Recipe- Try Dhaba Style Dal Fry At Home

This Dhaba Style Dal Fry is an authentic Indian recipe! It’s not a regular dal and has some really bold flavors from tempering that complement its thick consistency. It’s really easy to make and can be put together on a weekday under 30 minutes!

For anyone who thinks dal is boring, I’m going to change your mind today. Just before I started writing this post, I posted a picture of the Dal on Instagram (are we friends yet?) and oh man! I was expecting a lot of meh’s but all I got were yay’s for this Dhaba Style Dal Fry.Dal or Dhal or Indian Lentil Soup as some like to call it is the kind of thing you take so much for granted. In fact growing up I hated dal, mainly because of my dad. No he didn’t force feed us dal, but he only eats yellow dal – arhar or toor and so we didn’t have too much of an option. Faced with yellow dal day after day, you can imagine our plight – and we still give him a hard time for that.

Ingredients

1 cup Tur Dal (Arhar Dal /Pigeon Peas spilt and skinned)
3 Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Ghee
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
6 whole Garlic Cloves, smashed with the back of a knife
8–10 Curry Leaves
2 green Chillies, slit lengthwise
2 whole dried Red Chillies
1/2 teaspoon Chilli Powder/ Cayenne Pepper
Juice of 1 Lime (optional)
2 tablespoons Chopped Coriander/ Cilantro

Method

* Pressure cook the dal with tomatoes, turmeric, salt and 3 cups water till completely cooked through and can be mashed easily between two fingers.

* If using a traditional pressure cooker, cook for 4-5 whistles. In an Instant Pot, cook on manual for 30 minutes.

* Use a wire whisk or spoon to mash the dal further so it’s almost smooth.

* Heat ghee and butter in a pan and add the smashed garlic.

* Stir fry on high for a minute till the garlic is fragrant and starts turning golden brown.

* Reduce the heat and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green and red chillies and stir fry for another minute.

* Add red chilli powder and give it a quick stir and all the cooked dal along with 1/2 cup water.

* Bring this to a boil and simmer for five minutes.

* Switch off the flame and stir in chopped coriander and lime juice (if using).

* Serve hot with rice, pickle, sliced onions and rotis.