Dal – Chawal and Dal – Roti are soul foods for any Indian or maybe even a South Asian person. Whatever dal you prefer, the combination of the humble dal with rice or dal roti sabzi set off cozy memories of home and everything familiar. Ask any expat, and they will tell you what dal means to them ~ Ghar ka khana or humble homecooked food.
Dal is omnipresent in Indian households and Indian restaurant menus the world over. Dals and other legumes continue to be the main source of protein for many vegetarians in India. For me and my family, it always has a place on our dinner tables.
What is your go-to dal? Arhar, Moong or Masoor?
But which dal to make is a decision that depends on what the occasion is. My family loves to serve Mahn ki dal and Dal Makhni on dinner parties. While the moong-masoor combo is for the days when we want to eat light, which is on most weekdays. But for me, Arhar ki dal is for when I want to have something creamy and comforting. It has a special place in my heart. It is the dal that I most fondly remember from the trips to my maternal grandmother’s or Nani’s house. I find it to be more special and richer than the simple moong or masoor and not as heavy as the urad used for dal makhni. It is just perfect for when all you want is a creamy bowl of homemade dal.
The Arhar dal made at my Nani’s house was a simpler version of the recipe I am about to share. Arhar or Toor, as it is also known, is the dal of choice for many people from the UP and its neighbouring states. A lot of influence of UP food is seen in the food from Old Delhi. And that is where my Nani was from, Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi.
Where did Arhar come from?
This toor/arhar dal may be omnipresent in the UP belt but it is a lentil that is found in the food of south India as well. The much loved south Indian Sambar and even Rasam is made of Arhar dal. Not to forget the much loved Marathi dish of Amti (dal with tamarind) which is believed to be the predecessor of the Sambar according to some legends. But how did it get there? Was it an early import from the other side of the world?
Well, pigeon peas, what Indian call Arhar or Toor (or even Thuvar) is an indigenous crop that was first mentioned as ādhakī in early Buddhist literature. It was long believed that this dal was of African origin but studies found that it originated in India and that wild varieties were found in Western Ghats. From there, it is believed to have travelled north and evolved. Chef Thomas Zacharia of the Bombay Canteen sheds some light on Toor in his Instagram post below:
Arhar ki Dal with a Tadka
The recipe below is made with a punjabi style tadka. A spicier version of the Old Delhi classic! This is the version that my mother made at home, fusing the style of her very Punjabi in laws with her old Delhi roots. The result is a creamy bowl of homemade goodness.
So here’s how I made this delicious Arhar Dal
Prep Time: 10 mins ; Cooking Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4-5 ; Yields: 5-6 cups
Ingredients
- Arhar dal (pigeon peas) , 1 cup
- Filtered water, 2 cups
- Onion, 1, chopped
- Tomato, 1 big, roughly chopped
- Ginger, 1/2 inch piece, finally chopped
- Garlic, 1 big pod, finely chopped
- Green chilli, 1-2, split length- wise (optional)
- Ghee, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
- Heeng (asafoetida), a few pinches (optional)
- Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Kashmiri red chilli powder, 2 teaspoons
- Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons
- Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoons
- Garam Masala, 1/2 teaspoon
- Coriander leaves, a few twigs, chopped
Equipment needed
- A Pressure Cooker
Method
Start by measuring the dal and transferring it in a bowl. Rinse the dal with running water a 4-5 times. Finally, add 2 cups water and let the dal soak till you prepare for the tadka.
For the tadka, start by peeling an onion and do a medium chop. Peel and do a fine chop of the ginger and garlic too.
Preparing the Tadka:
Place a pressure cooker on medium high heat. Pour ghee and let it melt and heat up for a minute. Throw in cumin seeds and heeng and let them bloom for half a minute.
Prepping the Tadka 
Jeera and heeng blooming in the hot ghee
Next, tip in the chopped onion and stir to coat them in the ghee. Let the onions cook to a golden brown by stirring them from time to time. This should take 5-7 minutes on medium high heat.
While you wait for the onions to cook, roughly chop a big juicy tomato and spilt a green chilli length-wise. When the onions are brown, tip in the chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic and the split green chilli. You can avoid using the chilli if you don’t want the dal to be hot.
Frying chopped onions 
Onions fried till they are golden brown 
Adding tomatoes, green chilly and spices
I often use the bigger, thicker variety of green chillies which is closer to jalapeños. They are often less hotter than the Indian bird chilli variety that is smaller in size but packs a punch!
Stir in the tomatoes and rest of the items in the hot ghee. Let these sizzle for a minute and then throw in the salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder and the Kashmiri red chilli powder. You may use the regular hotter red chilli powder but adjust the amount since it is much hotter.
Reduce the heat to a medium low so that the spices do not burn. Stir occasionally till you see the tomatoes break down to a mush. Once the ghee separates on the sides, add the soaked dal and water to the pressure cooker.
Stir to dissolve any tadka that may be stuck at the bottom of the pressure cooker. This may happen if you cooked the tadka on high heat.
Close the pressure cooker shut with the lid and turn up the heat to medium high again. After 5-7 minutes, you should hear the pressure cooker start whistling gently. Pay attention and as soon as the pressure cooker starts to let out the steam, turn the heat to low. Let the dal cook for another 5 minutes and take the pressure cooker off heat.
Adding soaked dal to the tadka 
Added water used for soaking 
Ready to be pressure cooked
Wash, clean and chop green coriander leaves while you let the cooker let off steam on its own.
Once most of the pressure is out, take out the steam by holding the whistle up, carefully using a ladle. Open the pressure cooker and stir the hot dal. Don’t move around the ladle too vigorously so that the dal does not mash.
Sprinkle garam masala and chopped coriander on top.
Pour this Arhar ki Dal over a mountain of hot steamed rice or with some sabzi and roti.
- Arhar dal, 1 cup
- Filtered water, 2 cups
- Onion, 1, chopped
- Tomato, 1 big, roughly chopped
- Ginger, 1/2 inch piece, finally chopped
- Garlic, 1 big pod, finely chopped
- Green chilli, 1-2, split length- wise (optional)
- Ghee, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
- Heeng (asafoetida), a few pinches (optional)
- Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Kashmiri red chilli powder, 2 teaspoons
- Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons
- Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoons
- Garam Masala, 1/2 teaspoon
- Coriander leaves, a few twigs, chopped
- A Pressure Cooker
- Start by measuring the dal and transferring it in a bowl. Rinse the dal with running water a 4-5 times. Finally, add 2 cups water and let the dal soak till you prepare for the tadka.
- For the tadka, start by peeling an onion and do a medium chop. Peel and do a fine chop of the ginger and garlic too.
- Place a pressure cooker on medium high heat. Pour ghee and let it melt and heat up for a minute. Throw in cumin seeds and Heeng and let them bloom for half a minute.
- Next, tip in the chopped onion and stir to coat them in the ghee. Let the onions cook to a golden brown by stirring them from time to time. This should take 5-7 minutes on medium high heat.
- While you wait for the onions to cook, roughly chop a big tomato and spilt a green chilli length-wise. When the onions are brown, tip in the chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic and the split green chilli. You can avoid using the chilli if you don’t want the dal to be hot.
- Stir in the tomatoes and rest of the items in the hot ghee. Let these sizzle for a minute and then throw in the salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder and the Kashmiri red chilli powder. You may use the regular hotter red chilli powder but adjust the amount since it is much hotter.
- Reduce the heat to a medium low so that the spices do not burn. Stir occasionally till you see the tomatoes break down to a mush. Once the ghee separates on the sides, add the soaked dal to the pressure cooker. Mix in the dal and cook for 2 minutes.
- Follow by adding the water used for soaking.
- Stir to dissolve any tadka that may be stuck at the bottom of the pressure cooker. This may happen if you cooked the tadka on high heat.
- Close the pressure cooker shut with the lid and turn up the heat to medium high again. After 5-7 minutes, you should hear the pressure cooker start whistling gently. Pay attention and as soon as the pressure cooker starts to let out the steam, turn the heat to low. Let the dal cook for another 5 minutes and take the pressure cooker off heat.
- Wash, clean and chop green coriander leaves while you let the cooker let off steam on its own.
- Once most of the pressure is out, take out the steam by holding the whistle up, carefully using a ladle. Open the pressure cooker and stir the hot dal. Don’t move around the ladle too vigorously so that the dal does not mash.
- Sprinkle Garam masala and chopped coriander on top.
- Pour this Arhar ki Dal over a mountain of hot steamed rice or with some sabzi and roti.
- I often use the bigger, thicker variety of green chillies which is closer to jalapeños. They are often less hotter than the Indian bird chilli variety that is smaller in size but packs a punch!
