How do you soak kidney beans in the Instant Pot?

You can soak kidney beans overnight by adding them to a pot or bowl and covering them with twice the amount of water. You can quick-soak them in the Instant Pot by adding the beans and adding water about 1-inch above the beans. Close the Instant Pot lid, set the steam handle to Sealing, and cook the beans on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the beans to naturally release until the float valve returns to the down position (15-30 minutes).

Is there a vegan substitute for creamed cashews?

If you are sensitive to nuts or want to avoid cashews, you can use plant-based milk such as oat milk to add a bit of creamy flavor. Alternatively, you can use sunflower seeds. Grind dry seeds into a fine powder before blending it with water to create a cream.

Can I use another lentil besides black lentils for dal makhani?

If you want a substitute for black (Beluga) lentils for dal makhani, you can try whole mung beans or French (Puy) lentils. If you use red lentils, make sure they are whole lentils, not split. They will break down quite a bit and not maintain their shape as well as black lentils.

Instant Pot vegan dal makhani (black lentil dahl)

A bowl of vegan dal makhani with a spoon.

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Instant Pot vegan dal makhani (black lentil dahl) is healthy decadence with every spoonful and easy to make in your favorite pressure cooker.

Author: Denise
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 60 min
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: curries
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 teaspoons of fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 cup black lentils (Beluga lentils), rinsed
1/2 cup dried red kidney beans, rinsed
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 jalapenos or green chilis, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of salt
3 1/2 cups of water or vegetable broth
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes (15 ounces or 400 grams)
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup of water
Lemon wedges (optional)

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Instructions

In the Instant Pot or a small skillet, toast the fenugreek, coriander, and cumin seeds. Heat whichever you are using first, then add the seeds. Toss them for 1 minute until they start to get fragrant. Remove from the heat, then transfer the seeds to a spice grinder or mortar. Grind the seeds until they are broken down.
Turn the Instant Pot to the High Sauté function and add the onions, jalapenos, and crushed spices. Cook them for about 5 minutes until they start to soften and get translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook for 30 seconds and stir to coat the vegetables.
Turn off the Sauté function. Add the water or vegetable broth and tomatoes to deglaze the Instant Pot bottom. Use a wooden spoon to clear the ingredients from the bottom of the pot.
Add the lentils and kidney beans. Secure the Instant Pot lid. Set the pressure handle to Sealing, then set the timer for High Pressure for 40 minutes, turning off the warming function.
While the dal cooks, drain the cashews and place them in a blender. Add ½ a cup of water and blend until smooth. Set aside until the dal is done.
Once the timer goes off, allow for 15 minutes of natural release before unsealing the steam handle and removing the lid.
Once you have the lid off of the Instant Pot, stir in the cashew cream. If the dal is too thick, add more water. If you find it too thin or the beans aren't done, allow it to sauté for another 5 minutes or more with the lid off.
Serve the dal in big bowls, with rice if you like, or just garnished with some diced red onions and chopped cilantro.

Notes

If your kidney beans are older or you suffer from stomach upset from cooked beans, you may want to soak them overnight before cooking them. (see the post for quick-soaking beans in the Instant Pot). If you use soaked beans, reduce the pressure-cooking time to 35 minutes.
A substitute for creamed cashews could be oat milk or another thicker, plant milk. You can also use sunflower cream by grinding ½ a cup of sunflower seeds into a fine powder and blending it with water.
To freeze dal makhani, allow it to cool completely, and place it in airtight containers or freezer bags.
When reheating the dal, you may want to add a bit of broth or water as it will thicken as it cools.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 278
Sugar: 5.7 g
Sodium: 838.2 mg
Fat: 6.6 g
Carbohydrates: 43.2 g
Protein: 15.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Find it online: https://veganwithgusto.com/instant-pot-vegan-dal-makhani-black-lentil-dahl/