Gujarati Dal
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Gujarati Dal Akka Gujarati Tuvar Dal is the staple food of Gujarat. Gujarati Thali is incomplete without its Khatti Meethi Dal.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 2 - 4
Ingredients
For Boiling :
  • Tuvar Dal / Arhar Dal / Pigeon pea Lentil - ¼ cup
  • Water -1 cup and more
  • Turmeric Powder - ¼ tsp
  • Methi Powder - ¼ tsp
  • Salt - ½ - 1 tsp, as per taste
  • Ghee - 1 tsp
Other Ingredients :
  • Tomato - 1 / Tamarind ( Ambli / Imli ) - 2-3 pods / Dry Mango flakes - 2-3, as per taste / Kokum flowers - 1-2, as per taste
  • Ginger - 1-inch piece, as per taste
  • Curry leaves - 2 spring
  • Peanuts - 2 tbsp
  • Red Chili Powder - ½ - 1 tsp, as per taste
  • Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
  • Homemade Garam Masala - ¼ tsp, as per taste
  • Jaggery - 2 tbsp, as per taste
  • Coriander leaves - ¼ cup, chopped
  • 1 cup of water or according to need
For Tempering :
  • Groundnut Oil - 2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
  • Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
  • Dry red chili - 1, broken
  • Cinnamon - 1 small piece
  • Cloves/laung - 2 no
  • Hing - a pinch, optional
Instructions ( 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml)
  1. In a bowl, add tur dal. Wash properly 3-4 times.
  2. Add 1 cup of fresh water and soak it for at least 30 min.
  3. After 30 min, In a cooker, add soaked dal with water.
  4. Add salt, turmeric powder, methi powder, and tsp of ghee.
  5. Mix well.
  6. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or until cooked.
  7. I prefer to cook on slow flame for 10 - 12 min. Slow cooking makes digestion of dal easy.
  8. Once pressure is released, open the cooker.
  9. Transfer the dal to a stainless steel pot if using an aluminum or nonstick cooker.
  10. Blend the dal using a hand whisker / valoni. Refer to a video recipe for more details.
  11. Either you can blend it using an electric blender.
  12. Add chopped tomato or any other sour ingredient of your choice.
  13. If using kokum flower or dry mango flakes, wash them and soak them in water for some time and add along with water.
  14. If you are blinding dal using an electric blender, you can add tomatoes before and then blend.
  15. Add peanuts, red chili powder, coriander powder, homemade garam masala, and jaggery.
  16. Mix well.
  17. Add more water to adjust the consistency as per liking.
  18. I prefer medium-thick dal, not too thick, not too runny.
  19. Add grated ginger and a few curry leaves.
  20. Boil it on a slow flame for 15 - 20 min.
  21. Once dal is nicely boiled, prepare the tadka.
  22. In a tadka pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cinnamon, and cloves.
  23. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add cumin seeds, dried red chili, curry leaves, and a pinch of hing.
  24. Pour the tadka on the prepared dal.
  25. Give a nice mix. Turn off the flame.
  26. Add lots of chopped coriander leaves.
  27. Squeeze lemon before serving if required.
  28. Serve dal with roti and sabji or rice, a dollop of homemade ghee, papad, and pickle of your choice.
Notes
The things to keep in mind while preparing Gujarati Dal :

Always soak the dal for 30-60 minutes.
Add methi powder while boiling the dal. It will help in the digestion process.
If you are using tamarind/imli or kokum flowers, wash them and soak them for some time and add them along with water.
Always use jaggery for health benefits. If you are preparing Dal for a special occasion, add tsp of sugar - it lifts the taste of dal to the next level.
Always boil the dal with all masala on a slow flame to achieve the authentic taste of Gujarati tuvar dal.
You can add pieces of kharek - dried dates along with peanuts. It reminds me of the "rasoiya vali dal ".
Recipe by Zeel's Kitchen at https://www.zeelskitchen.com/recipe/gujarati-dal/