Add some plant-based protein to your daily meal fare with this delicious black lentils curry made in Instant Pot. This is a mild and a kids-friendly curry that you can pair with rice or flatbread, making it a perfect and a filling meal.

India is known for its dal/lentils and legume-based recipes and curries. Every state has its unique dal recipes, and indeed I have posted Instant Pot dal recipes from all the 26 states of India. My love for lentils and legumes never ceases. Aren’t they the best plant-based protein?

Today I am going to share my 10-year old approved black lentils curry which is popularly known as kaali/kali dal or Maa ki dal in North India. Kaali means black in Hindi, and as we are using black lentils, we call this as kaali dal. This dal is very common in Punjabi kitchens.

Black Lentils | Black Gram | Whole Urad Dal:

I made this dal recipe with black gram which is commonly known as black urad dal or whole urad dal. Usually, the urad dal that we use for tempering is dehusked, but for this recipe, we need the urad dal with the husk.

What makes black-urad unique?

I have explained about the benefits of black urad dal in Instant Pot black urad dal pulav recipe. While black urad dal curries like this kaali dal, dal makhani is popular in North India, black-urad porridge powder, pulav, and sweets are famous in the South.

In my native, urad dal sweet porridge is made regularly and served for girls who are reaching their puberty. Black urad dal is believed to strengthen the pelvic bones and uterus.

Why is this recipe kid-friendly?

I mentioned in the beginning that this curry is mild, light, and kid-friendly. I am not using very many spices, butter, ghee, and cream here. Also, I am grinding the onion, tomatoes, green chilies along with cilantro so that kids cannot complain about them and pick them and set it aside.

The fresh cream adds a tinge of sweetness to this curry, so it is not spicy too. Grinding fresh cilantro adds a unique flavor to this curry, so don’t miss it.

The recipe is straightforward but needs a bit planning as we need to soak black urad dal. So you soak the black urad dal for 8 hours. Then grind the onion, tomato and green chili. Saute it along with spice powders until the raw smell goes away. Then add the lentils and cook it for 30 minutes in the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally.

Now let me break down the steps and share the detailed recipe.

How to make Kali dal or Black Gram Curry in Instant Pot or any Electric Pressure Cooker?

Step 1: Wash and soak the black lentils for at least 8 hours. You can soak it overnight too.

Step 2: Roughly chop one medium-sized onion, one Roma tomato, two green chilies, 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, and ginger-garlic paste coarsely without adding any water.

Step 3: Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and add 2 tsps of oil. When the oil is hot, add the 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp asafoetida. Fry it for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Now add the ground onion-tomato paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala (readily available online and in Indian grocery stores, check recipe notes for substitutes), 1.5 tsp salt and cook.

Step 5: Cook the masala until all the moisture is absorbed. This step is significant. We need to cook until the moisture is absorbed only then, the raw smell of the onion goes off.

Make sure to stir the paste continuously and do not let the masala burn. It might turn brown if you are using 8 quart Instant Pot, but it is ok. Just scrape the bottom and bring them together. As long as it not burned, the curry will be excellent.

Step 6. Now add the drained black lentils and 2 cups of water. Mix thoroughly. Make sure to scrape the bottom. Press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot with the lid. Ensure the sealing ring is on and also make sure the vent is in the sealing position.

Step 7. Cook the lentils at high pressure for 30 minutes. After the cooking is done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Then carefully open the lid. Mash the lentils with a back of the spoon.

Step 8. Add 2 tbsp of cream and mix. Press the saute button and simmer it for just two minutes.

Then turn off the heat transfer the lentils from the Instant Pot to a serving bowl and serve hot with rice or flatbread. I would recommend serving this with Instant Pot brown rice pilaf.

How to make Black Lentils Curry in Stove-Top Pressure Cooker?

If you are using, stove-top pressure cooker or pan, then step 1 and step 2 are the same as above. But do the tempering in the pressure cooker and cook the masala along with spice powders until the raw smell goes away over medium heat. Then add the black lentils and water and cook for 5 whistles or hisses over medium-high heat and turn off. When the pressure is gone, open the cooker and mash the lentils. Add the cream and simmer over medium-low heat for two to three minutes.

Recipe Notes:

Make it vegan – You can skip the cream to make it vegan or add almond milk or cashew milk.
Make it gluten-free. You can skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida. Asafoetida helps in digestion, and it is one of the common ingredients in Indian cooking.
I went with ginger-garlic paste for this recipe and even though it is a paste, I blended it along with the onion. But you can use 2 garlic cloves and 1/2 inch ginger and grind it with onion for this recipe.
Any onion variety should work. I used red onion.
I would prefer Roma tomato for this recipe. Make sure you are using non-sour tomato for this dal.
You can use fresh cilantro stems as well for this recipe. In fact, I would recommend cilantro stems.
If you can’t source garam masala, you can use the curry powder that you find in the Asian aisle of the grocery stores.
Also, you can use any lentils or legumes instead of black lentils. Pinto beans, red kidney beans, green lentils work well.