gujarati dal recipe, easy gujarati dal recipe with mild sweet & sour taste

gujarati dal recipe with step by step photos – easy to make, mildly sweet and sour gujarati dal recipe.

dal is a staple at home. so i often try various dal recipes. this gujarati dal is one of those dal recipes that i make many times. give us a bowl of hot steaming dal with some steamed rice and we don’t need anything else 🙂

like most dal recipes, this gujarati dal is also easy. the consistency of this dal is thin and has mild sweet & sour taste. sweetness comes from jaggery and sourness comes from kokums (garcinia indica). kokums are not easily available everywhere, so i suggest to add lime juice or tamarind pulp in the dal.

both the sweetness and sourness can be adjusted as per your taste. this recipe does not have peanuts. sometimes i add them and sometimes i don’t. with or without peanuts, the dal always tastes good. few more gujarati dal recipes in the blog are khatti meethi dal, trevti dal and surati dal recipe.

this no onion no garlic gujarati dal is best served with steamed rice. accompany a vegetable dish or salad by the side.

if you are looking for more dal recipes then do check dal makhani, dal fry, lasooni dal tadka, whole masoor dal and moong dal tadka.

gujarati dal recipe details below:

4.56 from 9 votes

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gujarati dal recipe

gujarati dal recipe - mildly sweet and tangy thin tempered dal made with pigeon pea lentils.

course main course

cuisine gujarati

prep time 20 minutes

cook time 20 minutes

total time 40 minutes

servings 4 to 5

author dassana

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

for pressure cooking dal:

• ¾ cup arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
• 2 to 2.5 cups water

other ingredients for gujarati dal:

• 1 small tomato chopped (optional)
• 1 or 2 green chilies + ½ inch ginger - crushed in a mortar pestle to a paste Or about 1 teaspoon ginger green chili paste
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
• 3 to 4 dried kokums * check notes
• 1.5 to 2 cups water or add as required
• 1.5 to 2 tablespoon organic powdered jaggery powder or grated jaggery or add as required
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
• salt as required

for tempering or tadka for dal:

• 2 tablespoon ghee or oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (sabut jeera)
• ¼ teaspoon sabut methi (fenugreek seeds)
• 2 to 3 small dry red chilies Or 2 regular to large dry red chili - halved and deseeded or kept whole
• 8 to 10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
• a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 3 to 4 cloves (lavang)
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)

how to make recipe

pressure cooking dal:

1. first pick the arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils for stones etc. 

2. then rinse the lentils thoroughly in running water for 4-5 times.

3. add the rinsed dal in a pressure cooker. add water. pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium to high flame.

4. the lentils have to be cooked completely. 

5. mash the dal very well with a wired whisk or with a spoon. the lentils should be mashed very well.

making gujarati dal:

1. add green chili-ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, jaggery, salt, tomato(optional) and kokums. stir.
2. add water. stir again and keep the dal back on the stove top.
3. bring the dal to a simmer on a low flame for 7 to 8 minutes.

for tempering gujarati dal:

1. heat oil or ghee in a small pan. crackle mustard seeds first and then add cumin.

2. add the dry red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, asafoetida and fenugreek seeds. 

3. stir and fry for some seconds till the red chilies change color.

4. pour this tempering on the simmering dal. switch off the flame.
5. add coriander leaves. finally stir the dal.
6. serve gujarati dal with steamed rice.

recipe notes

in the absence of kokum, you can add about 1 tbsp lemon juice or as required in the dal. add the lemon juice towards the end once the dal is done and then give a stir.

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lets start step by step gujarati dal recipe:

1. take ¾ cup arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils). first pick the arhar dal for stones etc. then rinse the lentils thoroughly in running water for 4-5 times.

2. add the rinsed dal in a pressure cooker.

3. add 2 to 2.5 cups water.

4. pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium to high flame.

5. the lentils have to be cooked completely.

6. mash the dal very well with a wired whisk or with a spoon.

7. the lentils should be mashed very well.

8. add green chili-ginger paste, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1.5 to 2 tbsp jaggery, salt as required, 3 to 4 dried kokums and 1 small sized chopped tomatoes (optional).

9. stir.

10. add 1.5 to 2 cups water.

11. stir again and keep the dal back on the stove top.

12. bring the dal to a simmer on a low flame for 7 to 8 minutes.

13. for the tempering, heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a small pan. crackle ½ tsp mustard seeds first and then add ½ tsp cumin.

14. add 2 to 3 small dry red chilies, 3 to 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 8 to 10 curry leaves, a generous pinch of asafoetida and ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds. stir and fry for some seconds till the red chilies change color.

15. pour this tempering on the simmering dal.

16. switch off the flame.

17. add 1 tbsp coriander leaves.

18. stir finally.

serve gujarati dal with steamed rice.

dassana amit

Founder, Designer, Recipe Developer, Food Photographer || MORE ABOUT US

i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos that will help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food easily.

i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. having a home science degree surely enhanced my cooking & baking skills which i now share as fool proof recipes on the blog. i am trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.

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