This is a fantastically flavourful lentil stew, inspired by this fabulous Dal Makhany recipe. However, for the sake of making a quick weekday meal, I make use of my trusty HotPot and pre-cooked lentils to reduce the cooking time without sacrificing too much of the warm earthy feeling that this perfect bowl of comfort food provides.
I guarantee you will not regret making this! And with the bonus of this beautiful lentil stew being budget-friendly, vegetarian, and reheating wonderfully, it is a sure bet!
Enjoy!

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 thumb-sized ginger grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 green cardamom seeds
- 1 box (380gr) Red lentils rinsed pre-cooked and ready to eat lentils
- 1 cup mung beans hydrated overnight (optional) can be replaced with pre-cooked black beans
- 1 box (400g) tomato puree
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 box (400g) coconut milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 ts red chili powder or to taste
- chili oil to serve
Instructions
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Set the HotPot to sauté mode and melt the butter.
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Add the diced onions and minced garlic and allow to cook for a minute while stirring.
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Add the grated ginger and sauté for a minute or so.
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Add the garam masala, cardamom and chili powder if using. I like to use only half the amount of chili at this stage and add more if needed at the end if needed. Then, mix the spices with the other ingredients well
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Add the rinsed lentils and mung beans and mix well with the previous ingredients.
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Add the tomato puree and vegetable stock, mix well and put on the lid. Set the valve to pressure cook.
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Set the HotPot to pressure cook for 20 minutes. It will take a little while for the HotPot to reach the temperature and pressure to activate this mode.
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Once the time is up open the valve carefully to depressurize the HotPot and remove the lid.
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Set the sauté mode once again and add the coconut milk, stir the stew, and try to mash the bean a bit. This will give thicken the stew and give a rich and creamy consistency.
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Season with salt and pepper and add more chili powder if desired.
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Serve with naan or rice and enjoy!