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Atha's recipe · supplied by Mom

Dal

Our family toor dal with tomato, garlic and green chili, finished with an onion and mustard seed tempering.

Main Side South Indian Tamil Vegetarian High-fiber
Yield ~1.2 L
(5 cups)
Serving 120 mL
(½ cup)
Servings ~10
Prep ~10 min
+ optional soak
Cook ~35–45 min

Ingredients

Tempering

Method

  1. Soak the dal (optional). Soak the dal for ~1 hour to reduce cooking time. Drain before cooking.
  2. Boil and skim. Combine the dal with 720 mL (3 cups) water and bring to a boil. Skim off any white froth.
  3. Add garlic and simmer. Add the garlic, reduce heat, and simmer for ~25 minutes or until soft. Add more water as needed during cooking so dal does not dry out.
  4. Add remaining ingredients. Add the tomato, green chili, cumin, asafoetida, and salt. Return to a gentle boil and cook until the tomato softens and the dal reaches the desired consistency.
  5. Adjust the texture. For a smoother, mushier dal, cook longer or use a hand blender to break down the dal.
  6. Add spinach (optional). Stir in the spinach near the end and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.
  7. Make the tempering. Heat the oil or ghee in a small pan. Add the mustard seed–urad dal mixture and dried red chilies and cook until the seeds sputter.
  8. Add the onion. Add the sliced onion and sauté until golden brown.
  9. Finish the dal. Pour the tempering into the dal and mix. Adjust salt and consistency to taste.

Nutrition

Per serving (120 mL / ½ cup, ~125 g)

90Calories
5 gProtein
15 gCarbs
2 gFat
3.5 gFiber

Estimated using 60 g spinach and 1 tbsp oil or ghee, based on a 1.2 L (5 cup) total yield.

Devan Details

Dad likes the dal soft and mushy. Mom cooks it longer or uses a hand blender.

The dal can be presoaked for ~1 hour or cooked in an Instant Pot/pressure cooker to reduce cooking time.

Variations

More heatAdd more green chili, dried red chilies, and/or chili powder.
Curry leavesAdd fresh curry leaves to the tempering.
TurmericAdd ~¼ tsp turmeric with the cumin and asafoetida.
CorianderFinish with chopped fresh coriander before serving.
GingerAdd ~1 tsp finely grated ginger with the garlic.
Richer temperingUse ghee instead of oil.

Notes & archive

Trivia

Asafoetida: Traditionally used to aid digestion and reduce gas, though clinical evidence is limited.

Tempering: Briefly frying spices in hot oil or ghee before adding them to the dish. Also known as tadka in Hindi and thalippu in Tamil.

Original Transcription

Written by Mom
Transcribed by Avi

Plain Dal curry 1 cup toor dal, washed and rinsed 2 cloves garlic crushed 1 medium tomato cut up 1 green chillie 1/2 tsp ground cumin salt 1/4 tsp asoefetida powder 1 small onion sliced thin 1/2 tsp mixed black mustard seed and white urad dal 3-4 dried whole red chillies oil or ghee 1. in pot, put in the dal with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, remove the white froth that comes up. Put in the garlic, then lower the heat to cook the dal. Around 25 minutes. Make sure there is enough water at all times. Add more, if needed. 2. Then when the dal is soft. Add the tomato, green chillie, cumin powder, asoefetida powder, salt. Bring to a boil, till desired consistency. ( Dad likes the dal to be mushy. I cook it for a longer time, or else use a hand blender to crush the dal). Take out from fire. 3. In a pan, heat up the oil or ghee. when hot, drop the mixed mustard seeds and white dal and dried red chillies. After it sputters, add the sliced onion, saute till golden brown. Then add into the dal pot and mix.