Full of proteins and low in calories, lentil is a staple diet for all Indians along with rice. It is a legume that can be eaten with chapatis as well. If you are trying something healthy for your dinner, then you can go for any variety of lentil curry along with wheat flour chapati. Preparation varies according to the type of lentil. Let’s have a look on some of the solacing recipes of lentil or Dal.
1 Dal Tadka
Dal tadka is a must-order dish if you are planning to eat steamed rice or fried rice in a restaurant. It is made from any dal like split pigeon peas, moong dal, or urad dal (split black gram). This dish requires a definite amount of ghee or oil along with some Indian spices and tastes even better when garnished with some fenugreek leaves. The final touch to this dish is a tadka given to the hot dal while serving.
2 Odiya Dalma
A very desired dish of Odisha is the mouth-watering “Odiya Dalma.” It is different from any other recipes of dal as it contains a detectable amount of freshly cooked vegetables such as Chopped Potatoes, Carrots, Brinjal, Papaya, Arbi ( Eddoe or Taro root), Toor Dal, and Channa Dal with some mild spices and little bit of sugar which can be finished with garnishing of freshly grated coconut.
3 Moong Dal
The green gram curry aka green moong dal is a comforting recipe of dal where the dal can be cooked in a pressure cooker or a pot and can have some finely chopped tomatoes, onions, and some light Indian spices. Try this astounding lentil curry at home if you haven’t prepared it yet.
4 Lahori Dal
For the lovers of Punjabi food, here we have an authentic Punjabi dish for you, Lahori Dal. Punjabi dishes can be substantial meals, so is this recipe. It has a good content of butter and cream and mostly made of Masoor Dal (split red lentil) with some hint of onion, garlic, and Indian spices. This dish will make you feel like a king!
5 Darbari Dal
The name itself suggests that it a Mughlai dish. Earlier, this dish used to be prepared on a low heat that took a lot of time to cook, but now we prefer to cook it in a pressure cooker that consumes less time. It is a simple Masoor Dal curry that has tangy flavor of curd in it.
6 Palak Dal
We have another nutritious recipe of lentil for you! The divine Palak Dal has a buttery flavor that enhances the taste and aroma of spinach and lentils. It is rich in protein and iron and the most common dish prepared in homes.
7 Panchratna Dal
Next, in the list, we have a Sindhi Dal preparation i.e. Panchratna Dal. It has a combination of 5 lentils that are Moong, Urad, Channa, Tuar, and Masoor cooked with some Indian spices and has a creamy consistency. So, we need to be careful while adjusting the thickness of the recipe.
8 Dal Dhokli
It is an easy dish that is stomach filling and also full of taste. It is a traditional Gujarati dish that has a thick curry of red lentil and soft dhoklis made of whole wheat flour, submerged in the thick Dal.
9 Dal Banjari
A perfect lentil curry that is cooked in ghee and has split black grams, split chickpeas, tossed in a pressure cooker with some whole spices, adequate salt, and garnished with some chopped cilantro.
10 Varan Bhaat
It is a Maharashtrian and Goan cuisine that has pigeon pea curry and steamed rice as its main ingredients. The lentil curry bears all types of taste, such as spicy, sweet ( due to Jaggery content) tangy. So if you haven’t tried it yet, hop on and cook some for you and your family for a perfect lunch or dinner.
11 Rajasthani Panchmel Dal
This rajasthani cuisine is the same as the Panchratna Dal. It is a very nutritious dish containing the fusion of 5 lentil beans and the curry with a thick texture.
12 Bengali Matarshutir Dal
This authentic Bengali recipe of Matarshutir Dal has boiled green peas floating in the mild spicy lentil curry. It is a very smooth and healthy Indian dish that is common on every dining table.
13 Dal Bukhara
This appealing recipe of Dal Bukhara has slowly cooked black lentil simmered in tomato puree and red chilli powder. The curry has a velvety texture and goes perfectly with naan and chapati.
14 Tomato Pappu
It is an authentic Andhra-style Dal. This spicy recipe of lentil has tamarind as its key ingredient and usually made with Toor Dal and tomatoes pressure cooked and then tempered. It goes best with rice, chapati, and some pickle.
15 Sabut Masoor Dal
It is a very delicious recipe made from whole masoor dal beans. It is a very essential part of the Indian main course. The curry has a semi-thick texture and doesn’t require any accompaniment, it is a complete dish in itself and goes nice with Roti and rice.
16 Kali Dal
It is a prominent North Indian dish and also known as Dal Makhani. It has a very comforting effect. The wholesome gravy has black lentils that are soaked in water overnight and cooked with tomatoes, cream, and Indian spices. It goes best with a vegetable side dish.
17 Dal Rasam
An authentic South Indian dish is the famous Dal Rasam. The gravy has a very thin consistency and made from mashed lentils, tamarind, and tomatoes for the tanginess, rasam powder, and some other Indian spices. It is often served as soup and can have rice as the accompaniment.
18 Langarwali Dal
A very satisfying, comforting, and rich recipe of Dal is the Langarwali Dal. It is made from split bengal gram and split black gram. The gravy has a very creamy and thick texture. It doesn’t use any particular kind of spices, yet it is flavorful. It gets the best to taste when cooked deliberately in a pressure cooker.
19 Maah Chole ki Dal
This amazing Punjabi recipe of lentils can be cooked in Tandoor for a smoky flavor. This dish is also rich as it has a thick curry, cream, and curd. Here again, the crucial ingredients of this recipe are black grams, bengal gram, and green gram. It is very hygienic and can easily get digested.
20 Maharashtrian Amti Dal
A very exhilarating Maharashtrian recipe, Amti dal is made from the pigeon peas. The gravy has some amount of tamarind and jaggery that gives the dish a sweet as well as a tangy tone. The most important thing about the spices added to it is that only Goda Masala can be added to the gravy and no Garam masala. Both of them will taste lovely, but then with Garam Masala it won’t taste like amti.
