Instant Pot Dal Tadka | Mixed Dal Tadka with Beet Greens

Call it dal fry or dal tadka with beet greens or dal with beetroot leaves; this vegan mixed dal is a nutritious and delicious recipe perfect for those busy weeknight dinners. Pair it with roti or rice for a comforting meal. Learn how to make this delightful mixed dal tadka with beet greens in Instant Pot. 

While the entire food blogging world is posting Diwali/Deepavali delicacies, here I am, an odd woman out posting everyday dinner ideas. But I have shared my fair share of Diwali recipes this year, so I am back to my regular business of sharing easy family dinner ideas. 

Recently, I asked my Instagram followers what recipes they want to see on my blog. Unanimously many answered Instant Pot recipes, and also few asked for dal recipes with vegetables. Today, I am going to club those two requests and share this yummy Instant Pot mixed dal recipe with beet greens.

More Dal Recipes from my Archives:

This mixed dal tadka with beet greens is not my first dal recipe with vegetables and greens. You can find,

• red lentils with broccoli, 
• yellow cucumber dal, 
• Oriya special dalma, 
• tender jackfruit and lentils curry, 
• green lentils with spinach, 
• Bengali style mixed vegetable dal
• Creamy spinach curry with mixed lentils and many more on my blog.

Now I can hear you all asking, “how many dal recipes will be posting Vidhya, and aren’t they all similar?” My answer is – I seriously don’t know how many dal recipes am I going to post. Most of the dal recipes are similar, but there are subtle differences, and believe me, those subtle variations make a huge difference. 

Now let’s talk more about this dal and the ingredients:

Mixed Lentils:

I used 2 tbsps of split pigeon peas (toor dal), yellow moong beans (moong dal), red lentils (masoor dal), and split desi chickpeas (chana dal). But you can use just one of the dals or vary the proportions according to your preference or use any combo of your choice. 

Beet Greens:

I love beetroots. Period. :-) But guess what, beet greens are the most nutrient-rich part of the plant, and it is packed with nutrients and minerals. (Ref – WHFoods) Now, if you find fresh beets with beautiful greens, grab them right away, and please don’t discard those stems and greens. Beet stems and greens are edible, and they are more like our regular spinach or swiss chard. 

This recipe is more like dal palak but instead of regular spinach we are using beet greens.

Tempering | Tadka:

For this dal recipe, I used coconut oil as I wanted to keep it vegan. But you can use ghee/clarified butter for tempering. I tempered this dal with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing. Then sauteed onion along with the ginger-garlic paste. You can make this recipe without onion and garlic, as well.

Spices Used:

Along with salt and turmeric powder, I added garam masala and red chili powder in this. When it comes to spice powders, the sky is the limit. You can add coriander powder, cumin powder, or store-bought dal masala powder according to your preference.

Recipe Notes-

• Onion & Beet Greens Measure: I used half of the red onion, and after chopping, it was approx ¾ cup. You can use 1 cup of chopped onion or ½ cup according to the onion size.
  Also, I used my entire beet greens, which was approx 3 cups. You can use from 1 to 4 cups for this recipe, but not more than that.
• As mentioned before, adjust lentil proportions according to your preference and mix and match lentils likewise.
• Adjust the salt and spice according to your taste preference.
• Skip asafoetida to make it gluten-free or use gluten-free asafoetida.
• You can use any oil, but coconut oil enhances the flavor for sure.

Now without any further delay here is the detailed mixed dal tadka with beet greens recipe with step-wise pictures.

Mixed Dal Tadka with Beet Greens | Instant Pot Version:

• Wash the lentils and drain the water. Let it soak in water for 10 minutes or until you saute the onion and beet greens.
• Set the Instant Pot on saute mode, and when the display shows “HOT,” add the coconut oil.
• After 30 seconds, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing. Let the mustard seeds sputter. 
• Then add the chopped onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the onion turns soft. It usually takes about 4 to 5 minutes.

• Once the onion turns soft, add the beet greens and mix it well.

• Now add all the spices, including – salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and garam masala. Mix it.

• Drain the water from the dal, and add it to beet greens.

• Add three cups of water and mix. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

• Now press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Pressure cook for 20 minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.

• When the pressure is all released, open the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot in “Saute Mode” again. 
• Mix and mash the cooked lentils with the back of a spatula or using a potato masher.
• Then allow the lentils to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and press the cancel button.

• Yummy mixed dal tadka with beet greens is ready. Relish it as is or with rice or Indian flat-bread.

Mixed Dal Tadka | Stove-Top Pressure Cooker Version:

• Heat a pressure pan or pressure cooker and add the oil. After 30 seconds, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing. Let the mustard seeds sputter. Then add the chopped onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the onion turns soft. It usually takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the onion becomes soft, add the beet greens and mix it well.
• Now add all the spices, including – salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and garam masala. Mix it.
• Drain the water from the dal, and add it to beet greens.
• Add three cups of water and mix. Close the pressure cooker and cook this for three to four whistles/hisses. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the pressure cooker lid and mash the dal. Allow the dal to simmer over medium heat for 3 to four minutes. And that’s it. Yummy dal is ready. 

PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this beet greens dal recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. 

I am sending this post to Blogging Marathon 105 under the theme “Easy Sides for Rice and Roti”. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#105

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4.67 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Dal Tadka | Mixed Dal Tadka with Beet Greens

Mixed dal tadka with beet greens in Instant Pot - this mixed dal tadka is a nutritious & delicious recipe perfect for those busy weeknight dinners.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 93kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Instant Pot or Stove-Top Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tbsp coconut oil
• ▢ ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ ½ tsp asafoetida
• ▢ ¾ cup onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• ▢ 3 cups beet greens cleaned and chopped
• ▢ 1.5 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 tsp red chili powder
• ▢ 1 tsp garam masala
• ▢ 2 tbsp toor dal
• ▢ 2 tbsp split desi chickpeas
• ▢ 2 tbsp red lentils
• ▢ 2 tbsp yellow moong dal
• ▢ 3 cups water

Instructions

• Wash the lentils and drain the water. Let it soak in water for 10 minutes or until you saute the onion and beet greens.
• Set the Instant Pot on saute mode, and when the display shows "HOT," add the coconut oil.
• After 30 seconds, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing. Let the mustard seeds sputter.
• Then add the chopped onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the onion turns soft. It usually takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Once the onion turns soft, add the beet greens and mix it well.
• Now add all the spices, including - salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and garam masala. Mix it.
• Drain the water from the dal, and add it to beet greens.
• Add three cups of water and mix. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot.
• Now press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Pressure cook for 20 minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
• When the pressure is all released, open the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot in "Saute Mode" again.
• Mix and mash the cooked lentils with the back of a spatula or using a potato masher.
• Then allow the lentils to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and press the cancel button.
• Yummy mixed dal tadka with beet greens is ready. Relish it as is or with rice or Indian flat-bread.

Notes

• Onion & Beet Greens Measure: I used half of the red onion, and after chopping, it was approx ¾ cup. You can use 1 cup of chopped onion or ½ cup according to the onion size.
• Also, I used my entire beet greens, which was approx 3 cups. You can use from 1 to 4 cups for this recipe, but not more than that.
• As mentioned before, adjust lentil proportions according to your preference and mix and match lentils likewise.
• Adjust the salt and spice according to your taste preference.
• Skip asafoetida to make it gluten-free or use gluten-free asafoetida.
• You can use any oil, but coconut oil enhances the flavor for sure.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1345IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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