Shahi Dal is a rich and creamy Indian lentil dish made using a combination of lentils tempered with a sizzling temper. Serve it with naan or jeera rice for a special meal (vegetarian).
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About Shahi Dal
Dal is a staple part of everyday meals in almost every Indian household. But when you want to make it for special occasions, it must be different from the everyday preparations, right?
Shahi = royal and dal = lentils. Shahi Dal is a rich and creamy lentil preparation that is apt to make for these occasions.
It is prepared with a combination of yellow moong dal and white urad dal and tempered with fresh ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and some basic everyday spice powders. It is tempered once again at the end, which makes it super flavorful and delicious.
This dal also has yogurt and milk added to it, which gives it a beautifully creamy and rich texture.
This recipe is vegetarian and can be easily made gluten-free.
I made it in my 3-liter pressure cooker or a 6-quart instant pot. If scaling the recipe, you can use a bigger cooker or an instant pot. The time of cooking will remain the same.
Here are some more kadhi and dal recipes, that can be a part of your party meals
- Green Moong Dal
- Dal Makhani
- Sultani Dal
- Dhaba Style Punjabi Dal Tadka
- Raw Mango Dal
- Navratan Dal
- Katachi Amti
- Kerala Sambar
- Gujarati Kadhi
- Dal Maharani
Ingredients
For The Dal
To make shahi dal, you will need a combination of yellow moong dal (split and skinned yellow lentils) and white urad dal (split and skinned black lentils).
For The First Tempering
You will need vegetable oil, ghee, asafetida (hing), cumin seeds, green chilies, fresh ginger, garlic, tomatoes, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, plain yogurt (dahi, curd), whole milk (full-fat milk), salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
I have used both oil and ghee, but you can choose either of them. Ghee is preferred over oil to give it that shahi touch.
You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your taste preferences. Kashmiri red chili powder gives it a nice red color without making it too spicy.
Yogurt and milk are added for the extra richness and to provide a creamy texture to the dal.
For The Second Tempering
For the second tempering, you will need ghee, cumin seeds, whole dry red chilies, onions, Kashmiri red chili powder, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
How To Make Shahi Dal
Cook The Dal
Wash ½ cup yellow moong dal and ½ cup white urad dal 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak the dal in 3-4 cups of water for 15 minutes.
Drain the water from the soaked dal and add them to a pressure cooker.
Add 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and whisk the dal well using a wire whisk. Set aside.
Note – To cook the dal in an instant pot, add the soaked dal to the instant pot along with water. PRESSURE COOK on high pressure for 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Whisk the cooked dal using a wire whisk until smooth.
First Tempering
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Once it is hot, add
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
and fry for 30-40 seconds.
Add ½ cup grated fresh tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Now add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, and ½ cup whisked plain yogurt and cook for another minute.
Add the cooked dal and 1 cup of whole milk and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding more water.
Check for the salt and add more if needed.
Cook for 5-6 minutes on low heat.
Add 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.
Second Tempering
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a small skillet over high heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 whole dry red chilies (stalks removed) and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add ½ cup chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown (4-5 minutes), stirring frequently.
Switch off the heat and add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder.
Pour the tempering over the dal immediately and mix well.
Garnish shahi dal with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Shahi dal tastes great with almost all the Indian bread such as phulka, tawa paratha, lachha paratha, naan, garlic naan, missi roti, tandoori roti, or any other bread that you prefer.
You can also serve it with steamed rice, jeera rice, matar pulao, bagar rice, or any other lightly spiced pulao.
Storage Suggestions
Shahi dal will last in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days when stored in an air-tight container.
Reheat it in a pan or microwave. If you feel it has become a little dry after refrigerating, then add a little water or milk to thin out the consistency.
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Recipe Card
Shahi Dal Recipe
Ingredients
To Cook The Dal
- ½ cup yellow moong dal (skinned yellow petite lentils)
- ½ cup white urad dal (skinned split black lentils)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 3 cups water
For The First Tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ cup grated tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- 1 cup whole milk (full-fat milk)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
For The Second Tempering
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 whole dry red chilies (stalks removed)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
Instructions
Cook The Dal
- Wash yellow moong dal and white urad dal 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak the dal in 3-4 cups of water for 15 minutes.
- Drain the water from the soaked dal and add them to a pressure cooker.
- Add 3 cups of water and salt and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and whisk the dal well using a wire whisk. Set aside.
- Note – To cook the dal in an instant pot, add the soaked dal to the instant pot along with water. PRESSURE COOK on high pressure for 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Whisk the cooked dal using a wire whisk until smooth.
First Tempering
- Heat ghee and vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once it is hot, add asafetida, cumin seeds, chilies, ginger, and garlic, and fry for 30-40 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Now add chili powder, turmeric powder, and yogurt and cook for another minute.
- Add the cooked dal and milk and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding more water.
- Check for the salt and add more if needed.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes on low heat.
- Add lime juice and mix well.
Second Tempering
- Heat ghee in a small skillet over high heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and dry red chilies and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and fry until they turn golden brown (4-5 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Switch off the heat and add red chili powder.
- Pour the tempering over the dal immediately and mix well.
- Garnish shahi dal with cilantro and serve hot.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!