The French Dal

French Lentils Dal (Instant Pot)

Soup season? I’ll eat anything warm at this point. I even want my cocktails warm around this time of the year. I wanna live in a fuzzy grownup onesie and not leave my apartment till spring. Or my couch. Between work, boxing, school (Karm’s) and bed, I’ve completely ignored that trip I needed to make to the Indian grocery store, like 3 months ago. I’ve run out of any sort of Lentils n grains that a “good Indian kitchen” should never be caught without. So on my recent trip to the neighborhood Whole Foods store, I picked up a bag of French Lentils because the child requested “dal rice” for dinner with his big brown eyes seriously sad. Necessity and stuff. You know how that goes. The best part, it’s healthy, it’s quick & it’s delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup French Lentils.
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds each.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder/ Chana masala powder
• 1 tbsp paprika powder
• 3 cups Water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation

1. Soak the lentils in boiling water for about 30 minutes.
2. Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté mode and heat the oil.
3. Fry the seeds until they start sputtering.
4. Sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until they’re golden brown.
5. Add the tomatoes, spices and salt. Sauté until the masala is cooked.
6. Add the lentils and water. Give it a good stir and close the lid while sealing.
7. Cook on manual for 9 minutes.
8. Quick release, add the cilantro and serve!