This Gujarati dal is one of our family favorite recipes that I make multiple times a week. It’s healthy, it’s comforting and full of flavors that is so easy to make.
½teaspoonGinger paste or freshly grated or crushed
1tablespoonJaggery (Gur)
Salt to taste
1tablespoonLemon juice
1tablespoonCilantro or coriander leaves chopped
For Tempering (Tadka)
1tablespoonOil
¼teaspoonMustard seeds
¼teaspoonCumin seeds
6-7Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
1Cloves
½inchCinnamon stick
1Bay leaf
1Dried red chilies (broken into two pieces, seeds & stem removed)
8-10Curry leaves
⅛teaspoonHing (Asafoetida)
Instructions
Boiling Dal & Peanuts:
Wash toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear. If you have time then soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes. Or you can skip the soaking step. It will be fine.
Take dal with 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker. Now take a small piece of muslin cloth, put peanuts in it and tie it. Make a ‘potli’. Put into pressure cooker. Alternately, go for an easy method. Add peanuts into a steel katori or glass and put into the cooker.
Cover the cooker with lid, put the weight on and cook on medium for 6-7 whistles. Let the pressure go down by itself and open the lid.
Remove the potli and keep boiled peanuts aside.
Making Gujarati Dal Recipe:
Now add 2 cups of water into the boiled dal and blend it using an immersion hand blender till smooth. Traditional the wooden whisk (valonu or madani) is used to churn the dal.
Turn the heat back on medium. Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, ginger, green chili, tomatoes and jaggery. Mix well.
Let it simmer for a good 10 minutes. Do stir occasionally in between and if it becomes thick then add a plash of water and continue simmering. (the consistency should be medium-thin, not thick like punjabi dal fry)
While it’s simmering make tempering. Heat the oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Then add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let them sizzle.
Now add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and dried red chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or till you get a nice aroma of whole spices.
Then add curry leaves and hing.
Immediately add the tempering to the simmering dal & stir.
Lastly add lemon juice, boiled peanuts and chopped cilantro. Mix and serve.
Video
Notes
The consistency of the Gujarati dal: My grandmom says that when you keep the dal in a bowl for a few minutes. Water should float on top and dal should settle at the bottom. If this happens then it is the perfect consistency of the dal.
Instead of boiling peanuts with dal, you can boil in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Always add lemon juice at the end (after simmering is done).