15 Aug 2017

Restaurant Style Dal Fry

by | posted in: Gluten free, Lentils/Beans/Dals, Main Course, Vegan | 13
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Mix of three dals topped with a tarka of ghee,onions,tomatoes,ginger,garlic and spices tastes just like what we get in Indian restaurants. This dal is also called Peeli dal(yellow) and is standard fare in most homes and restaurants.

If I had to pick a favorite food,it would have to be dal chawal. Its so basic but so satiating. When we take a trip outside of US,the first few days I enjoy trying the different food and flavors of the country we are visiting and then a week later I am so ready for some soul satisfying Indian food. I start hunting Indian restaurants and guess whats the first thing that I order! Yup Dal Fry! I am surprised at my daughter(she loves her pastas,pizzas and burgers like most kids her age) who also relishes basic Indian food just as much as we do,Dal Fry being among her favorites as well. Some of the other dals that I have made are Kali Masoor Dal-Dhaba Style, Moong Ki Dal-A simple Ayurvedic Preparation,,and Ma ki Dal,(It is one of my most viewed and popular posts). My sister is a graduate of Institute of Hotel Management,Kolkata and this is her signature recipe.

 

Dal is so versatile, it can be made into halwa,stuffed into parathas, cooked into a Moong Matar Pulao with Quinoa, Green Moong Dhokla, Chana Dal Khichri, Brown Rice Dosa and Daliya Dosas also require Urad dal. I also make Pesto Moong Dal Appe and South Indian style Moong Dal Appe. You could also fry and dunk them in yogurt and make Moong dal ki pakori.

 

Hope you will enjoy it just as much as my family does. Here is the written recipe followed by the pictorial one-

Restaurant Style Dal Fry

Aanchal Gupta

A popular lentil dish served in Indian restaurants where a combination of 3 lentils are cooked and topped with onions,tomatoes ginger,garlic and spices.
Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

  

  • 1 cup mixed dals-1/3 each of Yellow Moong Orange Masoor and Arhar/Toor
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi
  • 1 tsp salt or as needed

For Tarka/Vaghar

  • 2 Tbsp Ghee/Butter or Oil use oil for vegan option
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 to mato chopped
  • 1 tsp Ginger minced
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Green Chilies Minced
  • 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika/Kashmiri Lal Mirch optional
  • 3 Dry Red Chilies
  • 1/8 tsp Garam Masala
  • 2 tsp Kasoori Methi
  • Few Curry Leaves
  • Pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
  • Generous squeeze of lemon/lime juice

Instructions

 

  • Soak mixed dal for a couple of hours(optional)
  • Add 3 cups water to the dal and cook with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker,about 4 whistles or cook in an open pot till almost done.
  • While the Dal cooks, prepare the tarka/vaghar

For Tarka/Vaghar

  • In a small pan heat Ghee/Butter/Oil and add Cumin/Jeera and let it crackle.
  • Add onions and cook till light brown.
  • Add curry leaves and Dry Red chilies and stir.
  • Add Ginger,Garlic and green Chilies and cook till the raw smell goes away.
  • Add Asafoetida/Hing and Kasoori Methi and stir.
  • Add Tomatoes and cook till they turn soft and ghee separates.
  • Add Paprika and Garam Masala, stir and mix it to boiling dal.
  • Boil together for few minutes till tarka mixes well and dal thickens a bit.
  • Squeeze some lemon/lime juice and top with chopped cilantro/coriander.

Notes

Soaking the dal is optional, though I always do as it removes toxins and reduces flatulence. If cooking in a pot instead of pressure cooker, it will take longer and water should be adjusted accordingly. This dal is a little thick,after adding tarka cook till the dal and tarka blend in. If water is floating on top and dal is at the bottom, it needs to be cooked some more.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-

Ingredients

Put dal in a pressure cooker/pan with salt and turmeric and cook till done.

Heat some ghee/oil in a pan and put jeera/cumin

When jeera/cumin crackles, add chopped onons

Put whole red chilies(optional) and curry leaves

Add minced ginger,garlic and green chilies

Add kasoori methi/dry fenugreek leaves

Add chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy

Add paprika/kashmiri lal mirch

Cook till ghee/oil separates. Add to boiled dal and cook together till vaghar blends in with the boiled dal.

Enjoy over Rice or with roti/paratha.

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13 Responses

  2. aish das padihari
    | Reply

    You got me at dal. I love anything and everything dal. I also make my dal fry this way only.

  7. Becky
    | Reply

    Hey, could you put pictures of the three kinds of dal uncooked? I always get their Hindi names confused. Sorry, I am Euro-American so not a native user of Hindi.

    • Aanchal Gupta
      | Reply

      Hi Becky,dals can be pretty confusing for a lot of people. Will update recipe with pictures of uncooked dals for reference.

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