Gujarati Dal Recipe

Gujarati Dal Recipe

Khatti meethi Gujarati dal: boiled toor dal and peanuts cooked with jaggery and simmered with a tempering of whole spices, curry leaves, ginger and tomato.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup split pigeon peas (toor dal), boiled
• 1 tbsp raw peanuts, added while boiling the dal
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup jaggery
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1½ tbsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp coriander
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2–3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• A few curry leaves
• 1 medium lemon, juiced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the dal. In a steel vessel, add the boiled dal, switch on the flame and pour in 1½ cups of water.
2. Add jaggery. Add salt to taste and the jaggery and stir until the jaggery melts completely.
3. Add chilli. Add red chilli powder and cook until it comes to a boil, then let it cook on a low flame.
4. Temper. Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add the dry red chilli and mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds.
5. Add the aromatics. Add the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, green chilli, asafoetida, curry leaves and ginger and mix well.
6. Add the tomato. After half a minute, add the chopped tomato and salt to taste and cook, stirring continuously.
7. Add the spices. Add the garam masala, turmeric and red chilli powder, mix again and turn off the flame.
8. Combine. Add a ladleful of dal to the tempering, then mix it all into the vessel.
9. Simmer. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. For a thicker consistency, cook for a few minutes more. The dal is ready to serve.

Recipe by Siddhi Panchal.