Instant Pot Amaranth Dal

Hearty and comforting dal made with Amaranth Leaves and Toor Dal. This healthy Vegan and Gluten free dal can be enjoyed every day and makes for a fantastic vegetarian dinner. Sharing the easy Instant Pot method.

Dal is the most common dish made in India and one canot imagine a meal being served with out some kind of dal. There are many variations into how one can make dal, but they are typically made with lentils. They have soup like consistency but are much thicker. You can make it spicy or mild, add lemon juice or tamarind for tang, or add greens and veggies.

Tadka/tempering is added to the dal which elevates the dish. The tadka is usally made with ghee/oil, mustard seeds, garlic, green chilly, curry leaves, jeera and hing. Depending on the region you come see all or some of the tempering ingredients in your dal.

The star ingredient in todays recipe is the Amaranth Leaves. You might have eaten amaranth in the form of flour or grain, but if you can get your hands on these leaves, please do try them. Packed with many nutritional benefits and considered super food, this dal will become your favorite.

Growing up I have eaten this dal almost every week. In Andhra we call these laves as Thotakura and the dal is called Thotakura Pappu. In the North India it is called Chaulayi dal. Dal can be eaten

This Instant Pot Amaranth leaves dal

• is hearty and comforting

• easily made in instant pot

• vegan and gluten free

Ingredients needed to make Indian Amaranth Dal –

• Toor dal (tuvar dal) or arhar dal ( you can also substitute moong dal)
• Amaranth Leaves ( fresh, stems removed)
• Onion & Tomato
• Green chillies and garlic (green chilly can be substituted with red chilly powder)
• Coriander Powder
• Tamarind Paste ( recommended, but lemon juice will do to)
• Oil
• Salt & sugar
• Tempering ingredients ( mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves)

Method-

1- Turn on the saute mode on your instant pot and heat oil, mustard seeds and cumin. Let the mustard pop.

2- Add the onion, green chilly, curry leaves and garlic. Saute for two minutes until onion turns soft.

3- Add the tomato and cook for a minute.

4- Now add the amaranth leaves, washed toor dal, salt, coriander powder, sugar and two cups of water. and give a mix .

5- Cancel the saute mode, close the vent and close the lid and turn the vent to sealing position. Press pressure cooker (manual mode) and adjust the cook time to ten minutes.

6- Once done, let the pressure release naturally.

7- Add the tamarind juice, and press the saute mode and cook the dal for two to three minutes to get the desired consistency.

8- Taste the dal and adjust the seasoning. Serve the dal with rice, papad and pickle.

Can I make this dal in stove top?

Yes, we can pressure cook the dal separately and do a tempering. You can check the stove top method here

Which dal can I use ?

Toor dal, arhar dal, moong dal ( high in protein), red lentils can be used to make dal.

What can I replace Amaranth leaves with?

Spinach is a good substitution and even Kale works. If you are looking for recipes with greens, here is a recipe for a tasty spinach stew.

Serving Suggestions-

Toor Dal with Amaranth leaves dal is traditionally served with white rice, but you can also serve it with brown rice or millets, cranberry pickle and papad. You can also serve a Indian stir fry (sabji) like Bhindi fry or Pumpkin stir fry with it.

More dal recipes from the blog –

Mango Dal

Sweet & Tangy Gujarati Dal

Broccoli Dal

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