on May 29, 2024, Updated Jun 11, 2024 Here are some more dal recipes: Dal Makhani, Cholar Dal, Malwa Dal, Dal Palak, and Panchmel Dal.
About Gujarati Dal
I grew up eating dal every day for lunch. Most days, it was a basic Toor Dal, but Mom used to make some variations once or twice a week. She had a bound book of recipe pages collected from magazines over many years. One of those pages contained the recipe for Gujarati Dal, and with a few alterations to suit our taste buds, she had her own recipe, which I recently learned from her. Gujarati Dal is very different from the lentil recipes of UP and Bihar. It is sweet, tangy, and spicy all at once. Although it is also made using toor dal, the taste is very different from that of North Indian toor dal. It is also much thinner than the North Indian version. Each Gujarati home has a different way of making this dal, but the final flavor is generally the same. Serve it with rice or roti and a dry sabji for your everyday Indian-style meals.
What is the right consistency of Gujarati dal?
This dal is thinner than the North Indian-style dal we eat at home. Let the dal sit in a bowl for 30 minutes to check its consistency. If the water starts to float on top and dal settles beneath, it’s correct. However, there are no rules. If you like your dal thick, keep it thick 🙂 I used Indian green chilies, but you can use any variety that is easily available. You can also adjust the chilies to your taste.
To Add To The Ready Dal
You will need coriander powder, red chili powder, jaggery, lime juice, and cilantro. Use organic dark-colored jaggery as the light one has chemicals added to it to lighten its color.
For The Tempering
Temper the dal with ghee, asafetida, fenugreek seeds, brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies, cloves (laung), cinnamon (dalchini), and curry leaves.
2 tablespoon raw peanuts ½ cup chopped tomatoes 2-3 dried kokum 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon grated ginger
Add 3 cups of water and stir to combine. Close the lid of the instant pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and press the timer for 10 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Move the valve to the venting and release the remaining pressure. Open the lid. Whisk the cooked dal nicely using a wire whisk. Note – To cook the dal in a pressure cooker, cook for 1 whistle on high heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid. Add more water to adjust the consistency of the dal. Gujarati-style dal is supposed to be thin like milk. Add ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon grated jaggery, and 2 tablespoon lime juice and mix well. Bring the dal to a boil. Check for salt and lime juice and add more if needed. Once the ghee is hot, add the following ingredients and let them crackle for 5-6 seconds
¼ teaspoon asafetida ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot. This dal has no onion and no garlic, so for people who refrain from eating these ingredients, it’s a good option for them to try. To make it Jain-friendly, skip adding ginger and peanuts as well. Some of my friends told me that they add some dhana jeeru powder and garam masala powder to the dal for a taste change.
