Learn how to cook diffrent types of Dal / Lentils in traditional pressure cooker or instant pot and freeze them for months.
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: meal prep
Cuisine: Indian
Author: Mullai Madavan
Equipment
Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
1cupSplit Pigeon Peas or lentil of choice
1tspSplit red gram / Masoor daloptional
2cupsWater
1/4tspTurmeric powder
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Method
Choose a lentil that you would like to cook in bulk.
Cover it with enough water and soak for at least 30 minutes.
Wash the rinse the lentil a few times and then place in the pressure cooker.
If planning to cook multiple lentils then fill the cooker pot with about some water, about 2 inch from the base. Place a trivet / steel stand to stack more pans.
Fill individual pan with the lentil along with the measure of water to cook and stack them.
Cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
Once the pressure settles, open and let them cool for few minutes.
Mash it well and keep them aside.
Instant Pot Method
Choose a lentil that you would like to cook in bulk.
Cover it with enough water and soak for at least 30 minutes.
Wash the rinse the lentil a few times and then place in the pressure cooker.
If planning to cook multiple lentils then fill the inner pot with about some water, about 2 inch from the base. Place a trivet / steel stand to stack more pans.
Fill individual pan with the lentil along with the measure of water to cook and stack them.
Either pick the Bean / Chilli mode to cook the lentils or Manual Pressure Cook Mode, select High Pressure and cook for 30 minutes.
Let the pressure settle naturally.
Once its cooked let it cool and them mash lightly. Keep this aside.
How to Freeze
Lentil / Dal should be completely cooled down before freezing.
This preparation method cooks the lentil to perfect texture and doesn't need much mashing. Just gently mix and cool which will eventually turn the dal / lentil dense.
Portion as per you needs and fill them in freezer safe ziplock bags.
Remove any air bubbles before sealing. air bubbles may cause tiny ice crystals to appear when its frozen. Press the pack firmly to remove any air and then seal the zipper.
Name and Date the packs and store in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator.
Take them out as needed and defrost at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes and then its ready to be used.
Video
Notes
Adding little masoor dal / split red lentil enhances the flavor. It is purely optional.Adding extra water while cooking dal has some benefit factor too. After cooking the dal water separates on top, you can filter that and use for making any kind of rasam. Freeze the thick dal that settles at the bottom. Check my post on How to cook dal in an Instant Potfor a detailed post.