Lip-smacking aloo masoor dal, potato with red lentils made in Instant Pot! A perfect dal recipe that you can serve with rice, roti, and other Indian flatbread. Check out the detailed recipe with step-wise pictures.
Earlier, I had shared Bengali-style potato with lentils, and now it’s time for another potato lentil curry; this time, it’s the aloo masoor dal. Combining lentils and vegetables, especially potatoes, is not new in Indian cuisine. The sodhi (potato stew) and kadappa from Tamil Nadu cuisine combine potatoes and lentils. This simple masoor dal is my take on the North Indian dhaba-style dal. I am not claiming this to be an authentic recipe from any particular state.
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This simple dal with simple spices tastes delicious, and it’s a perfect everyday recipe for parties and potlucks. It’s quite easy to make, and I have shared how to make the dal in Instant Pot.
The cooking time for both Bengali-style aloo dal and this aloo masoor dal is eight minutes, and along with dal, you can steam the rice, either basmati or regular short-grain rice, using pot-in-pot method and make a quick meal on busy days. For a hearty and comforting meal, serve this with dal with rice, raita, salad, or pickle.
Ingredients required
- We need fresh ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro stems or leaves for preparing fresh spice paste. As we don’t prefer the bite of green chilies, I usually grind the green chilies.
- We use oil, shahi jeera, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to temper the dal.
- Vegetables – We need onions, tomatoes, and potatoes for this dal. And I have used the yellow potato variety that we find in the Indian stores and used them whole without chopping.
- Masoor dal – I have used the red lentils, popularly known as masoor dal in Hindi. These are the split ones; you can also use the whole masoor dal.
- Spices – We need garam masala, ground turmeric, and chili powder for the second tempering.
Apart from these ingredients, we also need salt, water, fresh cilantro leaves, and dried fenugreek leaves. Please check the recipe card for exact measurements.
Frequently asked questions
You can also peel and chop the potatoes and add them to the dal. But don’t chop them into small pieces. We don’t want the potatoes to blend in with the dal. So chop them into halves or big chunks, and once cooked, mash them roughly. If using baby potatoes, you can use them whole.
You can use any potato variety for this aloo masoor dal, and the cooking time stays the same.
I don’t discard cilantro stems and use them in rasam and other curries. Blending the cilantro stems adds a nice flavor. But if you don’t have cilantro stems, please skip them or use fresh cilantro leaves.
Yes, you can use that. As I planned to blend/grind the green chilies, I used fresh garlic and ginger. If you use ginger-garlic paste, add it with the onions and saute it.
You can make this dal in the pressure cooker. Follow the same procedure: prepare the spice paste, temper, and then add the dal, potatoes, salt, water, turmeric, and pressure cook for three whistles. Let the pressure release naturally, and then remove the potatoes. Peel the potato skin, mash them roughly, add spices, and simmer the dal.
Instead of masoor dal, can I use any other dals?
Yes, absolutely. You can use whole masoor, moong dal, green mung, toor dal, chana dal, or a combination.
Dietary specification and serving suggestions
This aloo masoor dal is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. Aloo masoor dal stays good for up to 4 days when refrigerated and freezes well.
When reheating, add ½ to ¾ cup of water, thin it down, and enjoy it with jeera rice, plain rice, roti, or other flatbreads. My favorite is to enjoy this dal with jeera rice, onion raita, and pickle.
How to make aloo masoor dal in Instant Pot
Prep-work
- Add the fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, and green chili to a blender.
- Pulse into a coarse mixture without adding any water and set it aside.
- Rinse the masoor dal thoroughly and soak it in water for 10 minutes.
Pressure cooking the dal
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and add the oil. When the display shows “HOT,” add the shahi jeera, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Saute for 30 to 45 seconds, and add the onion and ground mix.
- Saute until the onions turn soft and tender and the garlic’s raw smell goes off.
- Now add the tomatoes and ¼ cup of water. Scrape the bottom and ensure the masala paste is not sticking to the pan.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Drain the water from the masoor dal and add it to the tomato mix. Add salt, turmeric powder, and potatoes – No need to chop or peel the potatoes. You can add them whole.
- Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Close the Instant pot. Pressure cook at manual/pressure cook mode for 8 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Simmer the dal
- Open the Instant Pot and mix well when the pressure is gone.
- Carefully remove the potatoes and set them aside. Let the potatoes cool a bit and peel the skin. Mash them roughly.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup of water to the dal and mix and mash the dal thoroughly.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the mashed potatoes, crushed dried fenugreek leaves, and garam masala.
- Mix and let the dal simmer for 5 to 7 minutes and turn off the heat.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices to taste.
- Adjust the water measure to your preference. The dal thickens as it cools down. When reheating, add ½ cup of water and thin it down.
- Instead of shahi jeera, you can also use cumin seeds, but there will be a slight taste change.
- Please check the FAQ for other details.
More potato recipes
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📖 Recipe
Aloo Masoor Dal | Potato With Red Lentils
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml; 1 cup= 240ml;
To grind
- 1- inch ginger
- 2 green chili or to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp cilantro stems
To Temper
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp shahi jeera
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
Other ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 cup masoor dal
- 3 potatoes approx 230 grams, rinsed
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 tsp cilantro finely chopped
For second tempering (optional)
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp red chili powder
Instructions
Prep-work
- Add the fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, and green chili to a blender.
- Pulse into a coarse mixture without adding any water and set it aside.
- Rinse the masoor dal thoroughly and soak it in water for 10 minutes.
Pressure cooking the dal
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and add the oil. When the display shows “HOT,” add the shahi jeera, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Saute for 30 to 45 seconds, and add the onion and ground mix.
- Saute until the onions turn soft and tender and the garlic’s raw smell goes off.
- Now add the tomatoes and ¼ cup of water. Scrape the bottom and ensure the masala paste is not sticking to the pan.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Drain the water from the masoor dal and add it to the tomato mix. Add salt, turmeric powder, and potatoes – No need to chop or peel the potatoes. You can add them whole.
- Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Close the Instant pot. Pressure cook at manual/pressure cook mode for 8 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Simmer the dal
- Open the Instant Pot and mix well when the pressure is gone.
- Carefully remove the potatoes and set them aside. Let the potatoes cool a bit and peel the skin. Mash them roughly.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup of water to the dal and mix and mash the dal thoroughly.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the mashed potatoes, crushed dried fenugreek leaves, and garam masala.
- Mix and let the dal simmer for 5 to 7 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Optionally, you can heat a tsp of oil, add ½ tsp of red chili powder, let it sizzle for 20 seconds, and add it to the dal.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices to taste.
- Adjust the water measure to your preference. The dal thickens as it cools down.
- When reheating, add ½ cup of water and thin it down.
- Instead of shahi jeera, you can also use cumin seeds, but there will be a slight taste change.
- Please check the FAQ for other details.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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