South Indian Lentils with Curry Leaves
Pressure Cooker Size: 3 quart or larger
Warm Up: 19 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Cool Down: Manual release time
TOTAL: 26 minutes + manual release time
Makes: 8 cups
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
5-8 fresh curry leaves
1 small yellow or red onion, minced
1-4 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups duhli masoor dal (dried, split, and skinned red lentils), picked over and washed (no need to soak)
1 cup regular or light coconut milk, divided (I use Chef's Choice)
4 cups water
1. Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add the oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the turmeric and cumin seeds and cook for 40 seconds. Because the oil pools to the sides, push the seeds into the oil along the border of the inner pot so they can cook fully.
3. Carefully add the mustard and curry leaves. The moisture in the curry leaves can cause the oil to splatter. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the mustard seeds turn slightly grey and the curry leaves curl up slightly.
4. Add the onion. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the fresh chiles. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
7. Press CANCEL. Add the ground cumin, coriander, salt, masoor dal, ¾ cup coconut milk, and water. Stir. Though split and skinned masoor dal starts orange, once cooked it looks yellow.
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 and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 7 minutes.
9. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure manually and gently fold in the remaining ¼ cup of coconut milk and stir. All the spices are edible. Enjoy over plain rice with a dollop of ghee or as a soup.
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KiKi
October 18, 2022
I made this from your book, The Indian Slow Cooker. It is exceedingly delicious—the BEST lentil dish my family has ever tasted!
I used whole lentils and shortened the cooking time to keep the lentils whole. This recipe somehow tastes like Rotel and can be eaten hot ir cold: tacos, pita sandwiches, salad protein, maybe even bake it and use as a gluten-free cracker. Thank you for the recipe!