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Gujarati Dal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup toor daal
  • 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
  • 6 to 8 curry leaves
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp peanuts not roasted
  • 1 to 2 whole dry red chili
  • 2 tsp chili powder or use cayenne for hot, Paprika for mild
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 to 4 whole black pepper
  • 1 to 2 cloves
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 2 to 3 pcs of kokum also known as mangosteen
  • 1 1/2 tbsp jaggery
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash the dal throughly.
  2. Put the toor daal, 3 cups water in a pressure cooker. Allow to come to boil and the froth to form. Skim the froth off and then add salt to taste. I usually pressure cook it for 4 minutes after the pressure cooker has reached it steam point. You can follow the instructions of your pressure cooker manufacturer.
  3. After 4 minutes, switch off the heat and let it rest till the steam is released.
  4. Open the lid up and put the pressure cooker back on the heat and add two cups of water.
  5. Using a stirrer/masher, vigorously stir/mash the daal so that it turns into a consistent soup without any grainy bits of dal.
  6. Add finely chopped ginger, dry red chili, turmeric, chili powder, whole black pepper, cloves, peanuts, curry leaves, kokum, salt
  7. Let it boil at medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes

Make the Vagar ( tempering)

  1. In a separate small frying pan, take the ghee and heat it up
  2. Add the mustard seeds, chopped garlic and asafetida.
  3. Add the Vagar to the boiling dal and mix throughly.
  4. Let it all boil at medium heat for 5 minutes (add a cup of water if the dal looks thick)
  5. Add the jaggery and the lemon juice and mix thoroughly
  6. Remove from heat and let the daal settle for at least 10 minutes before serving. It tastes better the next day.