Malwa Dal is a light and delicious Indian lentil recipe popular in the Malwa region (some parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) of India. Make it for your everyday meals using this easy recipe (vegetarian).
Here are some more dal recipes that you may like – Dal Maharani, Shahi Dal, Makhani Dal, Lauki Chana Dal, Dal Tadka, Moong Dal, Bengali Masoor Dal, Cholar Dal, and Sultani Dal.
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About Malwa Dal
Malwa Dal, as the name suggests comes from the Malwa region of India (western central areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh). It is a light and easy lentil preparation perfect to serve for everyday meals.
Serve it with bafla, piping hot phulka, or steamed rice with a side of sabzi for a wholesome meal.
Ingredients & Variations
Dal – This recipe uses tuvar (toor dal, pigeon peas lentils). It is easily available in Indian grocery stores or online.
Others – You will also need fresh tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt, lime juice, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
For tempering (tadka) – To temper the dal, you will need ghee, asafetida (hing), cumin seeds, fresh ginger, garlic, green chillies, and Kashmiri red chilli powder.
To make the dal vegan, replace ghee with coconut oil or any other oil of your choice.
You can avoid adding garlic to make a no onion no garlic version.
Avoid adding asafetida (hing) to make it gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
Malwa Dal is a versatile dal that tastes great with almost everything. It is popularly served with bafla (fried whole wheat dumplings), in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Serve it with phulka, paratha, or steamed rice. You can also include it in your festive meals along with sabzi, raita, phulka, and a pulao of your choice.
Storage Suggestions
Malwa dal will easily last for 3-4 days when stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan or microwave until nice and hot before serving.
Add in a little hot water while reheating as dal tends to become thick after refrigeration.
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Recipe Card
Malwa Dal Recipe
Ingredients
For The Dal
- 1 cup toor dal (pigeon peas lentils)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
For The Tempering
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 green chilies (slit into half)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
Instructions
Cook The Dal
- In An Instant Pot
- Wash the dal and add it to an instant pot along with 3 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt, and tomatoes.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
- Add lime juice juice to the dal and mix well.
- In A Traditional Pressure Cooker
- Wash the dal and add it to a pressure cooker along with 4 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt, and tomatoes.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally and then open the lid.
- Add lime juice juice to the dal and mix well.
Temper The Dal
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add asafetida and cumin seeds and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chilies and fry until garlic becomes golden brown in color, stirring frequently.
- Switch off the heat and add Kashmiri red chilli powder to the pan.
- Immediately pour the tempering over the dal.
- Garnish the malwa dal with fresh coriander and serve hot.
Jennifer
It looks delectable, but what the heck are hing and zeera?
msnehamathur
Hi Jennifer. Thnx :). Hing is asafoetida and Zeera is cumin seeds. I will update the recipe with english names. You will find these two in any Indian store near you.
wendy
taste was so good, but i add 1/2-3/4 teaspoon sugar too xx really delicious