Instant Pot: Black Dal with Kidney Beans and Chickpeas

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This recipe is adapted for the Instant Pot from my first book, The Indian Slow Cooker, on page 66. I originally saw this recipe in fellow cookbook author Raghavan Iyer's book 660 Curries and modified it for the slow cooker. I am still confirming the total cook time. I would suggest following the instructions below and if the chickpeas are still not soft, just add another 5 minutes to cooking and let me know by posting a comment. Hopefully I'll have that locked in in the next day or so when I remake it. Otherwise not only delicious - addictive! 

Black Dal with Kidney Beans and Chickpeas
Pressure Cooker Size: 3Q or larger
Warm Up: 19 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Cool Down: Natural release
TOTAL: 59 minutes plus natural release time
Makes: 7 cups

¾ cup sabut urad (whole, dried black dal with skin), picked over and washed
¾ cup kabuli chana (dried white chickpeas), picked over and washed
¾ cup rajmah (dried red kidney beans), picked over and washed
1 small yellow or red onion, roughly chopped
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1-3 Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons oil or ghee
1 pinch hing (asafoetida) (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 cassia leaves or bay leaves
1 green cardamom pod
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons red chile powder or cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1. Soak the dal, chana, and rajmah together in boiled, hot water for at least 1 hour. Drain and discard the water. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, grind the onion, ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles until smooth. It will be slightly watery from the onion. Set aside.

3. In a dry frying pan over medium-high heat, roast the cumin and coriander seeds until reddish brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Shake the pan a few times or stir the seeds. Be careful not to overcook or the seeds will burn. Transfer the seeds to a dish to cool for 15 minutes and then grind into a powder. Set aside.

4. Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add oil.

5. Once hot, add the hing, turmeric, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir and cook 1 minute.

6. Carefully add the onion mixture. The moisture can cause the oil to splatter. Stir well and cook 3 minutes.

7. Press CANCEL. Add the cumin-coriander blend, red chile powder, tomato paste, salt, soaked legumes, and water. Stir.

8. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button until the panel indicates MORE and adjust the time to pressure cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.

9. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally. It’s important to let this dish release pressure naturally so all the legumes cook evenly.

10. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon and discard. Top with cilantro. Serve as a hearty stew, with basmati rice, or Indian bread like roti or naan. This is a terrific dish for any event, including Super Bowl. Sprinkle it with shredded cheese and serve with tortilla or pita chips on the side.

Here's a quick, simple video from start to finish on how to dry roast your spices. Start incorporating this technique into your cooking so that you can extract even more use out of the spices that you already have. If you love this video, there are more on my YouTube channel.  

1 Comment

Catherine Donaldson

February 22, 2021

This was super easy, plus I had everything on hand so just went for it as soon as I saw the recipe. Everything was cooked in the 30 minutes (plus natural release)… I love how creamy the chickpeas got. I left out the serranos and dialed back on the cayenne for my toddler, who inhaled it! The whole family is in the clean plate club tonight and there is plenty left over.

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