This creamy, spiced, flavorful Dhaba style dal fry is inspired from the dal served at Punjabi dhabas. The recipe is made more healthy and protein rich as it features 5 different dals or lentils. Dhabas are hotels or restaurants alongside many Indian roads and highways.
We love the dal they serve at dhabas. The dhaba dal is usually made with chana dal, tuvar dal and urad dal. In my recipe, I have also included moong dal and masoor dal. Depending on the availability, you can vary the proportions of the lentils or make this recipe only with 1 type of lentil or combine two or three or four lentils.
I also use less oil as compared to the dhaba versions and yet the dal tastes so good. If you have ever got a chance to taste dhaba food then you know how much oil they often use in their recipes. Their food tastes good but at times too oily as well as spicy.
At times, I also smoke the dal with the dhungar method. If you want to give dhungar to this dhaba dal then check the method in this restaurant-style Dal Tadka recipe.
Its best to serve this dhaba dal with tandoori roti. Though even with plain steamed rice, jeera rice, peas pulao it goes well. You can also serve it with naan, parathas or phulkas.
How to make Dhaba Dal
Cooking Lentils
1. Pick and rinse the lentils a couple of times. If you want you can also soak the lentils in water for an hour. Soaking the lentils helps them to cook faster. Also it is best to use fresh lentils and not the aged lentils as they take more time to cook.
2. Add the lentils to a pressure cooker along with a pinch of turmeric powder. You can also cook the lentils in a pot or pan or in an instant pot.
3. Also add 2 cups of water.
4. Pressure cook for 18 to 20 minutes on a low to medium flame. when the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dals. the lentils should be cooked very well and softened.
Depending on the quality of lentils, they may take less or more time to cook. lightly mash the dal and keep aside. If you soak the lentils, then it will take less time to pressure cook.
The lentils can also be cooked in a pot. Just add 2 to 2.5 cups of water and cook them covered in a deep and thick bottomed pot or pan. Though cooking in a pot or pan will take more time.
Sauteing Onions, Tomatoes, Spices
1. In a kadai or thick bottomed pan, heat 1.5 tablespoon oil or ghee. Add all the ‘whole spices’ and saute them till they crackle and become fragrant.
In this below photo the whole spices added are:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 tej patta or Indian bay leaf
2. Then add 1 medium sized chopped onions or ⅓ cup chopped onion.
3. On a low to medium flame, stir often and saute till the onions turn light golden. Keep on stirring often so that they cook evenly.
4. Then add 1 teaspoon crushed ginger, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 2 to 3 slit green chilies & 2 to 3 dry red chilies.
5. Mix well and saute till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away. It takes a few seconds.
6. Add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and stir.
7. Now add 1 large size chopped tomato or ½ cup chopped tomato. You can also canned tomatoes or ¼ cup tomato puree.
8. Mix well and begin to saute the tomatoes on a low to medium flame.
9. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften and become pulpy.
10. Then add the following spices one by one:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
11. Mix the spice powders with the rest of the onion-tomato masala.
Making Dhaba Dal
12. Add the cooked lentils.
13. Mix well.
14. Add ½ to ⅔ cup water or as required. For a thicker consistency add less water.
15. Stir and mix very well.
15. Season with salt as required and mix again.
16. Simmer the dal on a low flame for about 6 to 7 minutes or till the dal thickens a bit. Keep on stirring the dal at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
17. When the dhaba style dal is done, switch off the flame. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Reserve the remaining 1 tablespoon coriander leaves for garnish.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish with some coriander leaves and serve the dhaba dal hot with roti or plain paratha or naan or tandoori roti. It can also be had with steamed basmati rice or cumin rice or peas pulao or ghee rice.
You can also do the dhungar method of smoking the dal if you prefer before serving.
This dhaba dal tastes best when served straight away. After refrigerating, the taste and the consistency changes. We always prefer to eat the lentils fresh as soon as they are cooked. It is a healthy practice and also gives the best taste.
Expert Tips
- Lentils: Remember to use lentils that are fresh and within their shelf period. If possible use unpolished lentils for better taste and nutrition. You can vary the proportion of lentils according to your preferences. This recipe is very versatile and can be made with just one lentil also.
- Spices: This recipe makes for a faintly spicy dal. If you cannot tolerate spicy food then reduce the amount of ginger, garlic, red chillies, green chillies and red chilli powder.
- Fats: For a richer version you can make the recipe in ghee or butter. Usually the dhaba food has more oil or ghee. So you can add a total of 3 tablespoons ghee or oil.
- Gluten free option: Omit adding asafoetida in the recipe or use gluten free asafoetida.
- Scaling: The recipe can not be doubled as it is. You have to use the method of approximation and your own judgement when cooking it.
More dal recipes
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Dhaba Dal (Made with 5 Lentils)
Ingredients
For cooking dal (lentils)
- 2 tablespoons chana dal husked & split bengal gram
- 2 tablespoons tuvar dal husked & split pigeon pea lentils
- 2 tablespoons urad dal split urad dal with their husks (chilkewali urad dal)
- 2 tablespoons moong dal split mung lentils with husks (chilkewali moong dal)
- 2 tablespoons masoor dal (pink lentils)
- 1 pinch turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 2 cups water for pressure cooking
Other ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons oil – can use ghee or butter
- 55 grams onion or 1 medium onion or ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 4 grams ginger or ½ inch ginger or 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 4 grams garlic or 6 to 7 small garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 2 to 3 green chilies slit
- 2 to 3 dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed
- 115 grams tomatoes or 1 large tomato, chopped or ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika)
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
Whole spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 tej patta or indian bay leaf
Instructions
Cooking lentils
- Pick and rinse the lentils a couple of times. If you want you can also soak the lentils in water for an hour.
- Add the lentils in a pressure cooker along with a pinch of turmeric powder. Also add 2 cups water.
- Pressure cook for 18 to 20 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the dals.
- The lentils should be cooked very well and softened.
- Lightly mash and keep aside.
Making dhaba style dal
- In a kadai or pan, heat 1.5 tablespoon oil or ghee.
- Add all the whole spices and saute them till they crackle and become fragrant.
- Then add the chopped onions.
- Stir often and saute till the onions turn light golden.
- Then add 1 tsp crushed ginger, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 2 to 3 slit green chilies and 2 to 3 dry red chilies. Mix well and saute till the raw aroma of ginger & garlic goes away.
- Add crushed kasuri methi and stir.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften.
- Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and a pinch of asafoetida.
- Mix the spice powders with the rest of the onion-tomato masala.
- Add the cooked dal and mix well.
- Add water and stir very well.
- Season with salt and mix again.
- Simmer the dhaba dal on a low flame till the dal thickens a bit.
- Keep on stirring at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- When the dal is done, switch off the flame. Add chopped coriander leaves. Reserve some coriander leaves for garnishing.
- Garnish with some coriander leaves and serve the dhaba style dal hot with rotis or parathas or steamed rice or cumin rice or ghee rice. You can also do the dhungar method if you want and then serve the dal.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This dhaba dal recipe post from the blog archives (August 2009) has been republished and updated on 21 May 2021.
Delicious, just like all of your recipes!
Thanks to you, Dassana, I have become a better cook 🙂
Good to know Priti and thanks a lot.
Lecker😄
Ich frage mich nur wo die Grünen Paprika geblieben sind in der Zubereitung?
The green peppers are there but immersed in the dal.
I was never a fan of dals but now I have started liking them after following your dal recipes…Tried masoor dal,chana dal,dal tadka…All of them were too good.
Today I tried this version and it was simply awesome.
Hi Dassana! one of my favourite dal from your collection of dal recipes.and dhungar enhances it’s taste.
thank u once again
thanks meveera. this is also our favorite dal. definitely, dhungar enhances the taste.
Hi Dassana,
Can this be made without masoor dal ?
yes diana. you can skip. but just add some other dal like tuvar or moong instead of the same proportion as masur dal.
Hello, I would like to make this recipe tomorrow but don’t have time to go out to the Indian grocery before then. I have all the dals except the split Mung dal. I have whole Mung dal and split Mung dal without the skins. Will either of those work instead?
erin, you can use split mung dal without the skin. do not use the whole mung dal.
Hi!!
Can you please tell me which moong daal are we talking about ??
Yellow moong or green moong??
Thanks????????
it is chilkewali mung dal, where the mung beans are split but have their husks (green cover) on them. you can use yellow moong dal also. i have already mentioned in the ingredients section about the type of moong dal that has to be used. welcome.
Thanks Dassana we tried this today and came out really good! Loved it!
Welcome Nandakumar. Glad to know this.
I cant thank you enough for this wonderful receipe. I went to store and bought Mixed lentils just for this receipe and followed your receipt exactly on dot including measurement and it turned out a super hit dish with my husband. kids are too young to appreciate spicy dishes 🙂 i made it thinking it will be enough for dinner and next day lunch box but it got completed by dinner itself and little to pack for lunch box and I am not complaining though !! my husband wants me to make it again twice in a week !!! Amazing job of maintaining this wonderful receipe..keep up the great work !!
Thanks LAGirl for this awesome feedback. Glad to know that everyone liked the dish.
Yummy yummy dal recipe. My kids won’t like dal but after tasting this, they both gave me a hug. Thanks a lot
Welcome Madhurigiri. Glad to know this.
Hi Dassana
I made this dhaba dal on Saturday evening and it was amazing.
As a little girl growing up in Birmingham (UK) I had an Indian friend, whose mum would mind me after school, when my mum went out to work. I can still remember sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of dal and a chapatti and being really happy; there’s something about dal that is very comforting.
Thank you so much for the recipe, and compliments on an amazing website.
Regards
Tamsin
Welcome Tamsin. Thanks for your positive feedback and kind words. It was lovely reading your comment.
Thank you.Like all your recipes and I will try them out.
thanks dorothy.
Hey Dassana,
I’m a regular follower of your recipes. Your Methi malai paneer is my husband’s( a vegetarian) all time favorite!! Though I’m not a big fan of dal, I decided to give this recipe a try.It turned out delicious!! My husband loved it.. 🙂
Thanks Parvathy for sharing positive feedback. Glad to know this.
I tried the recipe and it turned too damn tasty! Thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes.
Welcome Sneha. Thanks for your positive feedback.
hey can we just use channa Dal ,tuvar Dal and moong Dal.? I mean will it taste the same?
purvaja, taste will be slightly different with these three dals, but taste will be good.
I made this today n it ws just yummm…… love this site for every cooking need
Thanks Madhuri for your positive feedback.
Hey dasanna , I made this recipe couple nights ago . It came out awesome . Kids loved it and me too ?!
thats nice. thanks for sharing preethi.
thx for this recipe…i also never knew that the mix dals we get in small packets in the malls can be used for dal fry.
welcome aishwarya. you can use the mixed dals in various ways, like making da vada or dal pakoras, mixed dal dosa, mix dal khichdi.
I have made this many times now and even recommended it to friends. A very tasty dal, thank you dassana : )
thank you tanusha. this is a favourite dal at home too.
I did two additions, one was dalchini and second was badi elaichi. It made daal very flavourful. Thanks again for sharing this great recipe. Also, I would like to congratulate you on you app. Finally you are here! I was eagerly waiting for your app to launch. Cheers, Happy Cooking!!!
thanks apurva for positive feedback, nice modification to the dal. do let us know if you face any problem with the app.
hi Dassana, I tried this recipe and it was super yummy. I wanted to make daal with a different taste and this recipe rocked. I am a huge fan of your recipes, because of the ease and simplicity with which u showcase even the toughest preparations.
thanks so much apurva for your kind words and positive feedback, glad you liked our recipes.
The recipes on this site are very easy n … I feel to cook n eat that dish soon after reading the recipe from this site. ???
glad to know this thank you for your positive feedback 🙂
all your dishes are simple to cook Nd turn out to be delicious. I can’t wait for the next receipe..
welcome vikas and thank you for your positive words. surely try and do share your views.
lovly
Hi dasanna’ Thanx for the resipi- today I will make this dhaba dal” it was osam…?
welcome monoj. good to know this.
Hi Dasanna
I made this dal for lunch today! It was so delicious and every one loved it! Thanks a ton! You rock!
welcome sathya. thanks for your positive feedback.
Thanks a lot for this recipe. It came out really tasty.
welcome amrutha
Hi Dassana,
Thanks for the recipe of Dhaba Dal.
I have seen it on your site with Raajma included. You also had notes on how to take shortcut if raajma had not been soaked by using the microwave, before cooking all the dals together.
Could you kindly forward me that recipe.
Thanking you in advance,
Neena
hi neena. i don’t have such a recipe of rajma cooked with dals or any note on using the microwave for rajma. in fact there was one in drafts, but due to the not so good pics, i have not posted the recipe.
Very nice recipe v.v.v.testy.thanks
Hello Dassana! I cooked this daal for lunch and dinner and it finished before dinner. It turned out that good! thank you:) You rock gurl!
thanks family cook 🙂
I’ll prepare it tonight. Will let you know then.
awesome thnx a ton 🙂
This Dal turned out very tasty. Thanks 🙂
I tried this dhaba wali dal recipe and it was great. thanks.