Gujarati Dal

Served with a dollop on ghee on the steamed rice or with piping hot phulkas, Gujarati Dal ends up making that perfect lighthearted meal you are craving for! This slightly sweet, spicy and tangy dal is thin in consistency and is perfectly served with steamed rice or phulkas. Here is how to make Gujarati Dal Recipe.

Are you too tired of eating and serving the same type of Dal to your family every day? Then here’s my recipe of the famous, sweet and sour Gujarati Dal garnished with coriander leaves, curry leaves that completely deserves your try!

Serve it with rice, rotis or slurp on it just as it is, Dal or lentils form an integral part of our meals. Good for the health of the heart, digestion, lentils also aid in lowering the cholesterol and stabilizes the blood sugar.

You can pair this dal with : Punjabi Bhindi Masala, Achari Aloo, Baingan Bharta or Kamal Kakdi Sabzi.

In case you wish to shed some weight that lentils helps you a lot. These are a few of the reasons due to which I ensure to prepare a piping hot batch of Dal every day! Enriched with turmeric powder, cloves, cinnamon, chilli powder, pigeon pea, mustard seeds, chopped tomatoes, fenugreek seeds or cumin seeds, green chilli, toor dal/ tuvar dal the variations of an Indian Dal are aplenty!

Some of our favourites include Dal Makhani, Cholar Dal, Dhuli Urad Dal, Malwa Dal. However, having never tried Gujarati Dal, the minute I made and tasted it, I become its fan.

Delicately sweet and tangy, for making Gujarati Dal, you need to cook tuvar dal in a pressure cooker along with various spices. Once that is done, add ghee in a pan and prepare a sizzling tadka that would perk up your humble Gujarati lentil experiment within minutes.

The highlight of Gujarati cuisine is that cherishes the idea of making its dishes slightly sweet and hence, even in this Dal, I have added a tad of jaggery along with a dash of fresh lemon juice to do justice to this timeless accompaniment. Morever, a blend of peanuts, dal, spices, jaggery, make Gujarati Dal an exceptional serving indeed!

Having said that, Gujarati Dal ends up making that perfect lighthearted meal you are craving for! Try it soon!

What is the right consistency of Gujarati Dal?

Gujarati Dal is thinner than the regular dal that we eat at home. To check it it’s consistency is right, let the dal sit in a bowl for 30 minutes. If the water starts to float on top and dal settles beneath, it’s correct. However, there are no rules. If you like your dal thick, keep it thick 🙂

Tips to make best Gujarati Dal Recipe

Some people add dates in place of jaggery to sweeten the dal. You can try it too.

In old days Kokum was used as the souring agent in the dal, but you can use lemon or tamarind as well.

If using Kokum in place of lemon juice, add 2 dried rinds of Kokum in the dal and boil if for 2-3 minutes.

This dal has no onion and no garlic, so people who refrain from eating these ingredients, it’s a good option for them to try.

To make a jain version of this dal, skip adding ginger and peanuts.

Some people boil the dal with just hing, salt and peanuts. Whisk it well until it is smooth. Then add turmeric powder, green chilli, ginger, jaggery and kokum and bring it to a boil. Then temper as mentioned below. You can try this version too for another variation.

You might also like

Lauki Chana Dal

Dal Dhokli

Gujarati Kadhi

Punjabi Dal Tadka

Dhuli Urad Dal

Methi Thepla

How to make Gujarati Dal Step By Step

Wash tuvar dal and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add the dal in a pressure cooker along with tomato, kokum, green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and ginger paste. Add 4 cups of water and pressure cook the dal until is is nicely cooked.

Whisk the cooked dal nicely.

Add jaggery, lemon juice and boiled peanuts and mix well.

Heat ghee for tempering in a pan.

Once the ghee is hot, add hing, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them cracked for a few seconds.

Add dry red chilli, coves and cinnamon stick and fry for a few seconds. Pour the tempering oner the cooked dal. Mix well.

Gujarati Dal Recipe

4 from 5 votes

Print

Gujarati Dal

Served with a dollop on ghee on the steamed rice or with piping hot phulkas, Gujarati Dal ends up making that perfect lighthearted meal you are craving for!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 262 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 1 cup Tuvar Dal
• 1/2 cup Tomato Chopped
• 2-3 pieces Kokum
• 1 tsp Green Chilli Chopped
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tsp Jaggery grated
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Boiled Peanuts
• 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Chopped

For tempering

• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
• 2-3 Cloves
• 1 inch Cinnamon

Instructions

1. Wash tuvar dal and soak in water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain the water and add the dal in a pressure cooker along with tomato, kokum, green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and ginger paste.

3. Add 4 cups of water and pressure cook the dal until is is nicely cooked.

4. Whisk the cooked dal nicely.

5. Add jaggery, lemon juice and boiled peanuts and mix well.

6. Heat ghee for tempering in a pan

7. Once the ghee is hot, add hing, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them cracked for a few seconds.

8. Add dry red chilli, coves and cinnamon stick and fry for a few seconds. Pour the tempering oner the cooked dal.

9. Mix well.

10. Garnish with fresh coriander.

11. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.

Recipe Notes

You can add some Dhana Zeeru Powder and garam masala powder in the dal as well.

Some people add dates in place of jaggery to sweeten the dal. You can try it too.

In old days Kokum was used as the souring agent in the dal, but you can use lemon or tamarind as well.

If using Kokum in place of lemon juice, add 2 dried rinds of Kokum in the dal and boil if for 2-3 minutes.

This dal has no onion and no garlic, so people who refrain from eating these ingredients, it's a good option for them to try.

To make a jain version of this dal, skip adding ginger and peanuts.

Nutrition Facts

Gujarati Dal

Amount Per Serving

Calories 262 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 19mg6%

Sodium 55mg2%

Potassium 587mg17%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 15g63%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 380IU8%

Vitamin C 40.1mg49%

Calcium 39mg4%

Iron 4.6mg26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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