65 min
Instant Pot Rajma Masala with Warm Roti
Canned kidney beans turn into a thick, gently spiced North Indian-style tomato gravy while warm roti and an optional cool cucumber yogurt make it a complete busy-night meal.
Instant Pot Family Dinners
Instant Pot Lebanese-Style Mujaddara with Caramelized Onions
Brown lentils and basmati rice pressure-cook in two reliable stages while deeply caramelized onions and cool cucumber yogurt turn pantry staples into a complete meal.
Directions
Start the onions
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 30 to 35 minutes, stirring more often near the end, until deep golden brown but not black. Lower the heat and add a splash of water if the fond threatens to burn.
Start the lentils under pressure
While the onions cook, add 2 1/2 cups broth to a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Stir in lentils, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Keep the expanding lentils below the half-full line. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes; allow about 10 minutes to pressurize.
Release, then add the rice
Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent the remainder in short controlled pulses. Stop if foam sputters and open only after the float valve drops. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in rinsed basmati and the remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, scraping the clean base once and making sure the rice is submerged.
Cook the rice and release again
Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes; allow about 8 minutes to return to pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent any remainder in controlled pulses. Open only after the float valve drops.
Make cucumber yogurt
Stir yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Refrigerate until serving; keep it separate from the hot pressure cooker.
Check texture
Taste several lentils and rice grains; both should be tender with no chalky centers. If firm, stir in 1/4 cup hot water, cover loosely and rest 5 minutes on Keep Warm before checking again.
Fold in the onions
Reserve one third of the onions for the top. Fold the rest and any flavorful skillet oil gently through the lentil-rice mixture. Let stand uncovered 5 minutes so excess steam escapes and the grains become more distinct.
Serve
Spoon the mujaddara into a warm shallow serving dish, showing the separate lentils, rice and caramelized onion strands visible in the photograph. Top with reserved onions and parsley and serve cucumber yogurt alongside. Pass Aleppo pepper or hot sauce separately.
Why this works
Why it worksA short lentil head start followed by a separate four-minute basmati cycle respects the different cooking rates and preserves the distinct white grains shown in the photograph.
Why it worksA full 3 3/4 cups of thin broth is divided between two clean pressure stages, while the half-full rule and natural releases manage expansion and foam.
Why it worksCooking onions separately creates true caramelization and keeps sugary onion solids away from the pressure cooker's heating plate.
Useful kitchen gear
Tools that make this easier.
Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.
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Compare on Amazon6-quart electric pressure cookerThe divided 3 3/4-cup thin-broth ratio, half-full grain limit and two natural releases are written for this capacity.See current options →
Compare on Amazon12-inch cast-iron skilletA broad surface gives three onions room to lose moisture and caramelize while the lentils and rice cook.See current options →
Compare on AmazonFine-mesh strainerFine mesh contains lentils and brown rice while you rinse away dust and excess surface starch.See current options →
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Use French green lentils for a firmer result; avoid red lentils, which break down too quickly for this timing.
- For dairy-free serving, use a thick unsweetened plant yogurt or replace the yogurt with lemon-dressed cucumber and tomato.
- If using water instead of broth, add another 1/4 teaspoon salt after cooking only if needed.
Cook notes
- Total time includes two pressure-building periods, 10-minute natural releases after both cycles and onion caramelization, which runs concurrently.
- Written for a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Grains and lentils expand, so stay below the half-full line and follow your exact model's liquid and release rules.
- Never quick-release a foamy grain-and-lentil pot. If the valve sputters during the final controlled vent, close it and wait several more minutes.
- Do not add basmati for the lentils' first cycle; the two-stage method prevents the white rice from overcooking while the lentils soften.
- The base is earthy rather than hot; Aleppo pepper and hot sauce remain optional at the table.
Storage
Cool mujaddara in shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 4 days; store cucumber yogurt separately. Reheat the lentil-rice mixture with 1 to 2 tablespoons water per serving until 165°F. Freeze mujaddara without yogurt for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Questions
Can I use canned lentils?
Not in the pressure stage. They are already tender and would collapse. For canned lentils, cook brown rice separately and fold in drained lentils and onions afterward.
Why did my mujaddara turn wet?
Different rice and lentil ages absorb at different rates. Let it stand uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff gently; the remaining liquid usually absorbs as steam escapes.
Can I caramelize the onions in the pressure cooker first?
A skillet is faster, allows broad evaporation and keeps browned sugary residue off the pressure-cooker base. That clean base is an important safeguard against a burn warning.
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Instant Pot Lebanese-Style Mujaddara with Caramelized Onions
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1. Start the onionsHeat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 30 to 35 minutes, stirring more often near the end, until deep golden brown but not black. Lower the heat and add a splash of water if the fond threatens to burn.
2. Start the lentils under pressureWhile the onions cook, add 2 1/2 cups broth to a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Stir in lentils, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Keep the expanding lentils below the half-full line. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes; allow about 10 minutes to pressurize.
3. Release, then add the riceLet pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent the remainder in short controlled pulses. Stop if foam sputters and open only after the float valve drops. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in rinsed basmati and the remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, scraping the clean base once and making sure the rice is submerged.
4. Cook the rice and release againLock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes; allow about 8 minutes to return to pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent any remainder in controlled pulses. Open only after the float valve drops.
5. Make cucumber yogurtStir yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Refrigerate until serving; keep it separate from the hot pressure cooker.
6. Check textureTaste several lentils and rice grains; both should be tender with no chalky centers. If firm, stir in 1/4 cup hot water, cover loosely and rest 5 minutes on Keep Warm before checking again.
7. Fold in the onionsReserve one third of the onions for the top. Fold the rest and any flavorful skillet oil gently through the lentil-rice mixture. Let stand uncovered 5 minutes so excess steam escapes and the grains become more distinct.
8. ServeSpoon the mujaddara into a warm shallow serving dish, showing the separate lentils, rice and caramelized onion strands visible in the photograph. Top with reserved onions and parsley and serve cucumber yogurt alongside. Pass Aleppo pepper or hot sauce separately.