A classic dal tadka but with squash! Because it’s fall and I’m feeling like steaming bowls of dal rice with assortments of squash are the way to go.
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It is now a cozy 75 degrees in LA which means my dal era is coming. But to be fair, my dal era is pretty much my entire life. So here’s a dal with acorn squash, which is adorable and one of the more underrated squashes. The hardest part of the recipe is definitely peeling the squash. Once you figure out how to do that, it comes together like any other dal. I’m using masoor (red lentil) and toor dal (split pigeon peas). You can pressure cook in a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot with squash of your choice. The nice part about being a certified squash hoarder is you’ll always have options so you can try a million combination of this.
You can make any tadka (tempering) you want, so here’s what I did. Start with mustard seeds and cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, ginger, garlic, green chili, and tomato. Pour the pressure cooked dal and squash into the pot. Making a big batch of dal is one thing that always makes me feel at home and at peace on these fall nights.
Squash Dal
Ingredients
- ½ cup red lentils
- ½ cup toor dal
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 medium acorn squash or another squash of choice, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- pinch of hing (asafetida)
- 1 serrano pepper, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 tomato, diced
Instructions
- Add lentils, water, salt, turmeric, and squash to the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker. In an Instant Pot, cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. I haven't tested this recipe in a regular pressure cooker, but cook a few minutes longer than you would usually cook dal to make sure the squash cooks through.
- To a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing. Let that sizzle for a minute.
- Add garlic, ginger, and serrano peppers. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the garlic and ginger are no longer raw. Add tomatoes and cook until everything stays together, so about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pressure-cooked dal to the saucepan. Simmer for a few minute in the saucepan. Taste to make sure you like it! Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.
For more dals and cozy fall recipes…
Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry
Ok! Thank you!
Red lentil and chana dal works! So does just red lentil 🙂
Wow it be okay to use red lentil dal and Chana dal? Or just red lentil dal entirely? I don’t have toor dal.