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Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal

This flavorful red lentil dal is made in the Instant Pot, making it a quick meal to put together.  You can serve it with a drizzle of cashew cream (recipe included) to make it even more divine.

Author Rachael Hutchings, www.lafujimama.com

Ingredients

For the Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal:

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
  • 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 small red onion, chopped small
  • 1 - 2 serrano peppers, seeds and membranes removed, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fine grain sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon Indian chili power or cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Cilantro and cashew sour cream, to garnish (optional)

For the Cashew Cream (makes about 3/4 cup):

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

To make the Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal:

  1. Put 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the lime juice and garnishes, in the Instant Pot and stir to mix. Seal the Instant Pot, turn the vent to sealed, and cook on manual at high pressure for 10 minutes.

  2. Once it is finished cooking, hit the Cancel so that it doesn’t remain on Keep Warm and let the pressure naturally release for 10 – 15 minutes.

  3. Move the steam release handle to venting to release the remaining steam.

  4. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and lime juice. Serve garnished with cilantro and a dollop of cashew sour cream alongside rice.

To make the Cashew Cream:

  1. Soak the raw cashews in cashews in cool water overnight (or at least 3 hours).  If you have a high powered blender, you can skip this step and process the cream a bit longer to insure that it is smooth and creamy.  After soaking, drain the cashews.

  2. Put the drained cashews, the 1/2 cup water, and the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth and creamy.  Transfer the cashew cream to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe Notes

To make the red lentil dal on the stove top:

1. Put half of the lemon juice and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the lime juice and garnishes, in a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove.

2. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the dal has thickened and the lentils have completely cooked through.

3. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and lime juice. Serve garnished with cilantro and a dollop of cashew sour cream alongside brown rice.