Hyderabadi Khatti Dal | Instant Pot Recipe

Hyderabadi Khatti Dal is a hearty and comforting lentil dish. It is tangy and absolutely delicious with the addition of tomatoes & tamarind.

I make this dal in the Instant pot and it is perfect to serve with rice or roti. It is also a part of my Hyderabadi thali along with veg biryani and mirchi baingan salan.

About the Recipe

I make dal or some kind of a lentil/ legume dishes, almost every day. Both my kids love dal and they can eat it almost every day. If I ever ask them what they want to eat for lunch, they'll definitely say rice and dal. I happily oblige and make them what they want -- little do they know that was on the menu to begin with 🙂

This Hyderabadi khatti dal is a hearty and comforting dish. It is basically Hyderabadi version of good old tomato dal.

The word 'khatti' means sour in hindi. So the sourness in this dish comes from tomatoes and tamarind. A nice dose of these 2 ingredients gives the dish a yummy tangy/ sour taste, hence the name 'khatti' dal.

The spices, ginger and garlic balance the sour flavor beautifully. It is simple and delicious dish with tons of flavor. Serve with plain white/ brown rice or roti or paratha. Add a vegetable side dish for a delicious meal.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients needed to make this Khatti daal:

• Toor dal or split pigeon lentils - available in Indian or most Asian groceries or International aisle of supermarkets.
• Tomatoes - fresh tomatoes are the best to use in the recipe. But you can also use canned diced tomatoes.
• Tamarind
• Ginger, garlic and green chilies
• Spices - ground coriander, red chili powder, turmeric and salt
• Tadka/ tempering - mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and hing

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Here is how to make Hyderabadi khatti dal recipe:

Soak toor dal for at least 1 hour. Drain well .Combine soaked dal along with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric and water in a pressure cooker. Mix well and cook for 4~6 whistles or until dal is very tender.

Alternately cook in an Instant Pot for 8~10 minutes on High Pressure.

Once the pressure comes down, open the lid and whisk the dal until smooth. Add tamarind pulp, green chilies, ground coriander, red chili powder and salt. If the mixture looks too thick, add more water. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 4~5 minutes.

Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add ghee and once it melts, add mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and cook until the seeds start to splutter.

Stir in hing and curry leaves and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour the tempering over the dal and mix well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Expert Tips

• I recommend using fresh tomatoes for the best flavor in this khatti dal. But if you don't have any fresh ones on hand, then feel free to use canned diced tomatoes.
• You can make this dal in Instant pot or a regular pressure cooker. Recipe card has instructions for both. But if you want to make this on the stove top, then combine the ingredients in a medium size saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer until lentils are very tender. This might take about 30 minutes.
• Leftover dal can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
• Sourness of tamarind varies from batch to batch. So adjust the amount in the recipe accordingly.

You might also like

Here are a few more vegetarian Hyderabadi dishes that you might like:

Recipe Card