Gujarati Dal

This is a staple food for every Gujarati household to go along with rice. This recipe is from my aunt. This is my favorite version of dal for many years now. She doesn’t use jaggery or sugar but I use it occasionally for a change. Thank you Kaki!

Despite the main ingredients is the same dal, every household’s dal taste different. My grandma used to make really yummy dal, unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get her recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 50 gm tuver dal
  • 350 ml Water
  • 1 medium/ large tomato
  • ¼ lemon or 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp green chilli, ginger and garlic paste*
  • A pinch turmeric
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin and coriander powder
  • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • ½ tsp mustard seed and ½ Cumin seed
  • 1 tsp jaggery or sugar (optional)
  • A pinch asafoetida
  • 1 red dry chilly (optional)
  • 5-7 curry leaves
  • A handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely

Recipe:

  • I use oily tuver dal, you can also buy non oily ones. Both are fine. Caster oil is used to preserve the dal. Wash the dal for 4 to 5 times in warm water. Once clean, add 200 ml of water.
  • Add fresh tomato and fenugreek seed and boil in the pressure cooker for 10 whistle. After that switch the gas off and let the pressure cooker cool down before opening it for at least for 15 to 20 minutes
  • Once pressure cooker is cooled, first remove whistle to release any hot air left behind. Now open the lid and take the tomato skin off(optional).
  • Now add chilli, ginger, garlic and chili paste, red chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder, lemon juice and salt to taste.
  • By using hand held blander, bland everything well.
  • Now add turmeric powder and another 150 ml water if the consistency is too thick adjust it accordingly. Add jaggery or sugar and the dal boil for 5 minutes
  • In another sauce pan and add 1 tbp oil and heat the oil for 30 to 40 seconds.
  • Now add whole red chilli, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let the mustard seed crackle. Now add curry leaves and asafoetida and little bit of boiled dal. Quickly cover the lid to avoid dal splashing everywhere for 5 to 10 seconds. Now remove the lid and add remaining dal and boil it for another 5 minutes. Add water if required. Add chopped coriander and enjoy.