I grew up not enjoying certain vegetables and Dill was high up on that list. I grew up in a family where we were expected to eat whatever was served for our main meals uncomplainingly. This probably is the reason that I now truly appreciate the unique flavors and textures of so many different vegetables and fruits. Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Minstry of Curry After I had left home and gotten married my mom reintroduced me to Dill again and this time I LOVED it. I appreciated the flavors so much more that it then became a repeat dish in my kitchen. My boys grew up eating this and never once complained the way I would as a child, and that makes really happy and proud. Doesn’t life get much easier when the whole family enjoys the same meal?
What is Dill?
An aromatic herb from the fennel family, this leafy vegetable is widely grown in Europe and Asia. More commonly the leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavoring food. In India, these leaves are often used in making curries and lentils.
What is a daal?
The word daal has 2 meanings: Check out this interesting article on the dozens of varieties of lentils and beans used in Indian cooking. This garlic dill lentils recipe is a variation of the authentic Maharashtrian dill curry. We love the flavors with lots of garlic and the creaminess of these well-cooked, blended lentils along with the chickpea flour. You can use yellow moong daal or orange masoor daal and the recipe uses only a few spices - mustard seeds (can substitute with cumin seeds), asafetida (optional), turmeric, and curry leaves.
Why add gram flour?
Gram flour works great as a thicker in this dish. It adds creaminess and earthy flavors to the dish.
Step by step recipe
Start with giving a good rinse to the dill leaves and dry them with paper towels. Cut and discard the bottom one-third of the bunch that has thick stems and roots. Then pluck out the leaves that are attached to the skinny stems, discarding any remaining thick steams.
Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and make the tadka. “Tadka” is a hindi word for tempering where spices are cooked in hot oil or ghee and poured over the finished dish. This adds flavor as well as earthy aromas to the final dish. Add mustard seeds to the hot oil and allow them to pop. Then add asafetida, turmeric, chiles, garlic, curry leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic turns golden brown and aromatic.
Carefully take out the tempering and reserve. Add lentils, chopped dill, salt, and water to the Instant Pot. Mix well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release. Quick-release remaining pressure.
Mash the lentils with a potato masher, immersion blender, or the back of a spoon. Stir in gram flour mixed in water and half of the reserved tempering. Bring the lentils to a gentle boil.
Note - That the lentils will continue to thicken as they cool down. Take out the lentils in a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining tempering.
Serving
Enjoy hot with Instant Pot Basmati Rice and Parathas or Roti. Pair the meal with a delicious Cucumber Salad or Cabbage Salad for a satisfying vegetarian Indian meal. In addition to this Garlic Dill Lentils are a few other Instant Pot lentil recipes you will enjoy:
Dill Dhokli Spinach Daal Daal Makhani Daal Dhokli Mixed Lentils Khichdi Sprouted Lentils Khichdi
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Recipe
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