Instant Pot Lentil Curry|Kollu Chutney recipe

Last updated on May 23rd, 2025 at 11:31 am

Instant Pot Lentil Curry - A lip-smacking 20-minute curry/ chutney, made with horse gram brown lentil, is super delicious and super healthy. Make this to go with your rice!

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When away on a trip on a vacation or at a relative's house, by the end of the trip I always get homesick for some homemade lentils. Like I mention in my INSTANT POT quick split pea soup recipe, I love lentils like really love 'em. Definitely because of my grandmother who used to cook lentils in a simple and the most delicious way possible.

I always wonder how it tastes so delicious with only a handful number of ingredients. One other recipe which I got from my grandmother is this Instant Pot Tomato Chutney (Thakkali Bajji) recipe. I have obviously modernized and simplified it using Instant Pot which cuts down the time and a few steps. This way, it's just cooking it in Instant Pot and blending it all together.

See also:

Instant Pot Chicken Biryani recipe

This instant pot lentil curry made using brown rice is called Kollu Chutney in Tamil Nadu. Kollu is the Tamil name for horse gram lentils. Let's see more about it.

What is Horse Gram?

So many people I know, don't know, or haven't heard of "Horse Gram". The term brown lentils may mean something else to some but to me, it is horse gram. This is grown mostly in the tropics, but I guess it is used predominantly in South India. Of course, since this may not be available in all parts of the world; you can also make this Instant Pot lentil curry with any type of brown lentil you like.

How to use horse gram lentils:

Horse gram lentils are mostly made into Rasam, which is a thin spiced lentil soup. Also, horse gram lentils are great salads, like just with the lentils as the main salad ingredient or with raw greens.

And of course, there is Ulavu Charu in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. It a thick curry/soup which my husband loves; we never fail to buy loads whenever we go to Tirupathi.

See also:

Instant Pot Chickpeas recipe (from dried)

Like all other lentils, this horse gram lentils can be sprouted just like how you sprout mung beans.

What goes into this Instant Pot lentil curry/ Horse Gram chutney:

Really simple ingredients go into this chutney. Ingredients like green chili peppers add hotness to the chutney. Coriander Seeds and cumin seeds add some spice and unique flavor to this chutney. Other ingredients are pretty basic, that which are usually used in South Indian cooking, like curry leaves and shallots. That's it! This is the most minimalistic South Indian vegetarian side for lunch I ever make, lol.

Serving suggestions:

This instant pot lentil curry / kollu chutney tastes best when served with Instant Pot cooked rice or Instant Pot cooked millets.

See also:

Instant Pot roasted garlic and Mashed Potatoes recipe

And do remember that this chutney can not be mixed in with the rice like with Beetroot Chutney and served as a dry-ish rice dish. You have to the instant pot lentil curry / kollu chutney with the rice for your every bite. This ensures that the rice is moist and keeps its taste intact.

Nutrition:

This recipe for instant pot lentil curry / kollu chutney can serve 4-5 people. A little goes a long way when it comes to this chutney. So say it serves 5 people, each serving has 97 calories with 5 grams of protein and at least 4g of fiber.

Storing this chutney/ curry:

Lentils, in general, aren't for packed lunches or to be stored for later. This Instant Pot Lentil curry is best when made and consumed for one meal. It goes bad rapidly when left at room temperature (i.e. during summers). That being said, I don't even like to keep it in the refrigerator for later. Since this recipe is so easy, you can easily make it when you want.

See also:

Instant Pot Vegetable Pulao / Biryani recipe

Special Diets:

Obviously, this lentil is full of carbs but grandmothers in South India claim that this is so good for when you need to tone up. Or probably because they think horses are fit, it will be the same for humans too, lol. Oh, why I bring horses up is because this lentil is given to horses in India as a staple food, hence the name horse gram lentil.

Overall, it is a healthy lentil is what I'm saying. It keeps you full for longer making is a low GI food. You can read more about horse gram lentils benefits here and HERE.

Instant Pot Lentil Curry recipe:

This is a really simple and easy recipe. It only requires a very minimal number of ingredients and making this in Instant Pot makes this recipe even simpler. Let's see how to make this!

These are the ingredients that you need to make this Instant Pot Lentil Curry:

• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
• 15 medium Shallots , peeled and chopped
• 4 medium Green Chillies*
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• ¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste
• ½ cup Horse Gram Lentils, (100g)
• 1 ½ cups Water

See also:

Instant Pot Mushroom Curry recipe

These are the steps to make it:

• Place the inner pot inside the Instant Pot. Set it to SAUTÉ mode for 15 minutes.
• Add the sesame oil to the Instant Pot and wait until it gets hot. Then add in the curry leaves; let it sizzle.
• Next, add in the chopped shallots. Sauté until it turns translucent and soft. Once it does, add the green chilies and sauté for a minute.
• Add the whole dry spices (cumin seeds and coriander seeds)to this and stir to heat it up. Then add the turmeric powder and salt; saute for a few seconds.
• Immediately after, add the lentils and water. Close the Instant Pot and SEAL it. Set it to PRESSURE COOK mode for 20 minutes.
• After the cooking time, Quick Release and open the Instant Pot. Finally, transfer it all to a blender. Let it cool down a bit and the blender until almost* smooth.
• Serve it with some cooked white rice and rasam!

Recipe source: this is my grandmother's recipe

Notes:

• You can use any other vegetable oil you like. I have always used unrefined flavorful oil like coconut oil or sesame or peanut oil.
• Green Chillies are fiery and pungent Indian peppers. These are easily available at any Indian store.
• Horse Gram Lentils are really nutritious lentils native to South India. You can find this online or in Indian stores. 
• You can use regular brown lentils in place of horse gram lentils.
• Since the ingredients are so minimal, ensure that you use all the ingredients mentioned above.
• The texture has to be something in between coarse to smooth. 

More recipes you might like:

• Instant Pot Tomato chutney
• Spicy beetroot chutney

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!