Restaurant Style Punjabi Dal Makhani {Instant Pot}

Dal makhani served in a kadai serving dish, garnished with cream.

5 from 5 votes

Restaurant Style Punjabi Dal Makhani {Instant Pot}

This restaurant style Punjabi dal makhani is a spin on a classic, made quicker and easier in the Instant Pot. Pantry staple lentils get a spicy twist with a perfectly creamy and luscious gravy. While this dal makhani may taste like it cooked for hours, it only takes 30 minutes!

Cook Time30

Soaking time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: dal recipe, instant pot dal, Instant pot dal makhani, punjabi dal makhani, restaurant style dal makhani

Servings:

Calories: 309kcal

Author: Sunena Anand

Equipment

Ingredients

Dal

1 cup Whole urad dal
⅓ cup Kidney beans dry
4 cups Water
2 teaspoon Salt

Tomato Mixture

1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Ginger & garlic paste
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red pepper
1 teaspoon Garam masala
1 cup Tomato puree
Salt to taste
¼ cup Heavy cream
1 tablespoon Butter

Instructions

Soak the dal: Soak the lentils and kidney beans in water for 3 hours.
Pressure cook: Drain the soaked lentils and kidney beans, and add to the Instant Pot with water and salt. Cover with the lid, and ensure that the knob on the top is set to sealing position. Pressure cook on HI for 10 minutes.
Start the tomato base: While the lentils are pressure cooking, saute ginger & garlic paste in butter in a skillet. Add the spices to the ginger & garlic, and combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Finish the tomato base: Add the tomato puree to the skillet, and cook for 5 minutes or until the excess water has evaporated and the tomato mixture has thickened. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
Release the pressure: Quick release the pressure once the lentils are done cooking. Set the Instant Pot to sauté on HI. Remove the top layer of the water off of the lentils.
Add the tomato base: Add the tomato puree mixture to the lentils, and combine. Lightly mash some of the lentils down to make the dal thicker. Let the dal simmer for 10 minutes.
Finish the dal: Finish the dal with heavy whipping cream and butter, and serve with plain rice, onion pulao, or naan.

Notes

If you did not soak your lentils and kidney beans you can still make this recipe, however the pressure cooking time will increase. You will need to pressure cook the lentils and kidney beans for 40 minutes on HI, with a quick release.

Nutrition