How long does Plain Dal take?

1 hour 5 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking.

How many people does Plain Dal serve?

4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.

Is Plain Dal vegetarian?

Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.

It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.

What do I need to make Plain Dal?

1 cup Toor Dal, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder, 10 grams Green Chilli, 100 grams Tomato, 1.5 grams Red Chilli Powder, and a few more listed on this page.

Do I need a pressure cooker for Plain Dal?

Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.

How many calories are in Plain Dal?

About 270 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Plain DalCook

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Plain Dal

Name: Plain Dal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Pan-Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup Toor Dal, For Rinsing; 800 ml Water, For Cooking; 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder; ¾ tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Ghee; 1 Onion, Finely Chopped; 1½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste; 10 grams Green Chilli, Slit; 100 grams Tomato, Finely Chopped; 1.5 grams Red Chilli Powder; 1 tsp Coriander Powder; ¾ tsp Salt; 200 ml Water, For Adjusting Consistency; 1 tbsp Ghee; 2.5 grams Cumin; 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, Halved; 15 grams Garlic, Thinly Sliced; 0.3 grams Asafoetida; 20 grams Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped

65 min
mild
Serves 4

Prep 15 min · Cook 50 min

Start cooking

5 steps, one at a time. Big words for every step, and a timer where a step waits.

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Also known as dal, daal · Veg · Dal

Dal

Plain dal of pressure cooked toor dal with onion, tomato and a garlic, cumin ghee tadka. Mild and vegetarian, serves 4, ready in about 65 minutes.

Low calorie

You’ll need: Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

17 items

4 people

Toor Dal, For Rinsing1 cup
Water, For Cooking800 ml
Turmeric Powder1.5 grams
Salt1½ tsp
Ghee2 tbsp
Onion, Finely Chopped1
Ginger Garlic Paste1½ tsp
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Tomato, Finely Chopped100 grams
Red Chilli Powder1.5 grams
Coriander Powder1 tsp
Water, For Adjusting Consistency200 ml
Cumin2.5 grams
Dry Red Chilli, Halved2 grams
Garlic, Thinly Sliced15 grams
Asafoetida0.3 grams
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped20 grams

Contains: milk, wheat.

Nutrition

Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.

Nutrient	Per 1 person	All 4 people
Energy	270kcal	1080kcal
Protein	12g	48g
Carbohydrate	36g	143g
Fat	9.2g	37g
Fibre	9.1g	36g
Sugar	2g	8g

Cookd masalas for toor dal

Method

1
Get ready by rinsing the toor dal well. Finely chop the onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves. Slit the green chillies and thinly slice the garlic for the tadka.
2
Add the rinsed dal, 800 ml water, turmeric and salt to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 5 whistles, then switch off and let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. The dal should be very soft and easy to mash.
Toor DalWaterTurmeric PowderSalt
3
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai on medium flame. Add onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and light golden. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilli; fry for 1 minute until the raw smell goes. Add tomato, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt, then cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes turn pulpy and ghee shows at the sides.
GheeOnionGinger Garlic PasteGreen ChilliTomatoRed Chilli PowderCoriander PowderSalt
4
Add the cooked dal and 200 ml water to the kadai. Mash the dal lightly with the back of a ladle, then simmer on low flame for 5 minutes until it becomes a smooth, medium-thick gravy.
Water
5
Heat the remaining ghee in a small tadka pan on medium flame. Add cumin, dry red chillies, sliced garlic and asafoetida; fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is golden, not dark brown. Pour it over the dal, add coriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot.
GheeCuminDry Red ChilliGarlicAsafoetidaCoriander Leaves

Before you start

How long does Plain Dal take?: 1 hour 5 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking.
How many people does Plain Dal serve?: 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
Is Plain Dal vegetarian?: Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
Is Plain Dal spicy?: It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
What do I need to make Plain Dal?: 1 cup Toor Dal, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder, 10 grams Green Chilli, 100 grams Tomato, 1.5 grams Red Chilli Powder, and a few more listed on this page.
Do I need a pressure cooker for Plain Dal?: Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
How many calories are in Plain Dal?: About 270 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.