Zucchini dal – A wholesome and nutritious dish packed with protein-rich lentils, vibrant zucchini, and aromatic spices. Perfect for a cozy dinner or meal prep.
On a hectic weekday, this dish is a filling dish easy to put together. A bowl of steamed rice, pickle, and papad served with this hearty dal makes a satisfying meal.
Zucchini is a low-carb, versatile vegetable that tastes bland and absorbs the flavours of whatever ingredients it is cooked with. The soft texture of the dal with tender chunky bites of zucchini complements the fluffy rice or roti perfectly.
If you prefer your curry to have texture and your zucchini retains its shape, you have to chop it into big chunks because this veggie doesn’t take long to soften. Small chunks get mushy and mix up with dal.
Why we love dal?
One pot dish
Prepared with basic Indian spices and zucchini
Gets ready in less than 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Vegatables: Zucchini (courgette), onion, tomato, curry leaves.
- Liquid: Oil, water and lemon juice.
- Spices and Lentils: Mustard, cumin seeds, moong dal, urad dal, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and coriander powder.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make zucchini dal in instant pot?
Rinse the lentils under running water until the water runs clear. Then, soak the lentils in water for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients on the kitchen platform and prep the vegetables.
Plug in the Instant Pot pressure cooker and select the “Sauté” function. Heat oil in the Instant Pot inner pot.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard, cumin seeds, urad dal and let them splutter.
Now add asafoetida and curry leaves and stir well.
Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add chopped tomatoes along with salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. Cook until the tomatoes become soft.
Add diced zucchini and mix everything well.
Press the “Cancel” function.
Drain the soaked lentils and add them to the Instant Pot. Stir well to combine with the zucchini mixture.
Add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot and stir well.
Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Cancel the “Sauté” function and select the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” function. Set the timer for 4 minutes on high pressure.
Once the timer goes off, allow natural pressure release for about 10 minutes, then carefully move the pressure valve to the vent position to manually release any remaining pressure.
Open the lid and check the consistency of the dal. If it’s too thick, you can add more water to adjust the consistency.
Add lemon juice and stir well.
Lightly mash the dal with the back of the spoon.
Serve hot with rice or chapati.
Substitutions and Variations
Coconut Milk: For a creamy texture and a hint of sweetness, you can substitute some of the water with coconut milk. This will add richness to the dish and complement the spices well.
Herbs and Seasonings: Experiment with different herbs and seasonings to add depth of flavour to the dal. Fresh herbs like coriander leaves could be added at the end.
Additional Vegetables: Feel free to add other vegetables along with zucchini to enhance the nutritional value and flavour of the dal. Spinach, carrots or green peas are some of the great options. You could also use minced ginger, garlic and chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Serving Suggestions
Serve zucchini dal with steamed white rice, brown rice, or basmati rice. You can also add a dollop of ghee or butter on top of the rice for extra richness.
Pair zucchini dal with your favorite Indian bread such as roti, naan, paratha, or chapati.
Serve zucchini dal as a comforting soup on its own or with simple side dishes such as roast potatoes, air fryer baby carrots or air fryer butternut squash. Ladle the hot dal into bowls and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve zucchini dal with a variety of Indian side dishes and accompaniments such as papadums, cucumber raita, pickles such as tomato pachadi, munakkaya pachadi or chutneys.
Storage
Fridge: Store leftover dal in a clean airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Place the desired portion in a saucepan and heat it on the stovetop over medium heat stirring regularly to prevent it from sticking to the base of the pan. Alternatively, reheat dal in a microwave in a heat proof container.
Tips and Tricks
Soak the lentils: If you have time, soak moong dal for about 30 minutes before cooking. This helps in reducing the cooking time and also aids in digestion.
Consistency: Based on your desired consistency, adjust the quantity of water. Use less water if you want it thicker and more water if you want it thinner.
Zucchini: To ensure that zucchini retains their shape while cooking, cut them into large chunks, like 2-inch cubes. Small pieces get mushy and blend in with the dal.
FAQ
Yes, both courgettes and zucchini are used to refer to the same vegetable. Courgette is a French word largely used in the UK whereas zucchini is an Italian word used widely in America.
Of course, you can freeze it. Prepare a big batch of zucchini dal and let it cool completely. Divide it into desired portions in freeze-friendly containers or ziplock bags and store them in the freezer.
You can store it for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Related
Looking for other dal recipes? Try these:
More Instant Pot Recipes
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you try this moong dal zucchini dal recipe. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
Zucchini Dal
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
- ½ Cup (or) 340 gms Moong Dal
- 2 Teaspoon Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Urad Dal
- big pinch Asafoetida/ Hing
- 1 sprig Curry Leaves remove leaves from stem
- 1 medium Onion chopped finely
- 1 large Tomato chopped
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder adjust to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powderr
- Salt as required
- 1.5 cups (or) 220 gms Zucchini (Courgette) cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1.5 Cups Water
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils under running water until the water runs clear. Then, soak the lentils in water for about 15 minutes.½ Cup (or) 340 gms Moong Dal
- Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients on the kitchen platform and prep the vegetables.
- Plug in the Instant Pot pressure cooker and select the "Sauté" function. Heat oil in the Instant Pot inner pot.2 Teaspoon Oil
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard, cumin seeds, urad dal and let them splutter.1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds, 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds, ½ Teaspoon Urad Dal
- Now add asafoetida and curry leaves and stir well.big pinch Asafoetida/ Hing, 1 sprig Curry Leaves
- Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.1 medium Onion
- Add chopped tomatoes along with salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. Cook until the tomatoes become soft.1 large Tomato, ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1.5 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powderr, Salt
- Add diced zucchini and mix everything well.1.5 cups (or) 220 gms Zucchini (Courgette)
- Press the "Cancel" function.
- Drain the soaked lentils and add them to the Instant Pot. Stir well to combine with the zucchini mixture.1.5 Cups Water, ½ Cup (or) 340 gms Moong Dal
- Add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Cancel the "Sauté" function and select the "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" function.
- Set the timer for 4 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the timer goes off, allow natural pressure release for about 10 minutes, then carefully move the pressure valve to the vent position to manually release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and check the consistency of the dal.
- If it's too thick, you can add more water to adjust the consistency.
- Add lemon juice and stir well.1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Serve hot with rice or chapati.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
