How to cook & freeze dal / lentil – How to freeze dal for months – How to cook dal – Cooking any kind of Dal or lentil is almost an everyday affair in most of our kitchen. Instead of cooking them every single time its rather easy to cook them in bulk and store / freeze for later use. Its not only useful for working parents, also helps a anyone who wants to spend less time in kitchen when cooking. All lentils / Dal stores well in the freezer and has the potential to substantially cut down on daily cooking times when prepared in large batches and used repeatedly.
Can I freeze Dal / Lentil ? Absolutely Yes!
How long can we freeze Dal / Lentil? Well, its ok to freeze them for 3 to 4 months, I usually resort to a month. Freezing longer than that may have a little freezer burn and doesn’t look appetizing.
Does it taste good? I have not noticed any big difference in taste. I usually use them within few weeks.
Soaking lentils / Dal a must? Not really but soaking them has a lot of benefits to offer. It helps to cook fast as well as cooks evenly and texutre turns out soft. It aids digestion and helps to reduce gas and bloating.
In this post you will learn how to cook Split Pigeon Peas, Split Yellow Gram / Moong Dal & Split Red Gram / Masoor. Whole lentils consume more water as well as involves more soaking time.
Split Pigeon Peas aka Thuvaram Paruppu / Toor Dal 1 cup needs 2 cups of water with 30 minutes soaking time. Roughly yields 2 & 1/2 cups of cooked dal.
Split Yellow Gram – aka Paasi Paruppu / Moong Dal 1 cup needs 2 cups of water with 30 minutes soaking time. Roughly yields 3 cups of cooked dal.
Split Red Gram aka Mysore paruppu / Masoor Dal 1 cup needs 2 cups of water with 30 minutes soaking time. Roughly yields 3 cups of cooked dal.
Here is a detailed post on how to cook Dal in an Instant Pot
Instant Pot Toor Dal – Instant Pot Indian Recipes
Instant Pot Sambar- Instant Pot Indian Recipes
Check out Freezer Friendly meal prep and meal ideas in this post
How to Freeze Curries & Gravies – Freezer Friendly – Ready to Eat Indian Dishes
How to Cook & Freeze Dal / Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup Split Pigeon Peas or lentil of choice
- 1 tsp Split red gram / Masoor dal optional
- 2 cups Water
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Method
- Choose a lentil that you would like to cook in bulk.
- Cover it with enough water and soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Wash the rinse the lentil a few times and then place in the pressure cooker.
- If planning to cook multiple lentils then fill the cooker pot with about some water, about 2 inch from the base. Place a trivet / steel stand to stack more pans.
- Fill individual pan with the lentil along with the measure of water to cook and stack them.
- Cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
- Once the pressure settles, open and let them cool for few minutes.
- Mash it well and keep them aside.
Instant Pot Method
- Choose a lentil that you would like to cook in bulk.
- Cover it with enough water and soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Wash the rinse the lentil a few times and then place in the pressure cooker.
- If planning to cook multiple lentils then fill the inner pot with about some water, about 2 inch from the base. Place a trivet / steel stand to stack more pans.
- Fill individual pan with the lentil along with the measure of water to cook and stack them.
- Either pick the Bean / Chilli mode to cook the lentils or Manual Pressure Cook Mode, select High Pressure and cook for 30 minutes.
- Let the pressure settle naturally.
- Once its cooked let it cool and them mash lightly. Keep this aside.
How to Freeze
- Lentil / Dal should be completely cooled down before freezing.
- This preparation method cooks the lentil to perfect texture and doesn't need much mashing. Just gently mix and cool which will eventually turn the dal / lentil dense.
- Portion as per you needs and fill them in freezer safe ziplock bags.
- Remove any air bubbles before sealing. air bubbles may cause tiny ice crystals to appear when its frozen. Press the pack firmly to remove any air and then seal the zipper.
- Name and Date the packs and store in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator.
- Take them out as needed and defrost at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes and then its ready to be used.