Moong Dal and Vegetables Pressure Cooker Recipe

Moong Dal And Vegetables Pressure Cooker Recipe

Ingredients

SERVES 4 as a main dish – Cooker: 5- to 8-quart – Time: 18 minutes at HIGH pressure

• 1 cup dried moong dal
• 5 cups water
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespons ghee or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed or grated
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• about 2 to 3 cups mixed vegetables, cut into even-sized small chunks, such as broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, green beans, radish, eggplant, Napa cabbage, potatoes, green bell pepper (do not use zucchini or Swiss chard; they don’t taste good in this dal).
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed well, heavy stems discarded, and leaves cut across into thick ribbons
• 1 tablespoon tamarind juice or juice of 1 small lemon
• sea salt

Method

1. Rinse the dal and remove any stones or debris
2. Place in a small bowl and cover with water; let soak 4 to 6 hours at room temperature
3. Drain and place the dal in a 5- to 7-quart pressure cooker with the 5 cups water and turmeric
4. Close and lock the lid
5. Set the burner heat to high
6. When the cooker reaches HIGH pressure, reduce the burner heat as low as you can and still maintain HIGH pressure
7. Set a timer to cook for 18 minutes
8. If using an Indian pressure cooker, pressure cook for three whistles (this is fast and will lead to a very creamy dal)
9. Meanwhile, in a deep skillet (because the cumin seeds will pop), heat the ghee over medium-high heat
10. Add the cumin seeds and let them sputter, then add the ginger
11. Stir in the tomatoes and saute for a few minutes until soft
12. Remove the pot from the heat
13. Open the cooker with the Quick Release method
14. Be careful of the steam as you remove the lid
15. Add the contents of the skillet to the pot
16. If the gravy is too thick, add some boiling water to thin it to your liking
17. Add the coriander and vegetable chunks
18. Partially cover (do not lock the lid) and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes
19. Stir in the spinach and tamarind juice
20. Taste for salt
21. Cover (do not lock the lid) and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the spinach
22. Stir once and serve
23. Keeps in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer
24. Dal, or dahl, refers to the dried peas and beans that have been part of Indian cuisine since ancient times
25. The brain twister is that all lentils are dal, but all dal are not lentils
26. Dal soups are seasoned with ginger, to aid digestion, and a fried spice blend known as tadka or chaun, for added flavor
27. The most popular dals for soup are the diminutive pale green or yellow mung dal (moong dal), whole or split without skins
28. Green or yellow split peas (matar dal), golden lentils (toovar dal), or black gram (urad dal) can be substituted, but will taste slightly different and have a different texture and color
29. Dal should be rinsed with cold water and sorted before soaking

Full List of Soup Recipes
Full List of Vegetables Recipes