Background

My wife loves Indian food, so I recently started experimenting with our instant pot and some Indian cookbooks. Her favorite dish is Dal Makhani, so I thought I’d give that one a shot first. After trying a few recipes with less-than-ideal results, I started experimenting on my own. Eventually I came up with a recipe that my wife loved, and so I wrote it down.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole black urad dal sabut (black lentils)
• 2 Tbsp ghee
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 green cardamoms
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 green chiles, finely chopped
• 1-inch knob of ginger root, finely chopped
• 6 tsp minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp asafetida
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp tomato puree
• 3 1/2 cups water, divided
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves)
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Half and half (to taste)
• Chopped cilantro (to taste)
• Instant Pot

Instructions

Wash & soak lentils 4+ hours, or overnight.

Press saute button on Instant Pot. When hot, add ghee, bay leaf, and green cardamoms and sautee for a few seconds. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle, then add chopped onion, chiles, asafetida, and cayenne pepper. Cook 6 minutes, then add ginger and garlic. Cook 1 minute, then add tomato puree. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook 4 minutes. Add garam masala, cumin powder, chili powder, and salt. Cook 1 minute, then add soaked lentils. Toss. Add remaining 3 cups of water. Stir and close lid. Press Bean/Chili button and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then vent.

Open lid and press Saute button. Mash/blend some of the lentils. Add fenugreek, butter, and half and half. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chopped cilantro. Serve.