Methi dal recipe – Mix of toor dal, masoor dal and moong dal cooked with fenugreek leaves.
In this Methi dal recipe, I have added onion, tomatoes which give nice taste to the dal. And don’t forget to add little lemon juice at the end.
It is very healthy dal that you can have it on everyday basis. This is my favorite dal. I usually make this dal and plain rice for our meal. If you like the taste of fenugreek leaves then I am sure you will love this.
I make this methi dal very often. It is one of the healthy recipes. Whenever you have fresh methi leaves in your fridge, you should make this delicious dal recipe. When fenugreek leaves are in season, I always have them in my fridge. Hence you will see many methi recipes on the blog. And today I am adding one more in my list.
Fenugreek leaves are slightly bitter in taste but it is very powerful, nutritious green leafy vegetable. When it combines with other ingredients it won’t taste that much bitter but it takes the dish to whole new level. The flavors go well with other ingredients. It tastes just fantastic. When you make this dal, you will get nice aroma from methi leaves.
I have used combination of three different dals. But you can make with only toor dal or mix of any two dals. Use as per your liking or what you have in pantry.
Check out other dal recipes with leafy vegetables
Beet greens dal // Palak dal // Suva bhaji dal // Gongura pappu
How to make methi dal recipe (Step by step photos):
1) Take all three dals – toor dal, moong dal and masoor dal in a colander. Wash them under running cold water till water runs clear.
2) Add dal into the pressure cooker. Also add 1 cup of water. Cover with the lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on medium heat. Let it cook for 3-4 whistles or till dal get cooked.
3) Meanwhile prep other ingredients. Chop onion, tomato and methi leaves. Chop green chilies and ready ginger paste and garlic paste.
4) Now the dal is cooked, turn off the heat. Let the pressure go down by itself. Open the lid and keep it aside.
5) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
6) Then add chopped green chili, ginger paste and garlic paste. Saute for a minute or till the raw smell of garlic goes away.
7) Mix in chopped onions.
8) Cook till onion gets light brown in color.
9) Then add chopped tomato and methi leaves.
10) Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. methi leaves will get cooked and tomatoes will get soften a bit but not mushy.
11) Now add cooked dal. Also add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.
12) Mix well.
13) Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and stir. Adjust the water quantity as per your liking consistency.
14) Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Lastly squeeze lemon juice and mix. Then turn off the stove. Methi dal is ready.
Make this dal in your kitchen and let me know how you like it in comments below.
Serving suggestions: Serve with plain rice or jeera rice. You can serve with vegetable pulao as well. It can be served with paratha or roti/phulka.
Methi dal recipe
Ingredients
For pressure cooking:
- ¼ cup Arhar dal (toor dal or split pigeon peas)
- 2 tablespoons Yellow moong dal (split and skinless)
- 2 tablespoons Masoor dal
- 1 cup Water
For methi dal recipe:
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- 2 small Green chilies chopped finely
- ½ cup Onion finely chopped
- 1 small or ½ cup Tomato chopped
- 1 cup Fenugreek leaves (methi leaves) measured, washed and chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- ¾ to 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Instructions
Pressure cooking the dal:
- Take all three dals in a colander. Wash them under running cold water till water runs clear.
- Add dal into the pressure cooker. Also add 1 cup of water.
- Cover with the lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on medium heat.
- Let it cook for 3-4 whistles or till dal get cooked.
- Meanwhile prep other ingredients. Chop onion, tomato and methi leaves. Chop green chilies and ready ginger paste and garlic paste.
- Now the dal is cooked, turn off the heat. Let the pressure go down by itself. Open the lid and keep it aside.
Making methi dal recipe:
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
- Then add chopped green chili, ginger paste and garlic paste. Saute for a minute.
- Mix in chopped onions. Cook till onion gets light brown in color.
- Then add chopped tomato and methi leaves. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add cooked dal.
- Also add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and stir. Adjust the water quantity as per your liking consistency.
- Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Lastly squeeze lemon juice and mix.
- Then turn off the stove.
rajalakshmi
i really liked the flavour and the taste. thamks for the recipe. It was really emmie. My children like d it.
Itried it because my sons were bored of my same taste .
Kanan
Happy to hear that dal came out good and your kids liked it. Thanks for the feedback
kani.A
thaks mam.i learn it
Kanan
You’re welcome
Min
I’d like to try this but is there a substitute for Fenugreek leave. Tks
Kanan
You can use any other green leafy vegetable of your choice instead.
Trupti
Hi Kanan,
Nice venture .All the recipes look yummy and easy to prepare.
I hv a question regarding the bitterness of methi. The place where ee r residing currently, we dont get methi frequently. So whenever I visit India, i buy methi and dry its leaves in house and then get here with me. The problem is, along with this drying process, the bitterness multiplies as well. Its so bitter that u cant hold it in ur mouth at all. I tried salting it n squeezing out water but doesnt help much. I can make only theplas wid this methi.
Do u have any solution to this?
Thanks.
Kanan
To get rid of bitterness of Methi: Wash fresh methi leaves, sprinkle some salt on it and leave it aside for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out all the water. This way salt will reduce the bitterness. Same as you mentioned. But this procedure is for Fresh methi leaves. Do not know how to remove from dry methi. I would say use this procedure for fresh methi leaves then dry them out to make kasoori methi.