get the black urad dal or most beans at Amazon.

A few things to love about this recipe: first, only the onions need chopping. Second, you can cook this directly in an Instant Pot without having to cooking the beans and the spices separately. But because of this, the beans have to be soaked for at least 8 hours. Not a biggie for me, but it does take a bit of planning.  

Print

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 9 Hours Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 cups black gram or black urad dal 
• 1/2 cup red kidney beans 
• 1 tbs oil 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 3 green cardamom pods 
• 1 black cardamom 
• 1 onion chopped finely 
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
• 1 tsp mango powder 
• 1 tsp coriander powder 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 6 cups water
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 cup dried fenugreek leaves 
• 1/4 cup cashew cream 

Instructions

1. Soak beans for at least 8 hours. If soaking overnight or soaking for 24 to 48 hours, put in the fridge.
2. Drain water from beans when ready to cook. 
3. Start Instant Pot sauté and add oil. When oil is hot, add whole spices. 
4. Leave for a few seconds until the leaf gets a light brown color. This doesn’t take too long. Add onions. You can add salt to the onions so they get soft faster. 
5. When onions are cooked, add tomatoes and spice powders. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the mixture starts bubbling. At this point, you a remove the bay leaf. You can leave the whole spices, but I do remove them if I see them and as long as I don't burn myself. 
6. Add beans and water. Cover and switch the pressure cooker for 12 minutes with natural pressure release. 
7. When done, add garam masala, fenugreek leaves, and cashew cream. You can mash a bit if you prefer your dal makhani soupy. 
8. Serve with crackers, naan, bread, chapatti, or tortilla—it goes well with almost anything!