Description
Instant Pot Tomato Dal (Tomato Pappu). A quick weeknight curry with Indian spices and tomatoes. Sauté 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
Scale
- 8 ounces (1 cup) Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
- 2 tablespoons butter (or ghee or vegetable oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- ½ 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 ½ of a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
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.
- Sauté the aromatics and toast the spices: In an Instant Pot, set to Sauté 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 ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and sauté, 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!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Indian