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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.
Made this tonight for dinner along with the Kachumbar salad. It was an easy, one pot meal that didn’t take long to make. We loved it! It was complex and perfectly spiced. We also made some papadum to go with it. Yum! We’ll be making this again.
Awesome!
Hi Richa
I used my new instant pot for the first time and made this. The texture was good, but I found the taste was actually really bland – I had to add quite a bit of salt afterwards to give it any flavour. The chilli gave it heat but it was missing the “depth” of flavour I was hoping for….what do you think I did wrong? I used cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato and mushrooms for the veg, and a mix of lentils as you suggested. Help!
Hmm, it could be either of some things. The spices (old and hence not enough payback or new), correct salt amount to preference, how long the whole spices are tempered as they release a lot of flavor when roasted correctly. Amount and type of veggies, heartier veggies will need additional spice. You can double the tempering for added flavor. Or it could just be this dish. Not all Indian dishes are strong or complex flavored. Many Everyday meals use light spices to keep the wholesome flavor of veggies or the lentils.
Ok thanks! I’ll try longer tempering and invest in some new spices! Kind regards J
I just updated the recipe, i had forgotten to add salt while cooking the lentils. So that might be why it was bland.
I made this today, as I had everything on hand. For vegetables, I put cauliflower, broccoli and a sweet potato. I had a bit of spinach and beet leaves that needed to be used fast. I used a regular pot, and mashed the veggies. This was beyond my expectations! I shall make this again, even if I have to hunt for ingredients. Thank you.
Sounds awesome!
I made this a few weeks ago and it was very nice. Different spicing for me, but still comforting–does that make sense? Anyway, I froze some, and I think it was even better that time. I think next time, I will make even more of the tempering, bc I really liked what it added to the final flavor of the dish 😀
Yes definitely. I usually add a medium amount for the blog recipes. Mustard seeds add a slight bitter after profile which can be an acquired flavor in larger amounts. If you like them then the spices can easily be doubled in the tempering along with more of the garlic and onion
Thank you for this recipe! We are Parsi and my mom always made dhansak for special occasions. Hers had mint leaves and methi added 🙂 I love your blog and will be ordering your book.
Thanks! mint will be amazing in it!
I made this using okra, cauliflower and mustard greens, and I pureed the soup. It was pretty good, but I didn’t like the greenish colour. Next time, I’ll go with cauliflower and carrots, and will add the greens after the pureeing stage. Also, I added kala namak to the soup. Not traditional maybe, but I found this really enlivened the dal. This is the best dal I have made so far.
Awesome! yes some kala namak or chaat masala is like a zing from lemon or other refreshing tang
One more question, sorry but I love your recipes so much I want to make this as you did……..I see carrots and cauliflower in there, any other veggies?
I used carrots, cauliflower some leftover sweet potato and zucchini in small quantities and a handful of spinach.
What is the red, almost looks like onions on the top?
they are onions. The tempering of onions, garlic and spices. Half of which is mixed in and the other half is used as garnish
Thank you!!!!!!!
Richa, this was wonderful! So easy and full of flavor. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂