Homemade dal fry, sounds comforting? Whatever new type of food or dishes we crave for, we always go back to homemade food like saaru (rasam), dal tadka, dal fry, some steamed rice and chapathis/rotis and sabzi/palya. Dal fry is the first dish I always make when I cook North Indian food, served along side paneer(dry or gravy), phulkas and some hot steamed rice or jeera rice. I make a big pot of dal, serve it with phulkas for one meal and then with rice for another meal. My menu is sorted on a busy day. I always use toor dal/arhar dal/pigeon pea dal/togari bele to make dal fry.
Masoor dal/red lentils can also be used. Toor dal gives the creamiest texture and the right thickness to dal fry. Dal fry is made by cooking dal and adding sauteed tomato masala to it and I also add tadka on top for extra flavour. Dal tadka is made by cooking dal and masala together in a big pot or cooker and then tadka is added to it and is thinner in consistency compared to dal fry.
- ¾ Cup toor dal/tuvar dal/arhar dal/pigeon pea dal
- ¼ Tsp turmeric/haldi
- A pinch of asafoetida
- 1 Tbsp pure desi ghee
- ½ Tsp jeera
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 1 green chilli for crushing
- 1" piece ginger (skin removed)
- 1 slit green chilli
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 2 finely chopped tomatoes
- ¼ Tsp turmeric/haldi
- 1 Tsp garam masala
- ¼ Cup water
- Salt to taste
- ½ Tbsp pure desi ghee
- ½ Tsp jeera
- ¼ Tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ Tsp turmeric
- 2-3 pieces of broken red chilli
- Chopped coriander to garnish
- ½ Tbsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
- Clean and rinse toor dal at least 2 times, add 2½ to 3 cups of water and pressure cook or boil it till done
- Mash the dal, add turmeric and asafoetida. Keep aside
- Roughly chop up ginger, garlic and green chilli. Crush them lightly in a mixer or crush in mortar
- Heat ghee. Add jeera, let them splutter
- Add onions. Saute on low/medium flame till transparent (do not brown onions)
- Add crushed ginger, garlic and green chilli. Saute
- Add chopped tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes are soft and you get an even masala
- Add turmeric, garam masala powder. Mix well
- Add water and a slit green chilli. Mix the masala well
- Add the tomato masala into the dal and bring dal back onto heat. Add water to adjust consistency
- Add salt to dal. Mix well
- To make tadka, heat ghee, add jeera. Let them splutter
- Add dry red chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric and turn off the heat
- Pour tadka over dal. Mix well
- Add kasuri methi and chopped coriander. Mix well
- Serve hot with phulkas or steamed rice
Use desi ghee to make dal fry. It adds the essential aroma to the dal
Turmeric is added in 3 stages, it imparts a nice colour and flavour to dal
Dal always improves in taste as it sits. Try to make it ahead of time and heat it again to get more aroma and taste
Add jeera and dhania powder as well for more aroma although not essential. Reduce garam masala if you add dhania-jeera powder slightly
Stepwise:
Clean and rinse toor dal at least 2 times, add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water and pressure cook or boil it till done
Mash the dal, add turmeric and asafoetida. Keep aside
Roughly chop up ginger, garlic and green chilli. Crush them lightly in a mixer or crush in mortar
Heat ghee. Add jeera, let them splutter
Add onions. Saute on low/medium flame till transparent (do not brown onions)
Add crushed ginger, garlic and green chilli. Saute
Add chopped tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes are soft and you get an even masala
Add turmeric, garam masala powder. Mix well
Add water and a slit green chilli. Mix the masala well
Add the tomato masala into the dal and bring dal back onto heat. Add water to adjust consistency
Add salt to dal. Mix well
To make tadka, heat ghee, add jeera. Let them splutter
Add dry red chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric and turn off the heat
Pour tadka over dal. Mix well
Add kasuri methi and chopped coriander. Mix well
Serve hot with phulkas or steamed rice
