The Best Dal (How to make Indian yellow lentils)

Learn how to make a simple but spectacular basic Indian dal recipe with under 10 ingredients. This creamy dal makes a delicious weeknight meal with rice or roti, and it is loaded with heart-healthy plant protein, fiber and vitamins.

If you popped into my house for dinner on a weeknight, you'd likely be served dal and rice with a sabzi or a vegetable side. The dal would almost certainly look like this one I am sharing with you today because it is one of our favorites. It comes together in a hurry, is deeply satisfying and comforting, and it is fingerlickin' good.

What is dal?

Dal is a collective term for split legumes in many parts of India and in other south Asian countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is also the name of a lentil soup-like dish that's usually served with rice or a flatbread like roti or chapati.

Dal can be made with one or a mix of several legumes, including toor dal, urad dal, chana dal, moong dal, and many more. All lentils are amazingly healthy, and combined with a grain like rice or wheat they make a complete protein.

There are millions of ways to make a dal. But at its most basic nearly every dal would be spiced with a "tadka" or tempering of mustard and/or cumin seeds, turmeric and chili peppers. You can add vegetables to it, although versions without vegetables are just as common. Some Indian lentil recipes, like a south Indian kootu, are flavored with spices blended with coconut.

If you are familiar with Indian cuisine and love a good dal, I've already shared with you some of my all time favorite Indian lentil recipes, including Dal Tadka, vegan Dal Makhani, Parsi Vegetable Dhansak, Rajasthani Panchmel Dal, Whole Masoor Dal and Spicy Urad Dal.

This amazing recipe I am sharing today, my favorite and best recipe, needs just a handful of simple ingredients, and it comes together quickly. I cook the lentils in my Instant Pot and sometimes in a stovetop pressure cooker. These are the quickest and most efficient ways to tenderize lentils, although if you don't have a pressure cooker you can cook the lentils on the stovetop--it will just take longer.

The recipe has nine grams of protein and seven grams of fiber in a single serving, making it one of the healthiest foods you can eat. What's not to love?

Why you will love this dal recipe

• It is creamy and comforting and will leave you feeling satisfied and healthy. Learning how to cook with lentils is a wonderful tool in your culinary arsenal because of how healthy they are. Dal with rice or roti is among the most nourishing meals you can eat. But this dish can also be eaten by itself, like a soup, and it's delicious that way.
• It is nourishing and vibrant. Despite the small ingredient list there are so many great flavors in this dish: salty, tangy, spicy and sweet. It will awaken every tastebud in your mouth.
• It is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Everyone can eat it it is very kid friendly! My teenager has always loved it.

Expert tips

• Use yellow lentils, or toor dal. These work best in traditional Indian lentil recipes because they have a neutral flavor and a texture that becomes soft and creamy when cooked. As a result you get a smooth consistency where the water and lentils do not separate after cooking.
• Cook the lentils until they are very, very soft. The lentils should blend into a creamy consistency when you whisk them. This gives a creamy consistency to the dish.
• Keep a close eye while tempering or doing the "tadka". The tempering is a crucial stage and one you should never walk away from because the oil can quickly burn the spices. Make sure you pour in the cooked lentils as soon as the mustard begins to sputter.
• Add water for the perfect consistency. Besides the dal stock (any water the lentils were cooked in) use only water to thin out the lentils for an authentic flavor. You don't need vegetable stock or any other stock, which would just interfere with the true flavor.

Ingredients

• Split pigeon peas or toor dal (arhar dal/thuvaram paruppu). This is the lentil most commonly used in Indian kitchens and it gives an authentic taste and texture to the dish.
• Turmeric (haldi/halad/manjal podi). For the healthfulness and vibrant color it adds.
• Vegetable oil. Use any oil of your choice, including avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil or coconut oil. Please don't use olive oil in Indian cooking because the flavor doesn't work and olive oil should not be heated to the high temperatures needed for the tempering.
• Black mustard seeds (rai/sarso/mohri/kadugu). When mustard seeds crack open in oil, they add amazing flavor to the oil.
• Cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam). Cumin with dal is a match made in flavor heaven.
• Cilantro (dhaniya/kothimbir/kothamalli). This is a popular herb in Indian cooking because of its unique flavor. You can add it both during the tadka phase and at the end as a garnish.
• Green chili peppers (hari mirch/hirvi mirchi/pachai milagai). Use any moderate to spicy green chili pepper you can find, including jalapeno or serrano peppers.
• 2 medium tomatoes. These will add a nice tang.
• Salt to taste.
• Juice of ½ a lemon.

Optional ingredients

• Asafetida (hing/perungayam). This is optional but it is an ingredient worth stocking in your pantry if you love Indian food. Asafetida is a resin sold in powdered form in Indian stores. It adds a lovely umami to many Indian vegetarian dishes.
• Curry leaves (kadi patta/karuveppilai). Curry leaves add amazing flavor so they are well worth using if you have them or can access them.

How to make dal

• Cook the lentils until tender. Cook the lentils separately. If you add your seasonings to the pot and then add uncooked lentils, the time it takes to cook the lentils will leach out most of the flavors from your spices. You can cook lentils in the Instant Pot, a stovetop pressure cooker, or in a saucepan on the stovetop. See FAQs below for instructions on cooking lentils.

• Make the tempering or "tadka". The tadka is where you'll add most of the flavoring ingredients. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or karahi, then add the mustard and cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. As soon as the mustard seeds sputter, add the cilantro and optional curry leaves and the green chili peppers.
• Add the tomatoes. Saute the cilantro and curry leaves for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they have expressed most of their juices and are very soft.

• Stir in the lentils. Add the cooked lentils (whisk first to break down the lentils) to the saucepan and mix it well. Add water to thin out the consistency--I add about a cup. You can make the consistency as thick or as thin as you like. A thicker consistency is better with rotis, a thinner consistency works well with rice.
• Bring to a boil, cover and cook for five minutes. This gives the flavors a chance to meld, making the final dish more delicious.
• Add lemon juice. Turn off the heat, then add in the lemon juice and garnish with more cilantro, if you like.

What to serve with dal

• Plain rice or a simple rice dish like this jeera rice (cumin rice).
• Roti or any Indian flatbread, like this vegan naan or aloo kulcha.
• A vegetable side dish, sabzi, like baingan masala, baingan bharta, aloo gobi or bhindi masala.
• Complete the meal with this beautiful vegan cucumber raita.

Frequently asked questions