Dal Fry is one of the many delicious lentil recipes found in Indian cuisine. More and more people have begun to include some form of dal in their daily staple food. This is because it is one of the best sources of protein, especially for vegetarians. As a result, it is important to include dal in one’s lifestyle. The most popular dal fry recipe in the culture typically uses arhar dal (pigeon pea lentil) for preparation. However, many people also use moong dal to make this delicious dish.
If you want to prepare Dal Fry just as it’s served in famous restaurants, then the best option is to follow the food guide below.
A Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Dal Fry:
It has one of the best and the most popular recipes to be used for dal fry. Check it out:
See More: How to Make Dal Makhni
Make Dal Fry Easily at Home:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Arhar Dal
- 3 cups of water for cooking the dal
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped tomato
- 1-2 finely chopped green chilies
- 2-3 whole red chilies
- 10 curry leaves
- A paste made of ½ inch ginger and 3-4 cloves of garlic
- ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi or dry fenugreek leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnishing (1-2 tablespoons)
- Salt to taste.
See More: How to Make Yellow Dal
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.
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.
See More: How to Prepare Chana Dal
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.
