This is a simple and delicious North India-style arhar dal recipe. Also known as toor dal. Serve it with rice for a comforting meal of dal bhaat.
- What is Arhar Dal?
- My Favourite Dal Fry
- How To Make Arhar Dal Fry
- Serving Suggestion
- Arhar Dal Recipe
What is Arhar Dal?
Arhar is the Hindi term for pigeon peas. A widely popular legume from the tropical regions. In many parts of India, it is also known as toor dal. Pigeon Peas are a plant-based protein that is rich in fiber too. From making sambar to khichdi , toor dal is one of the most commonly used legumes in Indian Cuisine.
My Favourite Dal Fry
My love affair with arhar dal started at an early age.
In most Kumaoni households, the lunch menu often consists of dal-bhaat (lentil-rice), and when we say dal, we are referring to arhar ki dal. There is an unsaid, soul-satiating comfort in mopping up the piping hot arhar dal fry with steamed rice ( bhaat ).
Every home cook has their own arhar dal recipe. However, I follow my family’s signature arhar dal recipe passed on from generation to generation.
You should note that the original recipe called for heavy-duty brass cookware to cook the dal. I am switching to a pressure cooker because of two reasons. One , I don’t have the brass casserole. Second , I ain’t no patient cook. So this can be called a short version of the slow-cooked toor dal fry. Double winner!
Explore the diversity of Indian Dals!
How To Make Arhar Dal Fry
Step 1) Clean, wash, and soak toor dal in water for 15 – 20 minutes.
Step 2) Transfer soaked dal to a pressure cooker and green chili, salt, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, and chopped tomato. Add water. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker with the lid. Cook dal for two whistles over low heat.
Step 3) Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Add more water if the dal is too thick to get the desired consistency.
Taste and, if required, add more salt and seasoning to the dal. Turn on the heat and simmer arhar dal over low heat while you prepare tadka.
For tadka of dal, you can use a combination of garlic, cumin, dried red chilies, chopped onion, and asafoetida.
Step 4) Prepare tadka, heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, chopped garlic, and onion. Fry till onion and garlic is light brown. At last, add red chili powder and turn off the heat.
Step 5) Pour hot tadka over the arhar dal. Stir to combine. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander. Seal the pressure cooker with a lid for 5 minutes. This way flavor and aroma of tadka are nicely blended with the dal.
Arhar Dal Fry is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
Arhar Dal is a main course dish from Northern India. The best combination is arhar dal fry with basmati rice/ jeera rice and a simple side dish like kachumber salad , jeera aloo , or mango pickle .
Arhar Ki Dal tastes excellent with piping hot chapati or phulka also with a simple bharwa baingan , Punjabi aloo gobi sabzi, crispy bhindi fry , or masala potato .
Use leftover arhar dal to make Punjabi-style dal paratha . It is one of the best ways to recycle leftover dal.
More Indian Dal Recipes
- Dal Makhani
- Panchmel Dal
- Palak Chana Dal
- Moong Dal Chaat
- Whole Masoor Dal
- Pahadi Gahat Ki Dal
- Punjabi Sookhi Urad Dal
follow me on Youtube or Instagram for latest recipes.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup toor dal (pigeon peas)
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 green chili chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( get recipe )
- ▢ 4 Cup water
- ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Ingredients for the tempering (tadka)
- ▢ 4 tablespoon ghee
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- ▢ 2 dried red chilies
- ▢ ¼ Cup finely chopped onion
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
- Clean, wash and soak toor dal in water for 15 – 20 minutes. Make sure to wash the pigeon peas nicely with water 2 – 3 times before soaking.
- Transfer soaked dal to a pressure cooker, along with green chili, salt, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, and chopped tomato. Add 4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker with the lid. Cook dal for two whistles over low heat. Allow the steam to release naturally.
- Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Taste the dal and, if required, add more salt and seasoning to the dal. If the dal is too thick, add more water to get the desired consistency. Turn on the heat and allow arhar dal to simmer while you prepare the tadka.
- Prepare tadka, heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, chopped garlic, and onion. Fry till onion and garlic is light brown. Continuously stir the tadka while frying. At last, add red chili powder and turn off the heat.
- Pour hot tadka over the arhar dal. Stir to combine. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker with a lid for 5 minutes. This way flavor and aroma of tadka are nicely combined with the dal.
- Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Arhar Ki Dal warm with rice.
Recipe Notes:
- Do not add too much water while cooking the dal. Usually, a ratio of 1:4 (dal to water) works perfectly). Please note arhar dal consistency becomes thick after a few hours of cooking. Hence, add more water if required.
- 2 – 3 whistles over low heat are perfect to cook toor dal. Cooking for too long makes dal mushy and like a thick paste.
- If you do not like spicy dal, skip adding red chilies to the tadka.
- You can customize tadka of dal as per personal preference. Use only cumin and chilies or only garlic and cumin.
- You can add a teaspoon of Garam Masala powder once the dal is cooked for warmth and a spicy taste.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Arhar Dal Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1 Cup toor dal (pigeon peas)
- ½ Cup chopped tomato
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( get recipe )
- 4 Cup water
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Ingredients for the tempering (tadka)
- 4 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 dried red chilies
- ¼ Cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
- Clean, wash and soak toor dal in water for 15 – 20 minutes. Make sure to wash the pigeon peas nicely with water 2 - 3 times before soaking.
- Transfer soaked dal to a pressure cooker, along with green chili, salt, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, and chopped tomato. Add 4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker with the lid. Cook dal for two whistles over low heat. Allow the steam to release naturally.
- Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Taste the dal and, if required, add more salt and seasoning to the dal. If the dal is too thick, add more water to get the desired consistency. Turn on the heat and allow arhar dal to simmer while you prepare the tadka.
- Prepare tadka, heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, chopped garlic, and onion. Fry till onion and garlic is light brown. Continuously stir the tadka while frying. At last, add red chili powder and turn off the heat.
- Pour hot tadka over the arhar dal. Stir to combine. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker with a lid for 5 minutes. This way flavor and aroma of tadka are nicely combined with the dal.
- Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Arhar Ki Dal warm with rice.
Notes
- Do not add too much water while cooking the dal. Usually, a ratio of 1:4 (dal to water) works perfectly). Please note arhar dal consistency becomes thick after a few hours of cooking. Hence, add more water if required.
- 2 - 3 whistles over low heat are perfect to cook toor dal. Cooking for too long makes dal mushy and like a thick paste.
- If you do not like spicy dal, skip adding red chilies to the tadka.
- You can customize tadka of dal as per personal preference. Use only cumin and chilies or only garlic and cumin.
- You can add a teaspoon of Garam Masala powder once the dal is cooked for warmth and a spicy taste.
Nutrition
This Date Milkshake is one of my favourite breakfast drinks for two reasons – has no added sugar and it instantly boosts energy.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Watch Banana Milkshake Video
- My Tried and True Tips
- Banana Date Milkshake Recipe
Date Milkshake is a delicious, fulfilling smoothie recipe packed with dates, and bananas. Both are excellent for digestion, energy boosting, and keep you full for hours. It is a great pre-workout drink as well.
Reasons To LOVE Date Milkshake
- gluten-free
- sugar-free
- possible vegan (use oat milk)
- energy booster and fulfilling
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dates: Use sweet, super soft dates such as Medjool, Deglet Noor, or any other similar variety. Get rid of the seeds inside the dates or use pitted ones.
- Banana : A ripe, sweet banana is perfect for this milkshake recipe.
- Milk: I use low-fat milk for making the milkshake. For a vegan milkshake, you can use almond/soy/cashew milk.
- Figs : The dried figs give a good taste and add nutrition to the milkshake. Feel free to add almonds, walnuts, pecan nuts, or any other dry fruits and berries.
- Cinnamon Powder : It gives an earthy, warm, ad slightly spicy taste to the date milkshake. You can substitute it with cardamom powder, pumpkin spice powder, or instant coffee powder.
Watch Banana Milkshake Video
My Tried and True Tips
- Before using dates for making milkshake or bread , soak them to soften. I prefer soaking them in milk overnight and keep in the fridge. Use the soaked dates for making a super creamy and smooth milkshake.
- Make sure to use sweet-tasting and ripe bananas for making the milkshake. If you have a frozen banana sitting in the refrigerator then nothing like it.
- I prefer using chilled milk for making the date milkshake. It makes it more creamy.
- Banana and cinnamon are a match made in heaven. A pinch of cinnamon takes even simple banana muffins to the next level. Also, the taste of cinnamon helps to balance the sweetness.
More Indian Drink Recipes
- Mango Lassi
- Mango Milkshake
- Kesar Badam Milk
- Classic Cold Coffee
- Mango Oats Smoothie
- Masala Chaas – 3 Flavors
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup dates, pitted
- ▢ 4 Cup chilled milk
- ▢ 1 Cup ripe and sweet banana
- ▢ 2 – 4 dried figs
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Remove the seeds of dates. Chop them roughly. Soak dates in one cup of milk. Keep in the fridge overnight.
- The next morning, combined soaked dates, milk, cinnamon powder, chopped banana, and figs in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the milkshake into the serving glasses. Garnish with the chopped almonds and cinnamon.
- Serve Banana Date Milkshake chilled.
Recipe Notes:
- To make vegan date milkshake, use soy milk or almond milk.
- Adding cinnamon powder is optional.
- For flavor, you can add a teaspoon or so of instant coffee powder as well.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
