Rainbow Chard Veggie Dal (Instant Pot)
This colorful and nutritious stew with rainbow chard and yellow split peas makes use of an abundance of seasonal summer produce and is super easy to make in the instant pot.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker/instant pot
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups yellow split peas
- ¼ cup rice white rice
- 5 cups water or broth
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3-4 bell peppers or shepherd peppers diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 bunch rainbow chard chopped (discard the ends of the stalks if too tough)
- 2 jalapenos chopped small (optional)
- 3 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 3-4 green cardamom pods grind open with a motor and pestle
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chili powder kashmiri
- Pinch asafoetida/ hing optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add yellow split peas/chana dal, rice, water/broth, carrots, peppers, tomato and half the chard (see note 1) into Instant Pot. Pressure cook low for 6-7 minutes (7 for mushier texture). Natural release for 10 minutes. Open the lid, then stir in the remaining chopped rainbow chard.
- Make the tadka/tempering by heating the ghee or oil in a small pot. Add the cumin seeds and open cardamon pods and roast until fragrant (around 30 seconds). Turn off heat, then add the turmeric, chili powder, and asafoetida, if using. Immediately transfer the oil and spices into the pot of dal, stirring to combine.
- Add salt to taste and adjust consistency by adding water or broth.
Notes
Note 1: Rainbow chard can be added at the beginning or stirred in at the end (while the dal is hot and simmering but after the 10-minute natural release). Adding the rainbow chard at the beginning will ensure more consistent texture, while stirring in the chard at the end will lead to crunchier bits and more vibrancy. I like to add half the chard in with the dal to pressure cook, and stir in the remainder afterwards for diversity.