Dill, an aromatic powerhouse, flavors this delicious Indian suva dal. You need just eight ingredients, in addition to the dill and the lentils. Serve with basmati rice or roti.
Love recipes with dill? You might also like this easy dill rice and sai bhaji.
If you like the idea of eating something simple but special for dinner, this suva dal is for you.
Dill is one of those ingredients that gives so much reward for so little work. It's one of the most aromatic herbs around, and its health benefits are legion. But what wins me over is the fact that it is so, so delicious.
In Indian cuisine, cilantro, curry leaves and mint are typically the herbs of choice, while dill (called "suva" or "shepu") is treated as a vegetable. It is chopped up and sauteed with onions and spices for a sabzi or added to savory pancakes or to rice pilafs. In parts of India it is used in fish curries.
This versatile veggie gets the star treatment in my utterly simple, Indian-style suva dal.
This is a very simple but nourishing dal - a dal you might be served in an Indian home on a weeknight. It combines two lentils with flavorings that include onions, ginger-garlic paste and the dill. Once you've pressure-cooked the lentils, it takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- Spices: black mustard seeds, asafetida, cayenne and turmeric. This is a rather short list of spices for an Indian dish, but you don't need much because you have the dill for flavor.
- Onions: The onions, cooked until translucent but not browned, add so much yum.
- Garlic: Smashing the garlic cloves lightly with a knife, then leaving them whole, ensures you get both the delicious flavor and texture of the garlic cloves in the dal.
- Lentils: I use a combination of moong dal (mung lentils) and chana dal (Bengal gram lentils) in this dish. The moong adds creaminess and the chana dal holds its shape, creating a lovely texture and presentation. You can use just moong dal or substitute with toor dal.
- Dill: You will need about a cup of chopped dill or a medium-sized bunch. Choose dill that's green and perky, not brown or wilting. Discard the tough stems and use the frond-like leaves only.
How to make suva dal
Heat oil in a saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard sputters, stir in onions and garlic and saute until translucent.
Stir in the dill and saute for a couple more minutes until the dill has wilted. Add turmeric and cayenne and mix in.
Add the cooked lentils to the pan and give it a good mix. Add water as needed to thin out the dal. Bring the suva dal to a boil, then lower heat and simmer five minutes. Add salt to taste and turn off heat. Serve hot.
Serve
Serve the suva dal with basmati rice or roti for a weeknight meal. A spicy sabzi like bhindi masala or baingan masala is perfect on the side. Or serve something simpler, like potato masala.
Time-saving tip
One of my favorite kitchen tools is this three-tiered insert that lets me cook three types of beans or lentils at one time. It fits nicely in my six-quart Instant Pot and I store the cooked beans in the fridge until they are ready to use that week. It saves energy and it saves me time on weeknights.
More Indian dal recipes
Recipe card
Lentils with Dill (Suva Dal)
Ingredients
- ½ cup moong dal
- ½ cup chana dal
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing, optional)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 6-8 cloves garlic (lightly smash the whole cloves with the flat side of the knife, but leave them whole)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (use less for less heat)
- 1 bunch dill (about 1 packed cup. Discard the thick stems and use only the leaves. Chop the leaves roughly).
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the chana dal and moong dal. Place in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot covered by two inches of water. Pressure-cook until soft and mushy. This should take 10 minutes on high pressure in the Instant Pot. Whisk the cooked lentils to break them up.
- Heat oil in a saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard sputters, stir in onions and garlic and saute until translucent.
- Stir in the dill and saute for a couple more minutes until the dill has wilted. Add turmeric and cayenne and mix in.
- Add the cooked lentils to the pan and give it a good mix. Add water as needed to thin out the dal. Bring the suva dal to a boil, then lower heat and simmer five minutes. Add salt to taste and turn off heat. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Emily says
Sounds amazing! Can I use dried dill if I can’t find fresh at the store? Love all your recipes!! Thank you
Vaishali says
Hi Emily, you can start out with 1/4 cup dried dill and add more if needed.