Dal fry is one of the many tasty lentils recipes that is made in the Indian cuisine. More and more people have adhered to dal in some or the other form in their daily staple food. Also, it is one of the best sources of protein especially in the vegetarians. This makes it all the more important to include dal in the lifestyle. Usually when it comes to dal fry recipe, which is one of the most popular ones in the culture, arhar dal is used for the preparation (pigeon pea lentil). However, a lot of people also use moong dal to prepare this delicious dal fry.
If you are someone who wants to prepare dal fry just the way it is served in the famous restaurants, then there is nothing better than adhering to the food guide below.
See More: How To Make Yellow Dal
It has one of the best and the most popular recipes to be used for dal fry. Check it out:
Make Dal Fry Easily at Home:
Ingredients Required:
- Arhar Dal: 1 cup
- Water: 3 cups for cooking dal
- Onion: 1, chopped
- Tomato: 1, chopped
- Green Chillies: 1-2, finely chopped
- Whole Red Chillies: 2-3
- Curry Leaves: 10
- Ginger & Garlic: ½ inch, 3-4 cloves made into paste
- Mustard Seeds: ¾ teaspoon
- Cumin Seeds: 1 teaspoon
- Asafoetida: a pinch
- Turmeric Powder: ½ teaspoon
- Red Chilli Powder: ½ teaspoon
- Kasuri Methi/dry fenugreek leaves: 1 teaspoon
- Ghee: 2-3 tablespoons
- Lemon Juice: 1 teaspoon
- Coriander leaves: fresh, chopped, 1-2 tablespoons, for garnishing
- Salt to Taste
See More: How To Make Dal Makhni
Method to Prepare the Dal Fry:
Wash the dal well and soak it in water for about 30-40 minutes before you start cooking. Once this is done, you can strain the liquid and put the dal in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of fresh water and a little turmeric. About 3-4 whistles, is more than enough for cooking of the dal. Let the pressure cooker leave out the steam and the pressure before you actually open it. Once you do, move on to whisking the dal well so that it blends well and becomes soft and mushy. Keep it aside.
In a pan, take some ghee and bring it to heat. Add on the mustard seeds and let it cook till the seeds pop. Once you hear the spluttering, the next is to add the cumin seeds and let it change colour in the heat in the next 1-2 minutes. Onions should be added next and sauté it till the time it turns translucent and golden brown in colour.
To this add the ginger/garlic paste and cook it till the time the aroma of the raw garlic and ginger disappears. Follow it with curry leaves, green chillies and the red chillies and fry for a minute or two. Now is the time to add all the dry spices to the mixture which includes turmeric powder, asafoetida and red chilli powder. Next add the tomatoes and cook it for 4-5 minutes until they become soft.
See More: How To Prepare Chana Dal
The time is here to add the cooked dal along with some water and stir it well while adding salt to taste. This should be left to simmer on low heat till you reach a smooth and thick consistency of the dal. Usually dal fry ranges from medium to thick consistency and making it thin spoils the taste of the dish.
Add kasuri methi and stir the dal for a while and switch off the heat. Now add on the lemon juice to the dal and stir well. Pour it into a serving bowl, garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and top it with a little butter or ghee whatever you used for the frying.
This is best served with steamed basmati rice or chapattis.
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