gujarati khatti meethi dal recipe with step by step photos. in english the words ‘khatti’ means tangy or sour and ‘meethi’ means sweet. so this is an easy gujarati dal having sweet and sour taste and will be specially liked by folks who love myriad flavors and textures in one dish.

in this dal, addition of jaggery gives the sweet taste. kokum – garcinia indica  gives the sour taste and the addition of peanuts give some texture. overall, expect a flavorful dal with sweet and slightly sour flavors.

to get the right balance of sweetness and sourness in this dal is important. i have mentioned below the proportions of kokum and jaggery i had used. however, depending on the intensity of the sourness in the kokum, you can reduce the quantity. below is a pic of dried kokums.

in this gujarati dal, normally dried kokum is used as a souring agent. if you don’t have kokum then you can experiment with tamarind or lemon juice but the taste will be different.

for an authentic taste use dried kokums. i have also shared recipes of gujarati dal and surati dal, both are sweet and sour in taste. you can also check this maharashtrian amti dal which also has sweet and sour flavors.

khatti meethi dal is thin in consistency and does not include onion or garlic. for tempering i suggest to use ghee as it brings a really good flavor in the dal.

this gujarati khatti meethi dal is best had with steamed rice or jeera rice topped with a little bit of ghee. accompany a vegetable salad, pickle or yogurt and you get a satisfying meal.

you are looking for more dal recipes then do check tadka dal, dal fry, dal palak, methi dal and lasooni dal tadka recipe.

khatti meethi dal recipe card below:

4.17 from 6 votes

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gujarati khatti meethi dal

gujarati khatti meethi dal is a staple in gujarati cuisine. it is a flavorful, sweet and sour dal.

course main course

cuisine gujarati, indian

prep time 15 minutes

cook time 20 minutes

total time 35 minutes

servings 4

author dassana amit

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

for cooking dal:

• ½ cup heaped arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
• 2 to 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
• 1 green chili + ¾ inch ginger - crushed in a mortar pestle to a paste Or about 1 teaspoon ginger green chili paste
• 2 tablespoons peanuts (moongphali)
• 1 to 1.5 cups water to be added later
• 2 tablespoons organic jaggery powder or grated jaggery
• 3 to 4 dried kokums * check notes
• salt as required

for tempering khatti meethi dal:

• 1.5 tablespoons ghee
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (sabut jeera)
• ¼ teaspoon sabut methi (fenugreek seeds)
• 6 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta)
• 2 to 3 small dry red chilies (sookhi lal mirch) OR 1 regular to large dry red chili - halved and deseeded
• 3 to 4 cloves (lavang)
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

how to make gujarati khatti meethi dal

cooking dal:

1. first pick the dal for stones etc. then rinse the lentils thoroughly in running water 2 to 3 times.

2. add the dal in a pressure cooker along with 2 to 2.5 cups water, turmeric, ginger-green chili paste and peanuts.

3. pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium flame till the dal has turned mushy and cooked very well.

4. mash the dal with a wooden spoon. then add 1 to 1.5 cups water to the dal.
   

5. add the jaggery powder, kokums and salt and simmer the dal for 7 to 8 minutes on a low to medium flame.

tempering khatti meethi dal:

1. for the tempering, heat the ghee in a small pan. crackle the mustard seeds first.

2. then add the cumin and fenugreek seeds and fry till they are browned - just a few seconds.

3. then add the curry leaves, red chilies, cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida.

4. stir and fry for some seconds. pour this tempering on the simmering dal. mix and continue to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes more.

5. you can garnish the dal with coriander leaves if you prefer.

6. serve the gujarati khatti meethi dal with steamed rice or jeera 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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how to make khatti meethi dal recipe:

cooking dal:

1. first pick ½ cup heaped arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils) for stones etc. then rinse the lentils thoroughly in running water 2 to 3 times. drain all water and keep aside.

2. measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making khatti meethi dal.

3. add the arhar dal in a pressure cooker. also add 2 to 2.5 cups water, ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi), 1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste and 2 tablespoons peanuts (moongphali).

4. pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium flame till the dal has turned mushy and cooked very well. when pressure falls down on its own, remove the lid.

5. mash the dal with a wooden spoon. then add 1 to 1.5 cups water to the dal and mix well. add water as required.

6. add 2 tablespoon jaggery powder (or grated jaggery), 3 to 4 dried kokums and salt as required.

7. simmer the dal for 7 to 8 minutes on a low to medium flame. keep stirring at intervals when the dal is simmering.

tempering khatti meethi dal:

8. measure and keep all the ingredients ready for the tempering.

9. heat 1.5 tablespoons ghee in a small pan.

10. crackle ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai) first.

11. then add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) and ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana).

12. fry for 2 to 3 seconds till they are browned.

13. then add 6 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta), 2 to 3 small dry red chilies, 3 to 4 cloves (lavang), 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini) and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing).

14. stir and fry for a few seconds till the red chilies change color.

15. pour this tempering on the simmering dal. be careful as the dal splutters. mix and then continue to simmer the dal for 5 to 6 minutes more. once done, then before serving khatti meethi dal, you can garnish the dal with coriander leaves if you prefer.

16. serve the gujarati khatti meethi dal with steamed rice or jeera rice or saffron rice or butter rice or garam masala 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.