Spicy Fried Lentil Curry / Dal Fry
Dhal fry is a very famous north Indian dish. Normally called as, ‘Tadka dhal Fry’ meaning seasoned lentil fry, seasoning the cooked dhal. It is served in most of the Indian restaurants. Any dhal varieties can be used to cook this dish. In a typical south Indian family, dhal will be cooked at least once a week. Dhal is rich in nutrients. When I was a kid, I remember harvesting dhal from our farms. They will be mixed with red soil and kept covered in the floor ( not sure, why ) for 1 or 2 days, cleaned thoroughly and cooked. Dhal with shells on is rich in fiber, my grand mother never split them before cooking.
If the cooked dhal turns out too thick, add little hot water to get your required consistency. Season the cooked dhal 5 min before serving, for a better taste. Add a little ghee to give it that extra taste. I became a fan of dhal fry since I started working.
| Ingredients : | |
|---|---|
| Toor Dhal/ Yellow Pigeon Peas | 1/4 cup |
| Moong Dhal / Split Green Gram | 1/4 cup |
| Channa Dhal / Split Chickpea Lentil | 1/4 cup |
| Water | 3 cups |
| Ghee | 1/4 tsp |
| Hing / Asefoetida | a pinch |
| Turmeric | 1/4 tsp |
| Onion | 1/2 no |
| Cumin Powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Coriander Powder | 1 tsp |
| Garam Masala | 1/2 tsp |
| Red Chili Powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Salt | to taste |
| For Seasoning : | |
| Ghee | 1 tbsp |
| Mustard | 1/2 tsp |
| Cumin Seeds | 1/2 tsp |
| Hing / Asefoetida | a pinch |
| Green chili | 2 nos |
| Curry Leaves | 1 strand |
| Ginger and Garlic | 1 tbsp |
| Red chili | 2 nos |
| Coriander Leaves / Cilantro | 2 stks |
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Step 1
Soak dhals in water for 30 min. Pressure cook them by adding 3 cups of water and salt for 3 whistles. After the pressure is released mash them gently. Chop the onion given in both the sections. Split open green chili. Chop the coriander leaves. Chop the ginger and garlic into a fine pieces.
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Step 2
In pan heat ghee given in the 1st section. When hot, add 1st section of chopped onion, turmeric, hing and fry till onion turns brown. Add the coriander powder, Cumin powder and garam masala. Fry for 30 sec – 1 min in medium flame. Add the mashed dhal, If the dhal is too thick add little hot water. Allow it to mix up well on stove for 2-3 min.Check for the salt, if required add them.
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Step 3
In the meanwhile, in another nonstick pan, heat ghee given in the 2nd section. When hot, Add the mustard and the cumin seeds. When they splutters, add asefoetida. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry for 1 min in medium flame. Add the curry leaves, green chili, red chili and fry for 30 sec.
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Step 4
Add the seasoning to the cooked dhal. Garnish with Coriander Leaves.
- Any kind of dhal can be used to cook dhal fry.
- Adding chopped ginger and garlic gives a nice aroma and tastes great.
- Adding ghee to dhal in a small amount tastes heanly. If ghee is not preffred oil can also be used.
- Any other seasoning can also be used as preffered.
(*) Recipe best suites with naan, chapathi and roti.
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Quite new kind of recipe, sounds wonderful:)
Thanks for all the love and touchy comments at my space, dear. It means so much to me. I will always cherish your friendship:)
Did I ever express, I adore your blog…esp’ non-veg preparations…you know, I just go weak on my knees seeing your mutton chukka varuval.:)
Thank you dearest Malar for ur sweet compliments, Sorry for the delayed response, thought I had replied earlier. When I dont know what to prepare I really browse through all ur sections. One place with lot of varities. Thanks for all the variations you do Malar.
What can I say about dal, its the most comforting and nourishing bowl of goodness one can ever enjoy!
Your pictures are wonderful.. it took a lil to figure out how to get to your latest post but I did. Good one!
wow!wat a click!!!Dal fry looks absolutely delicious n amazing presentation !!!u have a wonderful space with a gr888 collection of recipes!keep rocking…
Tnx 4 stopping by ’simply delicious’…
You have a wonderful page Sashi! Love the snaps … too good!
Thanks a lot for visiting our blog. You have got a great blog here with lots of yummy recipes. And your pictures are really beautiful! We are still figuring out how to take good pictures
Will try some of your recipes soon..
Nice combination of all dhals… perfect with rice or roti.
Hi Sashi,
tempering looks perfect.. all ur photos r so nice..
looks like a perfect dal with perfect tempering on it…what a lovely pic sashi,so beautiful..
Alluring and scrumptious dal fry! I love this dish! Yum yum!
Truly comforting dal!!!fantastic..
that’s my favourite comfort food!!! lovely seasoning!! the pictures are appealing and palatable and the recipe sounds grand with the 3 dhals!!