Easy Chana Dal – Instant Pot Split Pea Lentil Soup

Shilpa

Easy Chana Dal – Instant Pot Split Pea Lentil Soup

Easy Chana Dal – Instant Pot Split Pea Lentil Soup is perfect for an everyday one-pot soup. This recipe is ideal for anyone looking to add plant-based protein and fiber into their diet. This Easy Chana Dal – Instant Pot Split Pea Lentil Soup is incredibly flavorful, healthy and did I mention- super cheap.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 cup chana dal (split chickpeas)
1 and 1/2 tbsp oil of choice or ghee
1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 serrano pepper, small (hari mirch)
6 curry leaves
1/2 onion (1/2 cup finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tomatoes, medium sized (1 cup chopped)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (haldi)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (cayenne pepper)
1 tsp ground coriander (dhaniya powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
2 and 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cilantro (dhaniya ke patte)

Equipment

Electric Pressure Cooker

Method

Prep

Rinse and dice the onion finely, rinse and chop the tomatoes and slit the green chili vertically but keep it still intact.
Rinse and chop the cilantro finely and set it aside.
Rinse the dal with water a couple of times and set aside.

Cook

Select sauté on the Instant Pot. Further, add oil or ghee to the pot.
Add asafoetida, cumin seeds, serrano pepper, and curry leaves.
After the cumin seeds splutter add in onions and ginger garlic paste. Additionally, stir well.
After the onions turn golden brown, add in tomato and spices (ground turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander, garam masala), and salt. Sauté the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes until mushy.
Add the rinsed dal and water. And stir it all up.
Press cancel. Furthermore, close the lid and select manual for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Finally, open the lid and garnish with lemon juice and cilantro leaves. You can crush some dal with the back of a laddle.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with steamed white rice.

Notes

This dal tends to thicken if kept in the refrigerator for the next day. You can add a little boiling water to thin it as needed.

You can reduce the red chili powder or eliminate the serrano pepper as per your spice tolerance. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would place this dal at 2.5 in terms of spice levels, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.