Dal

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For other uses, see Dal (disambiguation).

Masoor dal

Masoor dal prepared using traditional yellow dal recipe

Dal (also spelled dhal, dahl, or daal) is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split, as well as a thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian cuisine. The latter can be seen as a milder cousin of the South Indian sambar. The name "dal" is a Sanskrit term common to many South Asian languages as well as English.

The hulling of a pulse is intended to improve digestibility and palatability, but carries some cost in nutrition by reducing dietary fiber content, like that suffered in the milling of whole grains into refined grains.

Pulses with their outer hull intact is also quite popular in India as the main cuisine.

Over 50 different varieties of pulses are known in India. The most popular dals include:

Toor dal (tuvar Gujarat or arhar Bengal or kandi pappu Telugu or Tuvara Parippu Malayalam) - yellow pigeon peas; available either plain or oily
Chana dal - (chholar dal Bengal or sanaga pappu Telugu) - chickpeas
Kala chana - small chickpeas with brown skins
Mung dal (pesara or uddhi pappu Telugu) - mung beans
Urad dal (kolai dal Bengal or minapa pappu Telugu) - urad, sometimes referred to in English as black gram
Masoor dal - red lentils
Rajma dal - kidney beans

[edit] Preparing Dal

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Most dal recipes are prepared quite simply. The basic recipe for dal begins with combining the following ingredients in a deep pot:

1 cup dal of any variety
2-3 cups water
¼ tsp turmeric

Bring to a boil, cook over medium heat until soft, and then add salt to taste. Masoor and mung varieties cook quickly, in 25-30 minutes, while other varieties may take an hour or more. In some recipes, ginger, tamarind, unripe mango, or other ingredients are added while cooking the daal, often to impart a sour flavor.

When ready to serve, a tadka or baghaar is prepared to flavor the dish. Heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a small frying pan, and add a selection of spices and flavorings. The ingredients in the tadka for each variety of dal vary by region and individual tastes, but common tadka combinations include:

1 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp chile powder
1 small onion, sliced thinly

and

1/2 tsp black mustard seed
2 cloves garlic, minced

Both of these combinations go well with masoor dal. Other common tadka ingredients include asafoetida, fresh or dried chili pods, cilantro and garam masala. Add the raw spices first, fry for a few seconds in the hot oil, and then add the remaining ingredients. The garlic need only fry for a minute or two, but the onion should be fried for 10 minutes or until browned. Add the spice-infused oil to the cooked dal and serve with bread or over Basmati rice.