Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sweet Potato {Vegan} - Pressure Cooker Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my lentil soup not thick? ›

Cook It Longer

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

How To Soak Right? Soaking lentils for two- eight hours is mostly recommended. In a bowl add the dal and rinse it with water, changing the water 3-4 times and clean it gently by stroking with your fingers. Now add water to a bowl and soak the dal for about 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the type of lentil.

Pair this lentil soup with crusty bread or a hearty salad like my kale salad or sweet potato salad. It would also go well with a vegetable side dish like roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, or a baked sweet potato.

Add Liquid

“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.

Yes, you can overcook lentils; they will become mushy. Much depends on the type of lentil you're using. Some cook quicker and hold their shape better than others. To avoid overcooking them, always follow the cooking directions in your recipe and use the type of lentils called for in the ingredient list.

Lentils do not require it but can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time by about half. Before cooking, rinse lentils in cold water, pick over to remove debris or shrivelled lentils, then drain.

Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup. Others, such as green and brown lentils, hold their shape and make a soup with more texture.

As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.

Why won't my lentils soften in soup? ›

Try buying the freshest lot. Soak them for longer, 6 — 8 hrs or overnight. Try pressure cooking. Add a pich of baking soda while boiling the lentils.

Not adding any aromatics to the pot.

Follow this tip: Add a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a spring of rosemary, half of an onion, or a combination of these aromatics to the cooking water or stock to help flavor the lentils.

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.

Remember that pressure cookers require a minimum amount of liquid and a maximum amount of food to function properly. Depending on the model and recipe, your pressure cooker may take up to 20 minutes to build up pressure.

Vent the Canner & Begin Building Pressure

The cover lock will sputter and then pop up during this time. Once you see a steady stream of steam coming out of the vent pipe, start a timer for 10 minutes. This allows the pot to completely fill with steam.