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Dal Fry Recipe

Dal Fry is a popular Indian side dish made by cooking dal and simmering it with onion, tomato and tempered spices. Dal Fry is a staple food in every home and quite easy to make too. Learn to make Dal Fry Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Servings3
AuthorSharmilee J

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup toor dal
  • 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 cups water + as required

For tadka : 2 teaspoon oil

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • few curry leaves
  • 2 nos red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized tomato roughly chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kasoori methi
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Take measured dal, rinse it well and add to pressure cooker / instant pot. Detailed step by step post for cooking dal in instant pot is given here.
  • Add salt, turmeric powder and 2 cups water to it. Give a quick mix. Close with lid, put the whistle on.
  • Pressure cook for 5 whistles in low medium flame. If you keep in high flame it splutters a lot so its best to cook in low medium flame itself.
  • Let pressure release by itself then mash dal well with a laddle. Set aside.
  • To a kadai - heat oil / ghee add mustard seeds let it splutter then add cumin seeds let it crackle then add curry leaves and red chillies, give a quick saute.
  • You can add 1 teaspoon oil with 1 teaspoon ghee too. I usually temper in oil and add ghee while serving!
  • Now add finely chopped ginger and garlic.
  • Give a quick saute until its golden.
  • Now add onion, required salt. Keep an eye while adding salt as we have added salt while cooking dal also.
  • Saute well until golden.
  • Add tomatoes.
  • Saute until mushy and tomatoes shrink fully. Now add red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
  • Add cooked dal along with 1/2 cup water.
  • Rinse the cooker with water and add it may be another 1/2 cup water. Adjust consistency accordingly.
  • Mix well and let dal boil for 7-10 mins in low flame. Stir in between to avoid burning at the bottom.
  • Finally add garam masala powder, coriander leaves and kasoori methi.
  • Give a quick mix and switch off.
  • Delicious dal fry is ready. Serve it with ghee.

Video

Notes

  • Always cook dal until soft and mushy and it should be mashed well. So to get dal perfectly cooked always cook in low medium flame, it not only avoids spluttering it also gives perfect soft mushy dal.
  • If you don't prefer to add ginger garlic you can skip it. The jain version of dal fry skips it.
  • For a restaurant style dal fry after the garnish you can smoke the dal. Burn a small piece of charcoal till its smoky then place it in a bowl and keep the bowl in the middle of the dal in the kadai. Add ghee to the smoking charcoal and immediately close with a tight lid and let it smoke for 3-5 mins. Remove the bowl, a flavorful smoky restaurant style dal fry is ready.
  • The consistency is purely your preference, It can be thick or slightly runny as per your preference. Dal thickens with time so switch off accordingly. If dal turns too thick while serving time add little hot water, boil it for few minutes then serve.
  • Choose a slightly deep curved vessel for making dal fry.
  • A mix of dal can be used for dal fry. A combination of toor dal along with moong dal or chana dal or masoor dal can be added.
  • While tempering you can use ghee or oil.
Nutrition Facts
Dal Fry Recipe
Amount Per Serving (75 g)
Calories 116 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.3g
Sodium 1333mg58%
Potassium 180mg5%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 775IU16%
Vitamin C 143mg173%
Calcium 75mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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