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Lentil Veggie Dhansak Recipe. Dal and vegetables cooked with spices. Parsi dhansak Recipe. Make this dal dhansak in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or in a Saucepan. Serve over rice or flatbread or garlic bread. Vegan Gluten-free Soyfree Nut-free Indian Recipe.
Dhansak /dansak /dhan saak is an Indian dish from the Parsi community. It has various regional adaptations. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine (cuisine of the state of Gujarat). Dhansak generally is made by cooking some meat with a mixture of lentils and vegetables, while the vegetarian version uses just lentils and veggies.
Dhansak can be simply spiced to retain the flavors of the vegetables or lentils, or can be flavored with various spices. It is often served over caramelized onion rice (rice cooked with caramelized onions). This version is a simply spiced dhansak with a combination of lentils, vegetables and greens. Use any vegetables in this amazing dish.
Flexible to your palate and a delicious 1 Pot meal. Perfect to use up the assorted seasonal veggies and greens and so flavorful. Make it in an Instant Pot or in a saucepan, but definitely make this simple, delicious and nutritious meal! The fresh raw ginger and chile in the lentils and veggies make it a different and fresh flavored stew.
Dhan means grains and Saak/Shak means vegetables. This Vegetable Dal curry is served over brown rice, which is rice cooked with caramelized onion. To make the rice, caramelize an onion with 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt. Add rice, water, salt and bay leaf and cook the rice until done to preference. The version in the pictures has only a few fenugreek leaves for the greens which are mixed in, hence all the prominent yellow dal.
If you make this, do let me know in the comments how it worked for you and also rate the recipe.
More 1 pot Veggie Meals from the blog
- Kohlapuri Veggies – Veggies in sesame coonut sauce
- Mushroom Matar Masala
- Bombay Potato and Peas
- Tofu in Spinach Curry – Saag Tofu
Veggie Lentil Dhansak Instant Pot
Ingredients
Dal and Veggies:
- 3/4 cup total split dals, combination of red lentils(masoor dal and yellow lentils(mung dal) or toor and moong dal)
- 2 cups chopped vegetables (heaped), such as cauliflower, eggplant, zuchhini, opo squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli etc)
- 1 cup packed chopped greens, such as spinach, fresh fenugreek leaves, mustard leaves, chard or amaranth
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 hot green chile minced
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp dhana jeera powder* , or 1/2 tsp garam masala + 1/2 tsp coriander powder + a good pinch of ground cloves
Tempering:
- 1 tsp oil
- 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (heaped)
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala, or more as needed
Instructions
- Soak the dals for 15 mins to half hour. Drain and combine in a pressure cooker/Instant pot with the vegetables, and the rest of the ingredients under Dals and Veggies(ginger, garlic, spices)and 2.5 to 3 cups water. Cook for 3 minutes on manual (high pressure). Let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile, make the tempering. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add mustard and cumin seeds and let them start to pop. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. (a heavy bottom pan, a good pinch of salt and stirring at regular intervals gives an even golden onion). Add garam masala and mix in .
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid. At this point you can mash the veggies and lentils for a more traditional version..
- Mix in half the tempering into the lentil vegetable mixture in the Instant Pot. Taste and adjust salt and heat(cayenne). Add more salt and garam masala if needed. Garnish with the remaining half tempering, cilantro and lemon juice and serve.
- Serve with rice, flatbread, toasted bread or garlic bread, garlic naan and kachumbar salad (cucumber tomato onion salad).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very delicious recipe! My husband and I had to leave the house for the day and we were looking for a quick meal to prepare and carry with us in our thermoses. We found this recipe, quickly made it and it was amazing! We used whatever veggies we had left in the fridge: zucchini, bell pepper, Brussels sprouts and sweet potato, and we ate it with the Kachumber salad. It was perfect!
Thanks for another amazing creation! <3
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I just made it, and it is delicious. I like how different it tastes. Thanks!
yay! thank you!
Oh wow! This was unbelievably good. My meat loving teenage boys were raving about it. Very fresh tasting. I used fresh fenugreek for the greens in it – I’d never tried fenugreek before and it was delicious. I also learnt from the guy in the shop where I bought it that it has amazing health properties! We had the dhansak with kachumba as you suggested and it went together so well. I made roti as well. Thank you for this amazing recipe, and also for introducing us to the fascinating world of the Parsi. We googled ‘who are the Parsi’ and watched a really interesting YouTube video about them. So unsurprised to hear that they are famous for their good food! Thank you again, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
that’s so great! thank you for sharing, i’m glad the recipe and its origin opened some new doors for you!
Made this from the cookbook, absolutely love the flavor! Wonder if I measured something wrong though as it easily makes 4 good sized bowls not the 2 it says it serves. Certainly not complaining about having leftovers as it’s delicious but wonder if anyone found them same?
I used butternut squash and cauliflower as my veg and it was pretty thick
I guess it depends on the size of bowl. I just made this recipe with 1 cup of zucchini and 1 cup of broccoli and it makes about 2 bowls. I use one from IKEA (16 cm).
Hi I would like to try this recipe. Do you know how long I would cook it in a stove top pressure cooker. I’m a beginner with a pressure cooker 😅. Many thanks
Usually same time. Cook a minute less as stove tops cook at higher pressure
Hello – I’m making this now for an event and excited to see how it tastes. One question the salt and garam masala that you list for the tempering, is that listed as an amount to try and use as reserve to work with or should the full amount be added to the tempering? I couldn’t see in the instructions where they are used. Many thanks and a joyous 2022 to you and your family! <3
Add just the garam masala to the onion
I made a few variations to this recipe and it is SO GOOD. First instead of doing the tempering in a separate pan, I did it straight in the instant pot first. After it was tempered, I added frozen cauliflower, frozen green beans, frozen squash, frozen peas/carrots, and potatoes. I tripled the recipe so I used 2 cups red lentils (soaked) and 4 cups of water. It tuned out mushy but I like it that way! I ate it with rice and homemade raita (oat yogurt). 5 stars.
Awesome! Most Dals are mushy as the preferred texture. Just adjust cook times to texture preference