Instant Pot Brown Lentil Curry

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Looking for a quick, satisfying vegetarian meal that makes a hearty lunch or dinner? This easy Instant Pot Brown Lentil Curry is a hearty meal that will give you and your loved ones the boost of filling nutrition they need to power through the day. Packed with filling, wholesome ingredients, this whole masoor dal recipe is both good and good for you. Rich, nourishing and delicious – this Brown Lentil curry is love at first bite.

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WHY SHOULD I MAKE BROWN LENTIL CURRY IN THE INSTANT POT?

The Electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot is a great tool for making flavorful curry dishes. By making use of pot in pot (PIP) cooking you can cut the cooking time down to 15 minutes! Plus, since you’re making it in the Instant Pot, you’re not dirtying lots of dishes while you make this. 

If you’re an Instant Pot beginner, take a deep breath and don’t let yourself be afraid of your Instant Pot. We break down exactly how to use it and what all those buttons do on our complete beginner’s guide to the Instant Pot, called Is the Instant Pot Worth It. Once you get the hang of the Instant Pot and know how to use PIP cooking to save even more time, you’ll be making delicious brown lentil curry in a snap!

WHAT IS POT IN POT COOKING?

If you’re an Instant Pot beginner, you might not know much about PIP cooking. Pot in pot cooking is not hard at all and can save you so much time when you’re making a meal that has multiple parts like this brown lentil curry or my Thai peanut curry. 

Pot in pot cooking is a method of Instant Pot cooking that allows you to cook separate parts of the same in the Instant Pot at the same time. To do this, you will cook part of the meal and add the liquid in the stainless steel inner liner of the part and place the other part of the meal in another, separate vessel to cook. Then you set that vessel on a long leg trivet, which allows it to steam. You want to make sure you are using an ovenproof, heatproof vessel for PIP cooking. I like to use a stainless steel container.

In this case, we are the lentils and the curry sauce in the inner liner of the Instant Pot. The steam from the curry sauce will cook the rice that will be cooking above the sauce in the second container on a long leg trivet.

WHAT ACCESSORIES DO YOU NEED TO COOK BROWN LENTILS AND RICE TOGETHER?

To make the PIP technique work, you need a long-legged trivet and a stainless steel container to cook the rice in. That’s it! Nothing else.

BROWN LENTILS - AN AWESOME WEEKNIGHT DINNER OPTION!

Thanks to the Instant Pot, this brown lentil curry is a very quick meal, with little prep time and cook time. Plus, using the Instant Pot allows you to have very easy clean up afterward so you won’t have to deal with a sink full of dishes after cooking dinner. This makes this brown lentil curry / whole masoor dal the perfect dinner for busy weeknights when you barely have time to get everyone fed before bedtime.

WHAT ARE BROWN LENTILS?

Lentils are legumes, related to beans and chickpeas. There are several varieties of lentils including:

• Brown lentils
• Green lentils
• Red lentils

Brown lentils are the most common type of lentil. You can easily find them in your grocery store. Brown lentils range in color from a light brown tan color to very dark brown that’s almost black. Most brown lentils have a mild, earthy flavor and hold their shape well when cooked. 

HOW DO I COOK BROWN LENTILS?

Generally, you start cooking lentils by rinsing them under running water to remove any debris. Once you’ve rinsed them, you can add them to boiling water and let them cook on the stove for about 20 minutes. Or, you could rinse the and them to the Instant Pot so you can cook your lentils, curry sauce, and rice at the same time.

ARE LENTILS GOOD FOR YOU?

Like most legumes, they are inexpensive and chock full of nutrients. Lentils are full of protein and fiber so they will fill you up fast, making this brown lentil curry very satisfying. They are also a good source of nutrients like iron.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BROWN LENTIL CURRY 

Making Instant Pot whole masoor dal is so quick! 

To make this fragrant brown lentil curry, place the inner liner in the Instant Pot and turn pressure cooker to sauté mode. Let it heat. Add olive oil to the pot with the onion, crushed garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and red chili powder. Stir it to combine everything well. Then add in the dried lentils, chopped tomato, vegetable stock, and the coconut milk and stir. That’s almost it for the brown lentil curry itself.

Next up, we’re going to get the rice ready with the PIP method. Add the brown rice to a stainless container and wash it properly till the water runs clear. Then, just carefully set the trivet inside the Instant Pot and place the rice on it.

Put the lid on the pot and make sure the vent is set to sealing. Set it to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. After the pot beeps, do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes and then do a Quick Release.

At this point, you can carefully remove the rice container and the trivet from the pressure cooker.

To finish the brown lentil curry stir in fresh spinach until it is wilted. Then serve over the rice with fresh lime wedges.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BROWN LENTIL CURRY VIDEO RECIPE

HOW TO SERVE INSTANT POT LENTIL DAL

Pair this creamy and delicious Instant Pot Lentil Dal with:   

• Instant pot Basmati Rice as written in the recipe
• Perfect Quinoa for an extra shot of protein
• Cauliflower rice for more veggies and fiber
• Naan bread to dip in every last bit of the mouthwatering curry
• Poppadoms for extra crunch

ARE BROWN LENTILS AND RICE A GOOD MEAL PREP OPTION?

Yes! This meal saves well in the fridge for about 4 days. It’s the perfect meal to prep at the beginning of the week and send with your kids and husband all week long for lunch.

CAN I FREEZE THIS BROWN LENTIL CURRY / WHOLE MASOOR DAL?

Yes! Brown lentil curry freezes well. To freeze let the curry cool and put it an airtight freezer container. Seal the container as tight as possible and place it in the freezer. It should keep for several months in the freezer and reheat well in the microwave.

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST INSTANT POT WHOLE MASOOR DAL

• Make sure you rinse the whole masoor dal /lentils well. They tend to collect grit so you don’t want to skip this step.
• Rinse the brown rice until the water runs clear. Rinsing rice gets rid of excess starch on the rice and helps ensure your rice is perfectly fluffy.
• Adjust the salt and spices to your taste, but don’t worry if you think this curry will be too spicy. The Instant Pot has a way of making food less spicy, plus if you really dislike heat you could omit the cayenne pepper.

More delicious  Lentil recipes 

• Dal makhani 
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Dal Tadka

If you are a fan of healthy eating and have just purchased an instant pot, Try out our 90+Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. From Soups to Pasta and from Appetizers to Desserts and everything in between.

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INSTANT POT BROWN LENTIL CURRY / WHOLE MASOOR DAL RECIPE

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Instant pot Brown lentil curry

Yield: 5 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Looking for a quick, satisfying vegetarian meal that makes a hearty lunch or dinner? This easy Instant Pot Brown Lentil Curry is a hearty meal that will give you and your loved ones the boost of filling nutrition they need to power through the day.

Print

Ingredients

• Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon ( skip if you want to make it plant-based )
• Onion /Chopped - 1
• Garlic/ chopped- 1 tbsp
• Curry Powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1 teaspoon
• Cayenne Pepper or red chili powder- 1/2 tsp
• Dried Brown Lentils-1 cup
• Tomatoes/ finely chopped- 2
• Water- 2 cup
• Coconut milk-1 cup
• Baby spinach - 1 cup
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper (to taste)
• For Pot in pot brown rice
• Brown rice/ washed - rinsed - 1 cup
• water - 1 cup
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat.
2. Add olive oil to a pot with the onion, crushed garlic, curry powder, Turmeric, cumin, salt, and red chili powder and give it a stir. Add in the dried lentils, chopped tomato, water, and the coconut milk and stir.
3. In a Stainless container (PIP) add rice and wash it properly till the water runs clear.
4. Add water and salt to taste.
5. Carefully place the trivet and place the brown rice on it.
6. Place the lid and pressure cook high for 15 minutes.
7. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then do a Quick Release.
8. Carefully remove the brown rice container and the trivet from the pressure cooker and keep it aside.
9. Add in the fresh baby spinach and stir in until just wilted.
10. Serve with rice and some slices of fresh lime.

Notes

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST INSTANT POT WHOLE MASOOR DAL

• Make sure you rinse the lentils well. They tend to collect grit so you don’t want to skip this step.
• Rinse the brown rice until the water runs clear. Rinsing rice gets rid of excess starch on the rice and helps ensure your rice is perfectly fluffy.
• Adjust the salt and spices to your taste, but don’t worry if you think this curry will be too spicy. The Instant Pot has a way of making food less spicy, plus if you really dislike heat you could omit the cayenne pepper.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  Simply Organic Ground Turmeric Root | Certified Organic | 2.38 oz. (3 Pack)
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  McCormick Curry Powder, 1 lb
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  McCormick Ground Cumin, 14 oz
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  Pride Of India - Indian Whole Brown Crimson Masur Lentils - Protein & Fiber Rich Masoor Whole, 1.5 Pound Jar
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  Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1 

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