Delicious Indian Dal (lentils) Preperations

A favorite dal preparation across Marwadi & Rajasthani homes. Mixed lentils (dal) is served with thick, round wheat flour bread & often a dessert -Churma. To make dal, boil 10gms each of Toor dal, Black Urad dal, Chana dal & split Moong dal along with salt, reserve. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a kadhai, add cumin seeds, whole garam masala, one chopped onion & cook until it is light brown. Add one chopped tomato & red chili powder, salt & turmeric powder to taste. Mix well. Add boiled dal & cook for sometime. Add chopped fresh coriander. To make batti- Make dough from 150 gms wheat flour & 100 gms ghee & enough water. Make 3 to 4 dough balls of equal proportions. Cook in the oven at 160 degrees. Arrange the baatis on a serving plate, break each baati into two pieces and pour melted ghee on the baatis. Serve with dal. Image & recipe- Maharaja Jankidas Vaishnav, Sofitel Mumbai BKC

Dal tadka is a favorite. There are many ways to make dal tadka & we love this home style recipe. To make dal tadka, rinse 1 cup toor dal (pigeon pea lentils) & pressure cook with enough water along with one sliced onion, one chopped tomato, two chopped green chilies, turmeric powder & red chili powder, salt to taste. Once the pressure subsides, mash the dal well & add more water to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for 10-15 minutes more. Prepare tempering with 2 tsp ghee, mustard & cumind seeds, hing & red chilies. You can also add chopped garlic. Pour on the dal & serve. “Creative Commons Daal after Tadka” by Aimee Rivers is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A healthy dal preperation made with Chana dal (bengal gram) & lauki (bottle gourd). Soak 1/2 cup chana dal for 1-2 hours & rinse. In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp oil & crackle some cumin. Add hing, one chopped onion, one chopped green chili, some ginger & one chopped tomato. Mix well. Add turmeric powder, shili powder & coriander powder to taste. Add rinsed chana dal & one cup chopped lauki with some salt. Add enough water & pressure cook till done. “Creative Commons Lauki Chana Dal” by Soniya Goyal is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A delicious dry preperation of dal. Cook 1/2 cup Chana dal (bengal gram) with salt, turmeric powder & enough water in pressure cooker till done. Reserve. In a kadhai add 1 tsp oil, some mustard seeds, curry leaves & hing. Add one chopped green chili & one chopped onion. Cook till golden brown. Add 1/2 th cup chopped spinach & stir fry for few minutes. Add cooked chana dal, chili powder & adjust salt. Cook till water evaporates. Serve with hot rotis. “Creative Commons Chanay Ki Daal Aur Palak” by Miansari66 is licensed under CC BY 1.0

A wonderful combination of mutton with Chana dal. To make Dal Gosht, soak 1 cup chana dal for 1-2 hours. In a pressure cooker, saute one sliced onion in oil alongwith 1 tsp ginger garlic paste & 1 chopped green chili. Add 500 gms cleaned mutton pieces & roast till brown. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala powder & salt to taste. Add soaked chana dal with enough water & pressure cook till tender. Serve garnished with chopped mint & coriander leaves. “Creative Commons Daal gosht” by Syedandy is licensed under CC BY 4.0

A staple dal preparation across Gujarati households, this dal has balanced sweet & sour flavors. Pressure cook soaked & rinsed one cup toor dal with enough water alongwith turmeric powder & few peanuts. Reserve. Cool, add 1-2 cups water, little jaggery, salt & lemon juice to taste. Mix well. Let it simmer on slow flame. Prepare tempering with 1 tsp ghee, few mustard, cumin & fenugreek seeds, hing, curry leaves & 1 cinnamon stick. Pour tempering over dal & cook for some more time till done. “Creative Commons Gujarati Dal” by Miansari66 is licensed under CC BY 1.0

In this delicious recipe, Moong dal (whole green gram) is cooked with select spices. Pressure cook cleaned one cup moong dal with enough water, 1 tsp chopped ginger, turmeric powder & salt to taste. In a kadhai, add 1 tsp oil, some cumin seeds & one bay leaf. When cumin seeds crackle, one one chopped tomato & saute. Add 1-2 slit green chilies, coriander powder & garam masala to taste. Add cooked dal. Cook till very less water remains & serve garnished with coriander leaves. “Creative Commons Moong Ki Kharri Dal” Miansari66 is licensed under CC BY 1.0

A delicious preparation of toor dal & vegetables, a staple across South Indian homes. To make sambar, pressure cook one cup toor dal with turmeric powder & enough water. When cool, mash it well. Add salt, one cubed carrot, few ladies fingers & 2 lengthwise slit drumsticks. When the vegetables are half cooked, add one cubed potato, sambar powder to taste & 1 tsp tamarind juice & cook till done. Prepare tempering with 1 tsp oil, hing, sliced small onions, 1-2 red chilies & curry leaves. Pour over the sambar before serving. “Creative Commons Awesome idly-vada-sambhar ” by Hrish Thota is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Spinach (palak) & toor dal make for a healthy combination. Pressure cook one cup soaked & cleaned toor dal with 1/2 cup chopped palak with some water, salt and turmeric. When cool, mash it with a wooden spoon, add red chilly powder and coriander powder. Prepare tempering with 1 tsp oil, hing, cumin & mustard seeds & pour over the dal. Serve with hot rice or rotis. “Creative Commons Dal Palak ” by Yummy O Yummy is licensed under CC BY 2.0