Dhansak is a very popular dish from the Parsi community in India. “Dhan” means grain and Sak means “vegetables”. It is a wonderful recipe for using those unused vegetables in your fridge. Veg dhansak is a delicious combination of lentils and veggies in addition to being super nutritious and filling.
Ingredients Needed For Veg Dhansak?
We will need:
Split Red lentil Pigeon Peas Split Yellow Lentils Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine Pumpkin Spinach Leaves Fresh Fenugreek Leaves(Optional) Zucchini/Squash/Lauki Ginger Garlic Onion Green Chili Lime/Lemon Juice Dry Red Chilli(optional) Whole Coriander Seeds Whole Cumin Seeds Cinnamon Cloves Salt Turmeric Black Mustard Seeds
As usual, we bought lots of green vegetables last weekend. While coming back we thought about ways to incorporate those vegetables into our diet, especially for the kids. Feeding them a few vegetables is always tricky, especially pumpkin, eggplant, and lauki/squash. This time I thought I will make this week a traditional veg/lentil recipe week. Every day I will cook a dish that combines lots of vegetables and lentils that represents a different regional cuisine. I am really excited about my idea and let’s see how it goes. I have a few amazing dish ideas and I am sure my readers will love that too. So for the start of this week, I chose Veg Dhansak.
Why Use Instant Pot?
I agree that traditional cooking methods are amazing and that they infuse a lot of flavor by slow-cooking lentils and vegetables in a pot. Since times are changed now and cooking which involves a lot of time, does not excite many people. I decided to make it in an instant pot. Instant pot cooking is easy, fuss-free, quick, and just amazing.
How to make Instant Pot Veg Dhansak?
I have simplified the recipe and divided it into Four parts.
Take three types of lentils(split red lentils. pigeon peas, and yellow lentils). Wash them and soak them in water for 10 minutes. Chop all the vegetables (I used pumpkin, eggplant, squash, spinach, and fenugreek leaves). Wash them and keep them aside. The second step is to make a masala/spice paste. Grind ginger, garlic, red chili, green chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds into a fine paste. Add turmeric and salt to that spice paste. Your dhansak spice mix is ready. The third step is to cook everything. Add oil to the instant pot. When it is hot enough, add the spice mix and cook it for 1-2 minutes till all the raw smell is gone. Add vegetables and lentils and mix the spice paste into everything. Add water and close the lid. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Let it release the pressure naturally. Remove the lid and use a hand blender to mix everything into a soup-like consistency. Squeeze the lime/lemon juice and mix nicely. The fourth part is to temper it. Temper dhansak with black mustard seeds, green chili, and cumin seeds. Taste it and garnish it with fresh cilantro. Serve it over rice or with bread. Enjoy.
What can we serve with veg dhansak?
It goes well with rice and any type of bread. Carrot & Peas Pulao Saffron Rice Baked Naan Bread Eggless Ladi Pav/Burger Buns
