Instant Pot Tomato Dal (Tomato Pappu). A quick weeknight curry with Indian spices and tomatoes. Sautรฉ an onion, garlic, and ginger with curry powder. Then, stir in split pigeon peas (Toor Dal), vegetable broth, and tomatoes, and pressure cook for 8 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release. That's it - curry in a hurry!
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I had a fantastic Tomato Dal at Gigi's on Fairmount, and I had to try to make it at home. After some research, I found that the recipe was the chef's take on Tomato Pappu, which uses split pigeon peas as the main ingredient.
In India, split pigeon peas are called Toor Dal, which is what I had to look for at my local Indian grocer. If you can't find split pigeon peas, see my substitutions section for alternatives using split peas or lentils.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 cup) Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
- 2 tablespoons butter (or ghee or vegetable oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (preferably homemade vegetable broth, or use water)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 15oz can crushed tomatoes
- Juice from ยฝ of a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
How to make Tomato Dal (Tomato Pappu)
Sort, rinse, and drain the Toor Dal (split pigeon peas)
Sort the toor dal, removing any stones or clumps of dirt. Rinse the toor dal under cold running water and let drain.
Sautรฉ the aromatics and toast the spices
In an Instant Pot, set to Sautรฉ mode - high (medium-high heat for a pressure cooker), melt the butter, and wait for it to stop foaming, about 3 minutes. (If using ghee, heat until it melts. For oil, heat until it starts to shimmer.) Add the onion, sprinkle with ยฝ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the onion and add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Toast until you can smell the garlic and spices (about 1 minute), then stir into the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to ensure none of the spices are sticking.
Everything in the pot
Stir the toor dal into the pot, then pour in the water and stir in the teaspoon of fine sea salt. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top, but do not stir; we don't want the tomatoes to sink to the bottom of the pot and burn.
Pressure cook for 8 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Release
Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot) or for 7 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
Season and serve
Unlock the pot and open the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Stir in the lemon juice, serve, and enjoy!
Substitutions
Different split peas
Toor Dal - split pigeon peas - are traditional for this recipe. They are not the same as split peas; if you substitute yellow split peas for the Toor Dal, increase the cooking time to 15 minutes at high pressure.
Lentils instead of toor dal
Lentils, however, are almost an exact substitute, cooking-wise. You can replace the toor dal with regular brown lentils, and the cooking time stays at 8 minutes at high pressure.
Different heat levels
I like a hot dal, so I add ยฝ teaspoon of cayenne to the spices. If you want "Indian Hot," go with 1 teaspoon of cayenne; if you want mild, skip the cayenne.
Vegan version
This recipe is vegetarian, but you need to remove the butter to make it vegan. Substitute vegetable or coconut oil for the butter, and you're vegan!
No lemon
I like the hint of tart flavor the lemon adds at the end, but you can skip it if you want, and you'll still get a good curry.
Diced tomatoes vs. Crushed tomatoes
In this recipe, I prefer crushed tomatoes to diced tomatoes. I like the red color the tomatoes give and how they blend into the flavor of the curry. If you prefer chunkier tomatoes, substitute diced tomatoesโor about five fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and diced.
(Or throw a pint of grape tomatoes in the potโthey'll pop under pressure, but out of season, fresh small tomatoes have better flavor than larger tomatoes.)
Tips and Tricks
Curry Powder vs Individual Spices
I use curry powder because it is convenient, but it is definitely not authentic. If you want more authentic spices, replace the 2 tablespoons of curry powder with 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 ยฝ teaspoon ground turmeric, ยผ teaspoon ground ginger, and ยฝ teaspoon dry mustard powder.
Thicken with a blender
After cooking, this dal is pretty thick. If you want extra-thick dal, blend 1 cup of dal until it is smooth, then stir it back into the pot. (I use my stick blender and a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.)
What to serve with Tomato Dal
The obvious side dish is rice, preferably basmati rice. (I usually serve Instant Pot Brown Basmati Rice to get some whole grains in my diet.) An Indian flatbread (like Roti or Naan) is good for dipping in the dal.
PrintInstant Pot Tomato Dal
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Instant Pot Tomato Dal (Tomato Pappu). A quick weeknight curry with Indian spices and tomatoes. Sautรฉ an onion, garlic, and ginger with curry powder. Then, stir in split pigeon peas (Toor Dal), vegetable broth, and tomatoes, and pressure cook for 8 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release. That's it - curry in a hurry!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 cup) Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
- 2 tablespoons butter (or ghee or vegetable oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (preferablyย homemade vegetable broth, or use water)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 15oz can crushed tomatoes
- Juice from ยฝ of a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
ย
Instructions
- Sort, rinse, and drain the Toor Dal (split pigeon peas): Sort the toor dal, removing any stones or clumps of dirt. Rinse the toor dal under cold running water and let drain.
- Sautรฉ the aromatics and toast the spices: In an Instant Pot, set to Sautรฉ mode - high (medium-high heat for a pressure cooker), melt the butter, and wait for it to stop foaming, about 3 minutes. (If using ghee, heat until it melts. For oil, heat until it starts to shimmer.) Add the onion, sprinkle with ยฝ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the onion and add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Toast until you can smell the garlic and spices (about 1 minute), then stir into the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to ensure none of the spices are sticking.
- Everything in the pot: Stir the toor dal into the pot, then pour in the water and stir in the teaspoon of fine sea salt. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top, but do not stir; we don't want the tomatoes to sink to the bottom of the pot and burn.
- Pressure cook for 8 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Release: Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot) or for 7 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Season and serve:ย Unlock the pot and open the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Stir in the lemon juice, serve, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Indian
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My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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