Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry - A scrumptious Vegan meal with lots of fiber and nutrients from both the lentils and spinach.
This Easy to make Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry or you can even call it Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup / Spinach Lentil Soup recipe is a healthy Instant Pot Vegan recipe that makes a perfect Meatless Monday Dinner.
Brown Lentil we also call it Whole Masoor Dal in India. Dal or Dhal is the most essential staple dish of Indian Cuisine. Every household has their favorite and different methods of making Dal. My family is Dal lover and prefer to have it in every meal.
We love, especially my son, love all kinds of Dals like dal tadka, Gujarati dal, lasooni dal, Urad dal, kale with moong dal, Dal makhani, Dhaba style dal, smoky dal, etc. We want our dal with bold flavors with some tadka, some masala not with just salt and turmeric.
The steps to making this Lentil curry recipe are pretty simple and totally easy and doable on the weekday. You don't need to do extra prep, no last-minute grocery trips because the ingredients are not fancy and easily available in your pantry. Plus it really doesn't take too much time and you will have finger licking one pot goodness on the table in 30 minutes.
Before starting a recipe, let's talk about Brown lentils, how to cook and what to eat with.
Lentils and Spinach are nutritious. They are extremely high in folate, iron, and magnesium. Eat with rice, roti or naan and you have an incredibly substantial plant-based meal.
How to cook dried lentils in pressure cooker / Instant Pot?
I love my Instant Pot. I have tried so many dishes, some I have already Shared and some are coming soon. One of my favorites is cooking dried lentils and making curries. Cooking Lentils in instant pot is so much easier than the stove pot method. You can literally throw them in the Instant Pot with some liquid, walk away and come back to perfectly cooked lentils without ruining its texture. Lentil Cooking times vary from recipe to recipe. For softer texture like soup and curry, you can cook them up to 15 minutes. and If you want to use them in salads or wraps cook them for 8 to 10 minutes to keep them whole and firm.
What to do with Lentil?
We make so many dishes with lentils. Like Lentil and quinoa soup, Lentil Chili, Sev masoor, Palak Masoor Dal, Lentil Potato curry etc.. You can add it into your salads or any stew or simply make pulao.
Lentil to water ratio
I make Lentil Curry little bit soupy consistence, and that why we also call it Instant Pot Lentil Soup. So my lentil to Water ration is 1:3 cups. If you want to make it very thick, use 2 cups of water.
How to season the Lentils?
In this Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Preparation, I have used far fewer spices than most Indian curries. This recipe calls for simple spices like Turmeric, salt, Chili powder and garam masala. That's It!!
How long does it take to cook lentil Curry?
It took me around 30 minutes from start to finish to make this Instant Pot Creamy Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry.
This Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry is packed with full of Indian Flavors. In addition to its flavors, what we love about this instant pot lentil curry is its indulgent, creamy and rich texture from the coconut milk.
Coconut Lentil Curry Recipe is one of the best lentil curry recipes and is ridiculously simple to make. This is a rich,
thick,
creamy,
perfect,
saucy,
easy,
hearty,
cheap,
versatile
and absolutely Delicious Brown Lentil recipe. And one more thing about curry which I like is, it freezes so well. Make it in a big batch and enjoy it all week long!
This Spinach Lentil Curry contains aromatic spice. It is suitable for young children (Skip or reduce the quantity of the chili powder and garam masala) as well.
Vegetarian Lentil curry is great as a main meal rather than as a side dish like the more traditional Indian Dhal / Dal.
How to make Dhal Curry / Instant Pot Lentil curry?
The base of this recipe is garlic, ginger, onion, and tomatoes sauteed in oil and some Indian Spices. All are cooked in the Instant Pot on saute mode and then add Dhal / Lentil / Dal. Pressure cook it for 15 minutes and release the pressure. Add some baby spinach and coconut milk to add creaminess and balance the heat. So simple!!
Cooking lentils in an Instant pot make them creamy while maintaining just enough texture. Making Lentils in an Instant pot requires only one pot and its hand free. You don't need to baby seat.
Are Soaking Lentils required for making this Lentil Curry?
Unlike cooking lentils on the stove top, you don't need to soak lentils in advance when you make them in instant pot.
It is delicious on their own. But We love to eat lentils with rice too. It's super satisfying meal. I made this Coconut Lentil Spinach Curry with white rice but you can use any type of rice you want or even other grains like quinoa, buckwheat or with Naan or Paratha.