You may have had pumpkin soup… but what about pumpkin dal?
It’s officially pumpkin season and while I love a good pumpkin-themed dessert (hint hint: Pumpkin Spice Donuts from my new e-book that you can get right here!), I don’t want y’all to sleep on the world of savory possibilities with pumpkin. Pumpkin actually has a pretty mild flavor so it’s the perfect way to seamlessly thicken up dals, curries, and even pasta sauces.
Buuut if you actually want to bring out the flavor of pumpkin, you can incorporate lots of warming spices like ginger, clove, and nutmeg right into your savory dishes. As a shortcut, I just like to use some combination of pumpkin pie spice and garam masala. I promise it won’t make your food taste like a spicy pumpkin pie! Trust the process.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Dal (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal (aka split pigeon peas), rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water (I like to do 1 1/2 cups each)
- neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Select the Sauté function on your Instant Pot and set the timer for 4 minutes. Heat up some oil and add mustard seeds and diced onions. Sauté the onions for 2 - 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Once the onions and garlic are cooked through and fragrant, cancel the Sauté function. Add pumpkin, curry powder, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, and red chili powder and mix well with a spatula to break down the pumpkin and incorporate flavors.
- Add toor dal and vegetable broth or water to the Pot. Stir well to combine.
- Seal the Instant Pot, ensure the pressure valve is turned to 'Sealing' and select the Pressure Cook function. Pressure cook on High for 9 minutes.
- After 9 minutes, allow the pressure to naturally release for an additional 5 - 6 minutes.
- Using a dishtowel or oven mitt, carefully turn the pressure valve from 'Sealing' to 'Venting.' Once you see the metal rod click back down, open the Instant Pot and give the dal a stir.
- *At this point the lentils should be cooked all the way through and the mixture should be fairly thick and uniform. If you think the dal is undercooked and/or too dry, add more water and repeat step (4) for an additional 3 - 4 minutes.
- Salt to taste and serve dal warm as a soup or over basmati rice.