Instant Pot Dal Makhani – Madras Lentils with Brown Rice

Dal Makhani or Madras Lentils – Two names to debate on as they connect a North Indian delicacy to a south Indian dish?

A few weeks ago, while I was shopping at my local Costco, I saw a table with “Tasty Bites Madras Lentils” for tasting. I am usually good at staying away from pre-packaged foods but that day, shopping at lunch hour on empty stomach, made it harder for me to resist. Plus I LOVE South Indian food and the word “madras” really made me more curious.

Anyway, I tried a few spoonfuls of it and it reminded me of the traditional north Indian “Dal Makhani“! Except I did not taste too many spices in the Costco Madras Lentils making them a bit lighter yet very flavorful.

I took a picture of the package to see the ingredients with a plan to try making them at home. The ingredients list from the packaging were – water, tomatoes, lentils(adzuki beans), onions, red kidney beans, cream, butter, oil, salt, ginger, cumin and chillies.

Madras Lentils Vs Dal makhani

So here is the basic difference between Madras Lentils and my Daal Makhani recipe:

• Daal Makhani recipe, in addition to the above ingredients from Madras lentils, also has fresh garlic, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
• Daal Makhani has whole Black Gram Beans and Red Kidney Beans while the Costco Madras Lentils had adzuki beans and red kidney beans.

So with these basic differences in mind, I decided to try the recipe with just the ingredients from the Madras Lentils package. With the magic of the Instant Pot , the madras lentils were cooked to perfection with all the spices infused so well in about 45 minutes!!

I did sprinkle a little bit of garam masala in the end but that was more of a personal choice. I also used black gram beans instead of adzuki beans and I think whole brown lentils (masoor) will also work well in this recipe!

Soaking Beans – Rinse and soak black gram beans {whole urad} and red kidney beans in 3 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight.

Instructions

Step by step easy Madras Lentils / Daal Makhani in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:

Set Instant Pot to Sauté (more) and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and onions and mix well. Add turmeric powder, fresh ginger, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder and beans. Mix well (photos 1 – 2).

Add 2 cups of water and give a quick stir. For optional pot in pot brown rice, place a tall trivet over the beans. Rinse and drain brown rice.  Add rice, 2 cups of water and salt in a stainless steel container.

Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual / Pressure Cook (Hi) for 30 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. Open the Instant Pot and set it to sauté mode.

Tips

Here are my best tips to make authentic dal makhani:

1. Add 1/2 tablespoon of cumin powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic along with ginger and red chili powder.
2. Add 1 tablespoon kasoori methi {dried fenugreek leaves} along with fresh cilantro in the end.
3. You can also add more or less red chili powder and garam masala to adjust the spice level.

Variations

How to make vegan Madras lentils/daal makhani:

1. Replace ghee with oil
2. Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend 1/2 cup of cashews in 1/2 water to make a smooth paste)

Can I use dry beans?

Absolutely! I prefer soaking the beans overnight. But you can cook them unsoaked, by simply increasing the cook time to 60 minutes and adding an extra cup of water.

Here is the video for EASY Tasty Bites Madras lentils/Daal Makhani recipe with Pot in Pot Brown Rice:

Check out the recipe notes for details on how to easily adjust this recipe for a more authentic Daal Makhani recipe!

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4.53 from 38 votes

Instant Pot Dal Makhani with Brown Rice

A creamy lentil dish cooked with whole black lentils and kidney beans, lightly spiced to enjoy as a chili or over rice!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

Ingredients for Madras Lentils/Daal Makhani:

• 1 cup Black Gram Beans/adzuki beans/whole brown lentils
• 1/3 cup Red Kidney Beans
• 1 tablespoon oil ghee or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• 2 cups tomatoes diced
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 cup light cream or coconut cream or cashew cream
• 1 teaspoon garam masala optional for non-spicy lentils
• cilantro for garnish

Rice:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• Rinse and soak black gram beans and red kidney beans in 3 cups of water. Overnight or 6-8 hours. Drain the water after soaking and keep the beans aside.
• Set Instant Pot to Sauté(more) mode. Once the “Hot” sign displays, add oil and cumin seeds. Add onions and mix well.
• Add turmeric powder, fresh ginger, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder and beans. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. 

Next step is to make pot in pot brown rice (optional).

• Rinse and drain rice. Add rice, 2 cups of water and salt in a stainless steel container. Put a tall trivet over the beans. Place rice container on the trivet.
  
• Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual / Pressure Cook (Hi) for 30 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release.
• Open Instant Pot and set to sauté mode. Carefully take out the Rice container and the trivet. Stir in cream, add garam masala (optional) and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy hot! 

Video

Notes

Notes to make a more authentic dal makhani:

1.Add 1/2 tablespoon of cumin powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic along with ginger and red chili powder. 2. Add 1 tablespoon kasoori methi {dried fenugreek leaves} along with fresh cilantro in the end. 3. You can also add more or less red chili powder and garam masala to adjust the spice level.

Notes to make dairy free: 1. Replace ghee with oil 2. Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend cashews in water)

I prefer soaking the beans overnight. If you decide to cook them unsoaked, increase the cook time to 60 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 1185mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 471IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3mg

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