Dal Fry (Lentils recipe) is a popular Indian Dish made with toor dal. It is then simmered in a tadka made with herbs and spices. This one is a restaurant style dal made with a unique blend of aromatics, whole and ground spices.
Try my popular Rajma Curry recipe next! You will love this easy Aloo Gobi Recipe as well. Find all Easy Indian Dishes on the blog at one place.
What is dal fry?
It is a lentils based recipe made by combining lentils and a variety of spices, onion, garlic along with tomatoes and ginger. We temper boiled dal (lentils) for a second time with spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garlic and chilies.
"Fry" in this recipe refers to the method of sauteing. Here garlic, onions, ginger, tomatoes and spice powders are sauteed in ghee. Hence it is called as dal fry.
Versatile Recipe: You can use any variety of dal that you and your family prefers. Tuar dal, moong dal, chana dal or even masoor dal, these all can be used. Every family has their own preferences for the lentils they'd like to use. Different recipes use different whole spices, even the level of those spices differ. But the method to make dal fry remains the same.
Hearty and Comforting: This is a comforting and nutritious recipe, that contains a good amount of proteins and carbs. It offers a creamy, hearty and smoky flavor with a fragrant tempering of Ghee.
If you are bored of making regular lentils at home daily try this Indian dal recipe. This recipe requires only three easy steps. Even a beginner level cook can easily pull it!
Dal fry vs dal tadka:
These two are a little different from each other. In former, we first fry onions, garlic, tomatoes and spices in hot ghee and then add cooked dal. We then allow the dal to simmer for sometime in those aromatics and spices. This allows dal to get mingled with aromatic flavors of spices.
In latter, we temper cooked dal with ghee and some basic spices like cumin, chili powder and garam masala. In Dal Tadka, dal doesn't need any further cooking after you put tadka in it.
How to make it
Washing and Soaking: Measure dal, wash it thoroughly and soak it in water for about 30 minutes. It will cook quickly with soaking.
On the other side as dal is boiling , heat a pan, add ghee, cumin seeds and aromatics. Sauté them for a few minutes. Saute till onions soften and turn golden.
Then add chopped tomatoes along with all the spices. Finally add dal and water as required, and cook for some time. Then temper with ghee, cumin seeds, kasuri methi and dry red chili. Finally garnish with green coriander.
Using chilies to boost heat: If you like to make your dal spicy, make use of more green chilies than red ones. Even use less red chili powder as it takes away from the original flavor of dal. While green chilies add to the flavor of dal.
Right consistency: Adjust consistency after dal gets boiled. If you notice it is too thick after it cools down, add some water to it. If you notice dal is on the thinner side, let it simmer on stove top for a bit to evaporate the excess water.
After tempering you can opt for this dhungar method for a smoky flavor.
Dhungar method
- It is a traditional Indian method to give a smoky flavor to the curries and lentils.
- Firstly take a natural charcoal and heat it on fire. Then place it in a steel bowl inside the pan in which you cooked the dal.
- After placing the charcoal pour around 2-3 teaspoons of ghee/oil on it, due to which fumes will start coming out from it.
- Once it happens, quickly cover the pan with a lid and leave for a few minutes. I usually leave the pan covered for 5-7 minutes. Open the lid and remove the steel bowl with charcoal from dal.
- Now finally garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Ingredients
- Lentils or Dal: Toor Dal is the star ingredient of this recipe but you can go with one of your loved lentils. Generally we use toor/arhar dal (split pigeon peas) in this recipe. I have used just a little mung lentils along with arhar dal. Moong dal gives a creamy and velvety texture and adds to the flavor of dal.
*Some restaurants use a bit of masoor dal (split, skinned red lentils) along with toor dal. That combination also tastes great! - Ghee/Oil: Ghee tastes best in this fry. Use oil if you want to make the dal vegan friendly. Even mustard oil tastes so good here! Incase you don't have oil on hand, use half butter and half oil instead.
- Onions: I like to use red onions. They provide best flavor as opposed to yellow or white onions.
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes impart that tangy flavor to your dal. Do not skip them. Use red ripe tomatoes for best flavor.
- Spices for Dal Fry: Use fresh ginger and garlic if possible. I like to use chopped garlic and grated ginger. We use one whole black cardamom, some fennel seeds and spice powders like turmeric, red chili, and asefoetida, along with garam masala.
- Spices for Tempering: Use cumin seeds and mustard seeds for that earthy flavor. Add kasuri methi and don't replace it with fenugreek seeds.
- Chilies: We are using 2 green chilies while boiling the dal and one red chili while frying it. Adding dry chili gives a slightly smoky flavor to this dal, don't skip it. You can use more chilies if you prefer a spicy dal. But I recommend to add chilies and all the spices in moderation so you can taste the actual flavor of dal.
Helpful tips
- Choosing lentils: Other than arhar dal, two most recommended pulses in this case are moong dal (yellow lentils) and masoor dal (red lentils). They taste pretty good in this recipe and help to make dal a little creamy.
- The second tempering: Ghee gives dal an incredible flavor. I recommend to not skip it. Takes only a minute or two extra.
What to serve with this dish?
Dal will pair beautifully with many sides.
- Goes very well with Roti and Naan: You can enjoy it with roti or butter naan and is perfect for mopping up and scooping up dal.
- It also goes well with steamed rice or jeera rice.
- Additional: Try it with papad for a great texture contrast. Pickles go perfectly with it, also add some salad and raita on the side for a balanced meal.
What is dal?
Dal is a Hindi term that means lentils. Mostly, we use Toor dal (also called as arhar dal or pigeon peas) to make dal fry because these lentils taste best.
Do you need to soak toor dal?
This is an optional step. But if soaked, this definitely helps dal get soft and eventually it cooks faster.
What is the difference between dal and dal fry?
Dal is a simple dish in which we just have to boil the dal with some water, salt, and turmeric powder and it is ready to serve.
When you temper lentils with aromatics, spices and herbs, the tempering is called as fry. Therefore we call it Dal Fry.
What is dal called in English?
Dal is a Hindi word which means Lentils in English. It is also know as yellow lentils or split pigeon peas.
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Recipe
Dal Fry
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
- 1 Pan/Wok
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Toor Dal (skinned, split pigeon peas)
- ¼ Cup Moong Dal (skinned, split yellow lentils)
- 2 and ½ Cup Water to boil dal
- 2 whole Green Chilies small
- 1 teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
Tempering:
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee
- 1 whole Black Cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 3 cloves of Garlic (chopped)
- ⅓ cup Red Onion (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 2 teaspoons Fennel Seeds
- 1 large Tomato (chopped or pureed)
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Red Chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala powder
- ½ Cup Water (to adjust consistency)
For Second Tempering:
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee
- 1-2 Whole Red Chilies (adjust to taste)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 teaspoons Crushed Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
To Serve:
- 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Few Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Rinse both dals under water till water runs clear. Soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes, this is optional but if you soak dal, it gets cooked quickly. Boil dal in pressure cooker with water, salt and green chilies over medium heat for 2-3 whistles. Open the lid when pressure releases.1 Cup Toor Dal, 2 and ½ Cup Water, 2 whole Green Chilies, 1 teaspoon Salt, ¼ Cup Moong Dal
- Heat some oil or ghee in a pan over medium flame(Ghee recommended). Add asafoetida, black cardamom, some mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When seeds start to crackle, add chopped garlic. Cook for a minute or till garlic gets golden and fragrant.2 Tablespoons Ghee, 1 whole Black Cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida, 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds, 3 cloves of Garlic
- Next add finely chopped onions and sauté them until they turn golden. Then add chopped/pureed tomatoes, fennel seeds and salt. Cook until tomatoes become soft and ghee starts separating. Add in all the spice powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder) when tomatoes soften. Stir it well and cook for a few more minutes.⅓ cup Red Onion, 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste, 2 teaspoons Fennel Seeds, 1 large Tomato, ⅛ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder, ⅛ teaspoon Red Chili powder, ½ teaspoon Garam Masala powder
- Now add cooked dal. Slightly mash and mix everything. If the consistency is too thick, add a little more water. Let the dal simmer for around 5 minutes, so that all the flavors combine well with each other.½ Cup Water
Second Tempering:
- Heat some ghee in a frying pan. Add dry red chili and chopped garlic. let garlic get golden, then add kasuri methi. Turn the flame off and pour this tempering in the dal and cover the lid. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and lemon wedges.1 Tablespoon Ghee, 1-2 Whole Red Chilies, 2 teaspoons Crushed Kasuri Methi, 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Coriander Leaves, Few Lemon Wedges
Ebony
This looks absolutely delicious. Dal fry is such a comforting dish and the texture and richness here looked incredible, so I had to try. It turned out amazing, everyone in the family raved about it!
Elizabeth F
Dal is one of my favorite Indian cuisine dishes! I have tried it several times in Indian restaurants, but never made it myself. Thanks for offering several interesting and delicious ways of preparing dal. I also found the word "tempering" fascinating as I have never used it in cooking. I can't wait to try it out.
Bedabrata Chakraborty
I love a good dal fry. This recipe tasted flavorful with just perfect spice levels. We enjoyed a complete meal pairing it with salad and roti for dinner!
Ebony
What a beautiful recipe. The spices and texture were incredible, and I loved how fragrant this was while cooking. Thank you for sharing!
Beth
Oh this dal looks sooooo good. Consistency, spices and that fry on top, just perfect! Looks just like the one we take out from our favorite restaurant! I'm a HUGE fan of lentils, can't wait to make this one.