Happiness in a bowl is just a few short steps away.
We all have those go-to comfort recipes. You know, the ones that make us just want to snuggle up in front of the TV, not a soul around to ask us any questions, or shout “MOM! COME SEE THIS!!” from across the house. Oh yes, my tired friend, this Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry makes me really happy, and yes, there is hope it will make dinner time happy for you too.
I feel like I’ve been making a lot of things in the Instant Pot lately and for good reason. You can chuck whatever ingredients you need in the insert, press a few buttons, and walk away. I love my traditional pressure cooker as well, but who has the time to babysit dinner when you have little people running around the house? That’s what I love about this curry: a handful of real food ingredients, no browning, no stirring, just drop it in and walk away. Honestly, the rice takes longer to cook, and honestly, I’ve eaten this plenty of times without it.
Enough with the description already, how do I make it?
When I make this Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry, I like to start off with the rice, as it takes the longest to prepare. Side note, Basmati rice really needs to be rinsed until the water runs clear, don’t skip this step; it’s the secret to light and fluffy rice. And if you don’t have a rice cooker, by all mean, get over to Amazon and find yourself one. Here is the one I have, it’s been going strong for over 10 years now.
Ok, back to this curry. Get your rice going in the rice cooker, then you can focus on bigger things, like getting the lentils and veggies into the Instant Pot. When dicing the veggies, don’t spend too much time on perfecting. With the high pressure, just about everything turns into the most delicious creamy blend you can imagine. Add all your curry ingredients, set to 6 minutes on high and walk away. But, be sure to come back to do a quick release!
The most important part of this recipe is the flavor boost. In many Indian cooking recipes, the spices are toasted in a bit in oil to bring out their flavors; this recipe is no different. Add your oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium high until the oil is shimmering. Then, toss in your spices and quickly stir until they are nice and fragrant, which takes about 20 seconds. Pour into your curry, stir, add a teaspoon of kosher salt and serve. Our favorite way to eat this is with rice, topped with some chopped cashews and cilantro.
Hold up, I thought you said this was family friendly.
“But my children still won’t eat it!” I hear you, oh do I hear you. My kids are fairly picky as well. When they were younger and really fought any “mystery item” in their food, I would blend it up with a little chicken stock and either serve with naan or rice. Give it a try and see if this becomes your next favorite healthy comfort food.
enjoy!
xx
the turnips + tantrums team
Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients
The Base
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 serrano halved
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cups water
The Flavor Boost
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
The Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed until water is clear
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
- cashews chopped
Instructions
- Add all of the rice ingredients to a rice cooker and get going.
- Add all of the “Base” ingredients to your pressure cooker and cook at High pressure for 6 minutes and quick release.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a sauté pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add all the “flavor boost” ingredients and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture and 1 tsp kosher salt into lentils and stir.
- Serve with rice. Garnish with cilantro and cashews.
Nutrition
Recipe Source: Inspired by Aarti Sequeira, “Mum’s Everyday Red Lentils.”
Looking for our other Instant Pot Curried Lentil Stew? You can find it here.