Dal fry recipe | Toor/Arhar dal recipe | How to make dal fry
Dal fry recipe is the most popular recipe that is served in Indian restaurants and even in dhaba.It is usually accompanied with any rice recipe like jeera rice, or even Indian bread like Butter naan, tandoori roti. This recipe can be either made with only toor dal or combination of toor dal along with masoor dal or moong dal.
Dal Fry is usually prepared with toor dal or toovar dal in restaurants. But, today in this recipe I am making dal fry with toor dal and masoor dal in half-half quantity. Preparing dal fry recipe as shown in this post tastes more like restaurant style.
Just like Dal fry recipe, dal tadka is also equally popular in all regions of India. Both dal fry and dal tadka recipes are popular dal dishes served in all restaurants. Both the dals are served in Dhaba’s as well, but the taste differs a lot. The basic difference between the two is, in dal tadka the basic tempering of whole red chilli is added at the final step or while serving. Whereas, in dal fry tempering is prepared with onions and tomatoes along with spices at the beginning.
The consistency of dal fry is not too thin nor too thick. It should be in semi-thick consistency which can be easily mixed with steamed rice or jeera rice, and also with roti, butter naan or chapati. There are many variations of making dal, which vary from regular dal recipe to hot and spicy dal recipe.
Dal Fry Recipe Card
Dal Fry Recipe
Materials
For pressure cooking dal
- ½ cup Toor Dal
- ½ cup Masoor Dal
- Fat pinch of haldi/ turmeric powder
- Salt per taste
- 1 small Tomato finely chopped
For preparing temper (tadka)
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Jeera/ Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Rai/ Mustard seeds
- 2 medium Onions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste either grated
- 2 Whole red chillies
- 1 Green chilli vertically slit
- ½ tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder lal mirch powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder dhaniya powder
- 2 medium Tomatoes red and ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Kasuri methi Crushed with palms
- 2 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
- Salt per taste
- 1 to 1½ glass Water or as required
Instructions
Pressure cooking Toor dal:
- Take 1 bowl dal (½ cup toor dal and ½ cup masoor dal) in a large bowl and rinse it under the running water.
- Add dal in the pressure cooker along with salt, haldi, chopped tomatoes.
- Pressure cook the dal in the cooker for 4 whistles on medium flame, until the dal turns soft and can be mashed easily with the spoon or fingers.
For making tempering:
- Heat the oil in a pan or kadhai on a medium-low flame and add a tsp of jeera and rai in the kadhai and saute till it splutters.
- Now, add finely sliced onions and stir it till it turns golden brown in colour and looks translucent.
- Then, add grated ginger garlic and saute till raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add whole red chillies and vertically slit green chillies and saute for a few seconds.
- Then, add haldi, coriander powder and red chilli powder into the kadhai and mix it nicely with onions and cook for few minutes.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes in the kadhai and mix all the ingredients nicely.
- Cover and cook tomatoes till it turns soft and, add the mashed dal into the kadhai and mix it nicely with onion and tomatoes.
- Now, add water and salt as per taste in the pan.
- Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and allow it to simmer on the medium-low flame till you get a perfect consistency.
- Finally, add kasuri methi and garam masala and stir it nicely.
- Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and Dal Fry is ready to be served.
Step by step Instructions:
Pressure cooking Toor dal:
- Take 1 bowl dal ( cup toor dal and cup masoor dal) in a large bowl and rinse it under the running water.
- Add dal in the pressure cooker along with salt, haldi, chopped tomatoes.
- Pressure cook the dal in the cooker for 4 whistles on medium flame, until the dal turns soft and can be mashed easily with the spoon or fingers.
For making tempering:
- Heat the oil in a pan or kadhai on a medium-low flame and add a tsp of jeera and rai in the kadhai and saute till it splutters.
- Now, add finely sliced onions and stir it till it turns golden brown in colour and looks translucent.
- Then, add grated ginger garlic and saute till raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add whole red chillies and vertically slit green chillies and saute for a few seconds.
- Then, add haldi, coriander powder and red chilli powder into the kadhai and mix it nicely with onions and cook for few minutes.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes in the kadhai and mix all the ingredients nicely.
- Cover and cook tomatoes till it turns soft and, add the mashed dal into the kadhai and mix it nicely with onion and tomatoes.
- Now, add water and salt as per taste in the pan.
- Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and allow it to simmer on the medium-low flame till you get a perfect consistency.
- Finally, add kasuri methi and garam masala and stir it nicely.
- Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Dal Fry is ready to be served.
Important tips for making Dal Fry:
- Combination of 2 or more dal, gives the ultimate taste to the dal fry recipe.
- To give the rich taste, fry the spices in ghee or unsalted butter.
- You can adjust the consistency of dal fry, semi-thick or thin, depending on your taste.
- Finally, make the dal fry little spicer to get the restaurant style taste.
Finally, I would like to highlight a few of my Main Course recipe along with this post. It includes Litti Chokha, Tomato pulao, Aloo Matar kachori, etc.
Its seems to be delicious…..i hv made according ur instructions….the dal which was unliked by my family…..was now one of their favourite dishes…..thank u mam….😊
Thanks a lot Pooja 🙂