Instant Pot Spinach Dal with Rice

A brown bowl with dal palak with tadka on top; with cilantro and a spoon beside it.

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Spinach Dal with Rice

Spinach Dal is a flavorful blend of spinach, yellow lentil and Indian spices made quickly in the instant pot.

This one pot dal recipe makes the rice along with the dal using Pot-in-Pot (PIP) method and a perfect meal in under 40 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

For the Dal

¾ cup Split Yellow Petite Lentils (moong dal)
2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 inch Ginger (grated)
½ medium Onion (diced)
1 medium Tomato (diced)
1 Green Chili (slit lengthwise)
2-3 Curry Leaves
¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 pinch Asafetida
1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Ghee
3 cups Water
2-3 stalks Cilantro

For the Rice

1 cup Basmati Rice
1½ cup Water
¼ teaspoon Ghee
¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick

For the Tempering

1 teaspoon Ghee
1 clove Garlic (minced)
½ teaspoon Red Chili powder

Instructions

Wash the lentil till the water runs clean. Drain and set aside.
¾ cup Split Yellow Petite Lentils
Set the Instant Pot mode to 'Sauté' and Normal. Add ghee and let it heat.
1 tablespoon Ghee
Then add mustard seeds, asafetida and cumin seeds.
¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds , 1 pinch Asafetida, ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
Once the seeds pop, add garlic, green chili, ginger and curry leaves.
2-3 cloves Garlic, 1 inch Ginger, 1 Green Chili , 2-3 Curry Leaves
Once the raw flavor vanishes, add the onions. Let the onions cook for 5-6 minutes till it is soft.
½ medium Onion
Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
1 medium Tomato, 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder , 1 teaspoon Salt , 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
Mix and let the tomatoes become soft.
Deglaze the pot by adding 3 cups water.
3 cups Water
Add in the lentils and mix well.
Place a trivet in the center of the Instant Pot.
Wash the rice till the water runs clean. Drain and add 1 ½ cup water, cumin seeds, cinnamon and ghee.
1 cup Basmati Rice , ¼ teaspoon Ghee , ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds, 1 inch Cinnamon stick , 1½ cup Water
Place the bowl on the trivet.
Close the lid and press 'Cancel'. Press 'Pressure Cook' and set time to 6 minutes. The pressure should be set to high and the valve to sealing position. Let the lentils and rice cook. When the Instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Move the vent to venting and remove the remaining pressure.
Open the Instant Pot and remove the insert with the rice.
Set the mode to 'Sauté' and add washed spinach.
2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the instant pot and add lemon juice and cilantro.
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice, 2-3 stalks Cilantro
If you like the dal with lots of garlic, in a pan heat 1 teaspoon ghee, add 1 clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon red chili powder.
1 teaspoon Ghee, 1 clove Garlic, ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
Add that on top of the dal and serve.

Notes

To make the recipe mild: To make the recipe mild, remove the seeds and membranes of the green chili. Also swap the spicy Thai chili with milder chili. If you want it completely mild, leave out all the chili.

Wash the dal well: It is a popular observation that a scum develops on the dal while cooking. To avoid that, wash the dal a few times till the water runs almost clear.

Making Vegan spinach dal: It is easy to make the dal Vegan; simply swap the ghee with oil to make the dal Vegan. Other ingredients are naturally Vegan.

Making the spinach dal gluten-free: The only ingredient with gluten in the recipe is asafetida. Use pure asafetida or leave it out to make the recipe gluten-free.

Swapping the lentils: It is great to use lentils that will cook to a creamy consistency. Moong dal, tuvar dal and masoor dal work the best. Try and leave out lentils with husk like black dal. Moreover, leave out dals like urad and chana dal. These tend to remain hardy even after cooking.

Using other greens: While spinach is the most popular green in these recipes, other ones work too. Mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, baby kale or a combination of these makes a great dal recipe.

Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition